Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Shaun Edwards wades in on Freddie Steward's rescinded red

(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

French defence coach Shaun Edwards has expressed his bemusement over the decision to send off Freddie Steward in England’s final Six Nations match against Ireland in Dublin.

ADVERTISEMENT

Steward was shown a red card after he collided with Hugo Keenan as the Irish fullback collected a ball from the deck, but his suspension was overturned this week.

The Leicester fullback appeared before a virtual disciplinary hearing on Tuesday night, and it was decided that while the tackle was an act of foul play, there were sufficient mitigating circumstances to view it as a yellow card offence only. This means that Steward can play in Leicester’s next game.

Video Spacer
Video Spacer

England’s frustration at the on-field decision by referee Jaco Peyper was evident, with Owen Farrell’s incredulous “Red card?!” response caught on camera. Despite being down to 14 men, England showed resilience in the face of Steward’s dismissal, but ultimately lost 29-16.

Writing in his Daily Mail column, Edwards, who previously coached Wales’ defence, said the decision was “an injustice”.

Related

“Freddie Steward’s red card on Saturday night – which was rescinded on Wednesday – was an injustice. It was an injustice to Steward himself and also to the England fans who had paid good money for their tickets. Referees need to be given more control and power to make their own decisions.

“In football, ultimately it comes down to the referee’s discretion if he is pulled over by the VAR for a penalty check. In rugby, it is like a village council meeting!

ADVERTISEMENT

“In my eyes, Steward’s actions barely warranted a penalty. I have no idea what he could have done to avoid contact. The problem we have is refereeing has become a box-ticking exercise. We have some brilliant referees but they don’t seem to have any discretion because the game is basically officiated by World Rugby checklists.”

The hearing noted in its statement that “match officials are required to make decisions under pressure and in the heat of a live match environment,” suggesting that they understood the difficulties faced by referees.

Related

ADVERTISEMENT

Wolfhounds vs Gwalia | Celtic Challenge 2024/25 | Match Highlights

Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

O2 Inside Line: This Rose | Episode 2 | Ireland Week

New Zealand vs Australia: Behind the Scenes with the Black Ferns Sevens Team | HSBC SVNS Embedded | E06

O2 Inside Line: This Rose | Episode 1

Argentina v Australia | HSBC SVNS Perth 2025 | Men's Final Match Highlights

The Dupont Ploy: How France went from underdogs to Olympic gods | The Report

Former rugby player is truly an NFL superstar | Walk the Talk | Jordan Mailata

Boks Office | Episode 33 | Dupont's Toulouse Too Good

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

4 Comments
D
David 691 days ago

We have some brilliant referees but they don’t seem to have any discretion because the game is basically officiated by World Rugby checklists.” - This just isn't true. The head protocol provides plenty of room for referee discretion (including whether it's foul play at all and whether there are mitigating factors). Referees just need to use that discretion wisely. Peyper & Co didn't.

B
Bernard 691 days ago

That was a Red card all the way, in the first match when Wayne Barnes didn’t send off a player for a similar tackle I thought he should have been banned from officiating for being so stupid! Thank God for Refs the calibre of Mr Peyper

E
Euan 691 days ago

Rescinding was the injustice.

J
John 692 days ago

And I suppose Antonio's hit on Herring shouldn't have been a penalty. Obviously worried about playing Ireland

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

TRENDING
TRENDING Ex-Crusaders recruit now the fittest forward at the Hurricanes Ex-Crusaders recruit now the fittest forward
Search