THE ISSUE OF RED CARDS IS STILL A BLACK MARK

TWELVE years on, the consequence of the infamous spear tackle on Brian O’Driscoll in the first Test of the 2005 Lions tour still rankles.

O’Driscoll, captain and a talismanic figure, lasted 75 seconds before being planted into the ground like a tent peg by All Blacks Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu.

Referee Joel Jutge took no action. O’Driscoll took no further part in the tour. More than a decade on, Jutge has finally admitted his mistake.

‘ It should have at least been one red card,’ he said. ‘Maybe two. We didn’t see it so didn’t sanction it. When I reviewed it at the hotel, I was very unhappy. We don’t care what the crowd think. If we have to give a red card, even if it’s against an All Black in New Zealand, we give a red card.’ No they don’t. That’s never happened. Only two All Black players have ever been sent off, both away from home and it’s almost 50 years since the last one.

Cyril Brownlie was first, against England in 1925, followed by Colin Meads against Scotland in 1967.

There were no cards back then, so Meads was asked to depart. Irish No 8 Willie Duggan and Geoff Wheel of Wales were the first to be sent off in a Five Nations game, after a fight in Cardiff in 1977.

According to Duggan’s team-mate, the late Moss Keane: ‘Duggan always maintained he was never sent off. He said the referee came towards him and asked if he would mind leaving the field. And Duggan says: “Sure not at all, I was b******d anyway”.’

Those were the days.