Fagerson deserved his red card, says Owens

REFEREE Nigel Owens says the red card given to Scotland’s Zander Fagerson at Murrayfield on Saturday was “as clear as you could see”.

The prop was handed his marching orders in the 53rd minute of the Six Nations clash after he cleared out Wales’s Wyn Jones.

The forward caught Jones to his head, and, running in from distance and leading with the shoulder, it was judged it to be a sending-off offence.

Giving Fagerson his marching orders, referee Matthew Carley said: “You’ve had a clear line of sight and you’ve hit him directly in the head.”

It was the second time Wales have ended up playing against 14 men in the space of six days, with Ireland’s Peter O’Mahony sent off early at the Principality Stadium last weekend.

Like the O’Mahony incident, the Fagerson decision prompted plenty of debate between fans and former players, but former Test referee Owens – in his Daily Mail column – says it was a clear-cut decision.

The Gwendraeth Valley official said: “The red card shown to Scotland prop Zander Fagerson in the Wales game was as clear as you could see.

“He ran in from distance, with his arm tucked in by his side.

“He came in off his feet and led with his shoulder straight to the head of Wyn Jones.

“There was no attempt to enter the ruck with his arms out. No attempt to bind. No control.

“It is a clear red card. No-one should defend that. We don’t want to see that in the game.

“People will have their opinions but if they think that something like that is okay, I’m sorry, but they need to have a good think about the type of game we want to see.”

Meanwhile, Scotland flanker Hamish Watson has apologised for post-match comments after he criticised Fagerson’s red card.

Watson had initially branded the call to send off Scotland prop Fagerson for a no-arms clearout on Wyn Jones “rubbish” and “not rugby”.

But he has since taken to social media to show some remorse for his comments.

Replying to a video of his initial post-match interview, Watson tweeted: “Poor comments from me, emotions were very high after losing a very tight match.

“Players’ health is paramount.”

His initial comments had been criticised given the ongoing problems that rugby faces with brain injuries.