There was a moment of madness in this morning’s Super Rugby fixture, as Queensland Reds scrum half Tate McDermott was shown a red card for swinging an arm into the ruck. The halfback saw red following a coming together with Moana Pasifika’s Irie Papuni, after the forward broke through the Queensland back-line.
Papuni fended off McDermott, with the outstretched arm coming into contact with his throat. As the commentators explained, the scrum half ‘took exception’ to the fend, and handed Papuni his response once the powerful ball carrier was brought to ground. You can watch the replay of the incident in the shared social media clip below.
The referee initially handed McDermott with a yellow card, yet the Queensland fans knew all too well what was to come following the off-field review. Before too long the sin bin stay was upgraded to a permanent suspension, with the Reds having to see out the rest of the contest with 14 men. The incident proved to be a costly one for the Reds, as they threw away a 12-10 lead with Pasifika running out eventual victors, at 17-14.
This mid-table match up was an important win for Moana, as the Pacific Island orientated side continue to find their feet in the Super Rugby landscape. Now under the guidance of All Blacks legend Tana Umaga, Pasifika have improved greatly from their initial two seasons, which saw the side struggle to pick up consistent wins. Pasifika, sat at eighth, now have three wins in eight games under Umaga, with the latest triumph over the sixth placed Reds put out a statement for the rest of the season.