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Cape Town - Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett says the two red cards dished out at Kings Park on Saturday were fair.
A big talking point talking point from the Bulls' 19-16 win over the Sharks was when hookers Schalk Brits and Akker van der Merwe received their marching orders following a heated exchange at a ruck.
Mallett shared his views on the incident in the SuperSport studio: "With regard to the two red cards, there was a little head butt that caused Schalk Brits to react. He was taken out by Akker who then continued to push.
"In reaction, Schalk threw a left which hit Akker's cheek and Akker responded again by hitting him while he was on his back on the ground. It’s very simple in rugby that if you land any blow to the head of an opponent then it’s a red card. So both red cards were fair."
Mallett also had praise for New Zealand referee Mike Fraser.
"I thought the ref had a very good game today, by the way. And it’s great to have a neutral ref in such a tight derby because no one can say he supports one team or the other. It was a good decision to red card both hookers and he worked well with his assistants to come to that conclusion. So there can be no complaints there at all."
