'Count himself pretty lucky': Scotland escape red card for high clean-out on McDermott

Australian rugby greats have slammed referee Luke Pearce’s decision to not send off Scotland’s Glen Young after a controversial clean-out against the Wallabies.

Scotland appeared to be playing with momentum and confidence as the final quarter of the Test at Murrayfield edged ever closer.

A sublime try from flyhalf Blair Kinghorn just after the break, which would’ve impressed any Premier League scout, had the hosts up by six before a penalty shortly after.

Up 15-6, winger Duhan van der Merwe made an impressive break down the left edge in the 56th minute, before Bernard Foley made a try-saving one-on-one tackle.

But controversy followed as scrumhalf Tate McDermott set himself up in a strong position, before Scottish replacement Glen Young attempted to clear him out.

Replays clearly showed Young making contact with McDermott’s head, which saw Stan Sport commentators react as referee Pearce went to the TMO.

“Glen Young, how else do you clean out? That’s the difficult part that’s come in the last 18-months,” two-time World Cup winner Tim Horan said.

“If they’re consistent it’s going to be a red card.

“Glen Young can count himself pretty lucky,” Horan added after the decision was made.

Pearce agreed that while Young had come from distance and made contact with McDermott’s head, he downplayed the level of danger involved.

The TMO believed that Young had made “a bicep connection to the face” which the English referee agreed to.

While the Test came to a last minute missed kick, the confusion and controversy over this decision was a talking point during the Stan Sport post-game coverage.

“I just don’t know necessarily where in the lawbook it differentiates between bicep and shoulder,” former Australian winger Drew Mitchell said post-game.

“If it’s high and if it’s in the head and if it’s with force and they haven’t slowed their entry point then it’s a red card.

“I don’t know where it differentiates with body parts just the degree of danger.”

Justin Harrison, who played five Test matches against Scotland during his famous career, said it was an “unacceptable” decision.

“We hear a lot of commentary and a lot of people sitting at home saying ‘how is that attacking player supposed to move Tate McDermott away from the ball when he’s got an early position?’ What he’s supposed to do is arrest his momentum and force before the moment of impact,” Harrison said.

“What we don’t want to see is players arriving with maximum force of maximum velocity of 30 metres, coming from an uncontrolled situation and continuing on with that momentum into the head impact region and player welfare concerns.

“What Tate McDermott does is right, getting over the ball. What the arriving player doesn’t do is arrest some of his momentum, correct his entry point and make sure he gets up under, scoops the arms first.

“His first point of contact is the head and that is unacceptable.”

Australian have started their five-match spring tour with a tense 16-15 win over Scotland, but it doesn’t get much tougher than next week’s opponents.

The Wallabies will face world number two France at Stade de France on Sunday morning (AEST), before matches against Italy, Ireland and Wales.