'I have seen yellow and red cards given for virtually nothing' - Dan Robson calls for consistency after latest sending off

Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson called for consistency after his team-mate Ben Morris received the 19th red card in the Gallagher Premiership this season for a high tackle on Worcester centre Ollie Lawrence.

Wasps were trailing 19-16 when Morris saw red with 23 minutes to go, but fought back to win 23-19 as Tommy Taylor’s try secured only their third Premiership victory in 10 matches.

England international Robson said: “We kept calm after the red card and got the job done. It was good to come from behind at the end for once because we have lost a number of matches in the last couple of minutes.

The Spirit of Rugby | Episode 1 | RugbyPass

The Spirit of Rugby | Episode 1 | RugbyPass

“The frustrating thing about Ben’s dismissal is that what you want as players is consistency. Charlie Ewels made a similar challenge during Bath’s game against Sale on Friday night and he got a yellow card while Ben received a red.

“We all watched a replay of the incident on the big screen and going ‘pick a number out of a hat.’ I have seen yellow and red cards given for virtually nothing and once we get consistency, there will be no problem.”

Wasps head coach Lee Blackett said he had only seen the incident involving Morris briefly but had no complaints given the crackdown on tackles that involve contact with an opponent’s head.

“It is the way the game is going and we can have no complaints,” said Blackett. “What I would say is that the red card had a positive affect on us. We had been nervy and edgy before it but the leadership of the group really shone through when it mattered and we got over the line.

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“I had a few butterflies at the end when Worcester staged a final attack. We had been leading with three minutes to go in six of our previous eight matches and lost four of them, so to hold on was massive for us.

“The aim now is to finish the season strongly and have something to take into next season. We want to qualify for next season’s Heineken Champions Cup and that is still very much on.”

Worcester remain rooted to the bottom after a 16th successive league defeat, but head coach Jonathan Thomas saw signs to make him feel positive for his side’s prospects next season.

“They had very much better life the first half and were on top in the scrum, but I was proud of the way we responded in the second half,” he said. “We showed a lot of quality behind and that will be added to next season by the signings we have made.

“When you are on a losing run you tend to be down on your luck, but heads did not drop and we were in it to the very end.”