Esterhuizen tackle — legal and fair or dangerous head contact?
![](https://sportsareena.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Andre-Esterhuizen-1-780x470.jpg)
The large Bok centre was initially yellow carded for the tackle earlier than it was upgraded to a pink.
Could he have gone decrease? Yes. Was it a excessive and dangerous tackle worthy of a pink card? According to the TMO and referee who dealt with the match between the Springboks and Portugal in Bloemfontein on Saturday, the reply is sure.
Bok centre Andre Esterhuizen’s tackle on Portuguese midfielder Jose Lima within the first two minutes of the Test has change into the largest speaking level and difficulty of the one-off, historic Test between the nations.
For the file, the Boks, with predominantly backup and younger gamers within the matchday-23, received the match comfortably 64-21. They scored 10 tries to Portugal’s three and needed to play a lot of the match with 14 males after Esterhuizen was pink carded for his early tackle.
Following what regarded like a superbly executed “hit” on Lima, which sadly left the Portuguese participant concussed, and carried off, and out of the motion, Esterhuizen was yellow carded by referee Hollie Davidson.
![Andre Esterhuizen](https://media.citizen.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Andre-Esterhuizen-1.jpg)
TMO name
A couple of minutes later, with the TMO having considered the footage, the yellow card was upgraded to a pink, for a excessive and dangerous tackle, with head on head contact. But was this the precise resolution?
From a number of movies doing the rounds on social media, it seems to be like Esterhuizen’s tackle was completely timed, with the Bok star bending his knees to go in decrease, and it seems he makes contact with Lima’s shoulder, fairly than his head. Is it clear and apparent head on head contact?
Sadly Esterhuizen falls on high of Lima as he hits the bottom, along with his head hitting the turf fairly violently.
World Rugby will now most likely cost Esterhuizen and ask him to look earlier than a disciplinary listening to.
From the footage beneath, did Davidson and the TMO make the precise name to pink card the Bok centre?
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