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Video - Wayne Barnes sends Wallaby hooker off for swearing
By Ian Cameron
Stade Francais hooker Tolu Latu was sent off after receiving his second yellow card for swearing at referee Wayne Barnes.
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Although they ultimately won the game 37 – 31, the French side’s hopes suffered a major setback when Latu was sent off in the 46th minute after receiving a second yellow card for swearing at referee Barnes.
Latu’s first yellow was for a no-arms clearout, but his second was more contentious.
Barnes, who famously sent Northampton Saints hooker Dylan Hartley off during a Premiership final for swearing at him, didn’t hesitate to send the Wallaby off after initially warning him about his language.
Barnes can be heard telling Stade Francais captain Tala Gray that Latu had “looked straight at me and shouted, ‘f**king hell!”
The skipper could then be heard hilariously suggesting the Australian was speaking French: “He spoke French. I don’t think you understood that properly.”
Barnes then said: “Stop. He then looked at me and said ‘I got the f***ing ball. Very much happy…yellow card, red card.”
Wayne Barnes explaining his actions against Tolu Latu.
“He’s said f*cking hell”. “He’s then looked at me and said, I got the f*cking ball.”
?? #SFPvCON#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/sZ6OzMlh1Z
— Darren (@SaffasRugby) January 23, 2022
BT commentator Ryle Nugent noted: “Latu is in all sorts of trouble, all sorts of trouble. Good night, good luck and goodbye. Whatever he said to Wayne Barnes, it was enough to warrant a yellow card. It’s his second one having gone for foul play, and that is the end of that.”
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The 14-man Stade were still able to pull off the win. Despite trailing Connacht in the final minutes of the game, the hosts took the lead with a long pass from Joris Segonds allowing Adrien Lapeque dance through the defense to score.
Segonds then slotted over a last-minute penalty to keep the Parisians’ Heineken Champions Cup hopes alive.
Latu will surely now face a citing and a possible ban. The former Waratahs hooker earned 16 caps for the Wallabies between 2016 and 2020, before moving to the French capital.
