Pressure on referees to avoid red cards

France prop Uini Atonio will serve at least a two-match ban following his red-card high hit on Rob Herring, which saw the Ireland hooker replaced in the 26th minute of last's Saturday Guinness Six Nations clash.

Initially handed just a yellow card by referee Wayne Barnes, a Six Nations panel reviewed the decision and handed out a three-game ban to the La Rochelle forward.

That will be reduced to two matches upon completion of a coaching intervention programme.

There was universal condemnation of Barnes’ decision, but just how did such an experienced official come to such a strange conclusion?

"By any metric that was red," former Ireland head coach Eddie O’Sullivan told the RTÉ Rugby podcast.

"[But] the pressure is on referees now. If he pulls out a red there, and he should, that changes the game for everybody, it’s now 14 against 15, it’s a different game of rugby.

"I’m not defending what he did, but at that moment, referees have been prone to back out of red cards because the consequences are so big for the game."

Should France's Uini Atonio have seen red in the first half? The panel believe so. #SixNations #IREvFRA
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Former Ireland out-half Ian Keatley agreed: "If that [tackle] happened in the 50th or 60th minute I think he would have been more inclined to give a red card.

"I think he was conscious, one v two in the world, this is a big spectacle, 'do I give a red card here for something I’m not 100% sure on?' I think that probably came into it."

The panel went on to discuss why players are still not changing their behaviour despite rule changes and O'Sullivan called the World Rugby coaching intervention programme "nonsense".

You can listen or watch the full debate below.

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