All Blacks forward sent off for 'stupid' act in Bledisloe Cup
All Blacks star Scott Barrett has been red-carded in the first Test of the Bledisloe Cup in Perth for foul play.
The hulking lock was given his marching orders by referee Jerome Garces shortly before the end of the first half, after he was deemed to have shoulder charged Wallabies star Michael Hooper in the back of the head and neck.
While the decision to red-card Barrett sparked controversy on social media, the All Blacks star didn’t argue with the French official when the decision was handed down.
Garces’ decision to send Barrett from the ground was massive, considering the Wallabies held a narrow 16-12 advantage at the time.
Opinion was split about the red-card online, with some fans saying it was too harsh, but others applauding Garces for making a tough call.
🚨 RED CARD 🚨
New Zealand's Scott Barrett will play no part in the rest of this match for an elbow to the neck on Michael Hooper.#AUSvNZL #BledisloeCup
WATCH 📺 LIVE on channel 507 pic.twitter.com/lNufl1XKhU— FOX SPORTS Rugby (@FOXRUGBY) August 10, 2019
Bloody brave and great call from the ref. All Blacks targeting Hooper all night. No arm. Shoulder to the head. Scott Barrett deserved that red card #gowallabies #GoldBlooded #AUSvNZL #bledisloe
— Karina Carvalho (@karina_carv) August 10, 2019
Poor decision to red card Scott Barrett - I’ve seen worse shoulder charges than that. Should have been a yellow card IMO.
Anyway, the 2nd half will be interesting... #AUSvNZL— Braden Byrne 🇳🇿❤️🖤 (@bb_eki) August 10, 2019
How stupid was that from scott barrett. This new Zealand team is very beatable in the world cup
— thescousecrusader (@Thebatmanofbelf) August 10, 2019
Not sure what Scott Barrett was thinking. It’s been a rule forever. Elbow to the back of the head would be a send off in most sports. #AUSvNZL
— Robin Illingworth (@bobillingworth) August 10, 2019
Only my opinion, but harsh call to send off Scott Barrett in Bledisloe. Yellow card, but not a red for me. #AUSvNZL https://t.co/pdJ5Gntl8f
— Alex Bywater (@_AlexBywater) August 10, 2019
The fact of the matter is, if Barrett attempted to use his arms it would’ve been a penalty, yellow at worst. Cocking back his shoulder he left Garces no option. Garces hasn’t ruined the game. Scott Barrett’s decision making did #ausvnzl
— Javeed Ali (@JNAli09) August 10, 2019
That is disgraceful decision to give Scott Barrett a red card. Yellow at best but Australia is on top of this match and that has just distorted Test. 16-12 to Wallabies at halftime.
— Wayne Keith Smith (@WayneKeithSmith) August 10, 2019
Wallabies make incredible history
With his red card, Barrett became just the fourth All-Blacks player in history to be sent from the the field.
In what could potentially be seen as a good omen, he joins an illustrious club, which includes Cyril Brownlie, Colin Meads and Sonny Bill Williams.
Australia quickly pressed their advantage soon after, romping to a 47-26 victory - their highest-ever score against the All Blacks.
The Australians were given little chance of knocking off their arch-rivals, but delivered their best performance in years to make a statement with the World Cup starting next month.
They must crack their first win in Auckland since 1986 to secure the prized trans-Tasman trophy for the first time in 17 years.
In an extra sweetener, the All Blacks might surrender their world No.1 ranking to Wales for the first time since 2009 should the Welsh beat England later this weekend.
with AAP