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Marius van der Westhuizen (Rooster)
- Sharks coach Sean Everitt and Bulls coach Jake White had no qualms about the yellow “headshot” cards they showed their players during Saturday’s game.
- Sharks center Marius Louw and Bulls mainstay Jacques van Rooyen received yellow cards for dangerous tackles.
- White said concussions and head injuries have been big talking points in the sport of late, emphasizing player safety.
After two similar and highly debatable “head butt” refereeing decisions against both teams, neither Sharks coach Sean Everitt nor Bulls coach Jake White had any qualms with the postgame decisions.
The Sharks won a hard-fought Currie Cup clash 32-29 at Kings Park on Saturday that had some amazing decisions from referee Marius van der Westerhuizen and TMO Marius Jonker.
HOW IT HAPPENED | Sharks 32-29 Bulls
The first came when Sharks center Marius Louw stormed into Bulls flying midfielder Morne Steyn quite late, having set a mark in his own 22-meter area.
Louw’s head brushed against Steyn’s and the contact was enough to justify the Bulls turning to be seen by medical personnel.
Louw subsequently received a yellow card as a result of the TMO review, despite the quizzical look he displayed when the call was made.
Five minutes after Louw went to the trash, Bulls loose-headed mainstay Jacques van Rooyen suffered the same fate when his Sharks flank tackle Henco Venter resulted in the two-headed collision, in what appeared to be an accidental shock to the layman’s eyes.
However, Van der Westerhuizen and Jonker also deemed the incident worthy of a yellow card for the Bulls front rower.
“The yellow cards were unfortunate, but I think they were the right decision,” Everitt said.
“We reviewed it, as did the TMO, and we felt both were fair. I don’t think there is any damage to the tickets.
“Thank God sanity prevailed and they remained [just] yellow cards so that the game could continue as fair competition. “
Van Rooyen was suspended for a week earlier this month after he was sent off in the Bulls’ 22-20 win over Western Province, in a decision that also sparked heated debate.
The latest incident also prompted Bulls captain Duane Vermeulen to yell at Van der Westerhuizen, saying “maybe we should play sensitive“It was a half wry, half serious joke about the softness of the calls.
The Vermeulen coach, however, said there could be a more serious element, that of concussion and head injuries, which has been the bone of contention in rugby and soccer of late.
“It’s not up to me to say if it was right or wrong,” White said.
“It was a bit difficult [to judge] without a big screen and to get that detail because we also had a power outage.
“We couldn’t even see it [again] on our laptops.
“The referee and the TMO saw a hearing and I think we need to make sure we take care of the players.
“At the end of the day, you read a lot in the media about head injuries and concussions.
“I’m sure that’s the summary of World Rugby. At the end of the day, we have to make sure we are following the rules.
“I’m sure it will be more difficult as the rugby union develops. There is a lot of talk about head injuries and concussions.”
