Share

Bulls complain of eye-gouging

Pretoria - Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder backed his team against charges of eye-gouging against the Bulls during their 32-30 Super Rugby loss on Saturday, saying he was concerned the new white card system could be manipulated.

South African referee Jaco Peyper issued two white cards against the Crusaders after Bulls hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle and captain Pierre Spies, on behalf of lock Flip van der Merwe, made allegations of eye-gouging at rucks.

SANZAR, SuperRugby's ruling body, introduced the use of white cards this season in cases where referees suspect foul play but have not seen the incident or are unsure of the culprit.

The card alerts the citing commissioner to view television replays and check whether action is required.

Blackadder told a news conference: "Personally, I'm bemused. If the allegations made are shown to be false then I expect an apology because they're pretty serious allegations. Otherwise anyone can make allegations and we'll have white cards all over the place. I'm not sure the system is designed for that.

"There's a process in place, but I would be very disappointed if the allegations are shown to be true. I know my players well, they're guys of character and there's no way they would do that. I'll be interested in the outcome."

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke said eye-gouging had no place in the game and he would be upset if the allegations were proven.

"There's no place for foul play and silly incidents like that," he told reporters. "There will be a review and there may be nothing, but it's not part of the game. No-one wants to see that sort of thing.

"It's tough to say what happened, but we'll leave it for the judicial officers, they specialise in that."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1118 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1284 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 1981 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE