Beauden Barrett and Israel Folau have expressed their concerns over the way aerial challenges are being officiated.
Barrett was concussed during the second Test against France after coming into contact with fullback Benjamin Fall in the air and falling on his head. Fall was subsequently red-carded but an independent judicial committee cancelled the card after reviewing the incident.
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The Hurricanes flyhalf said he hoped that the contest in the air would not be lost as it is an important part of the game.
‘It will be a shame if it’s taken away,’ Barrett said. ‘I just think we need a bit of clarity around the ruling so referees can be 100% clear on if it’s intentional, if it’s unintentional, if it’s a penalty, if it’s a yellow card and so on.’
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Meanwhile, Folau, who was yellow-carded during the Wallabies’ third Test against Ireland and subsequently suspended for one match, said he will not change the way he competes for the ball in the air.
‘I’ll still keep attacking the ball the way I do,’ Folau said. ‘I think going forward I’d like to see a little bit more clarity within that particular area of the game, not only for myself but other players involved in those aerial contests.
‘When you go into a contest in the air, you are going to make contact with the opposing player. It’s not going to be always clean in the sense that there won’t be any contact but I understand the dangers of being in the air.’
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Photo: Anthony Au-Yeung/AFP
