George Head’s stoppage-time try secured Harlequins a 26-24 win over London Irish in a tense Premiership encounter.
The score, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, was controversial after Irish felt Charlie Matthews tackled Benhard Janse van Rensburg while he was in the air just before.
The win sees Quins move up to third in the Premiership while Irish go up a place to 10th thanks to their losing bonus point.
The Incident:
Pundit reaction:
Fan reaction:
One fan wrote: “Disgusting decision by ref and TMO they gifted them 5 points and took away 4 points. Week in week out Irish are treated so differently by officials.”
“Poor officiating on & off the field ruined the game. No complaints on both red cards but how there was no penalty for the collision on Van Rensburg was beyond belief.” added a second.
A third fan said: “Matthew Carley should have been the voice of reason there even if the ref and TMO got it wrong. He’s referred countess internationals so has the experience to make sure they get it right!”
The 5 best rugby referees in the world right now have been ranked
5. Angus Gardner (Australia)
As a teenager, he was a keen rugby player until he was diagnosed with Scheuermann’s Disease [a hereditary disc condition].
Gardner refereed his first international match in 2011, taking charge of Papua New Guinea vs Vanuatu. A year later he refereed his first Super Rugby fixture, Queensland Reds vs Melbourne Rebels.
In 2018, he refereed the Super Rugby final, and the same year he went on to win World Rugby’s Referee of the Year award.