Red card is fair for Cipriani

AT least Gloucester’s Danny Cipriani knew straight away he was going to be shown a red card for a high tackle on Rory Scannell of Munster. It wasn’t the most outrageous tackle by any means but under new laws bringing his shoulder up, even from a standing position, to hit the head of the Munster man meant he deserved to be ordered off. An incident involving such a high-profile player — who handled his dismissal in an exemplary fashion — in such a big European Heineken Champions Cup match, made it the most talked about incident of foul play over the weekend. Some players, such as Saracens’ Billy Vunipola, tried to defend him but times have changed. Bend knees, tackle low and make the hit properly and there is less chance of injuring your opponent. The new rules are there for player welfare reasons. Vunipola should realise that — just like Cipriani did the moment he made the illegal tackle.