Bristol Bears second row Josh Caulfield was given a red card after just 13 minutes for stomping on the head of Connacht prop Finlay Bealham in the Investec Champions Cup.
The 26-year-old lock, who joined Bristol from London Ireland in 2023, was given his marching orders by French referee Pierre Bourset, who deemed the action worthy of a red.
The initial view of this event was not good from a strong Bears lock that caught Bear Lamb in the face as he tried to enter the ruck area to secure the ball.
unpleasant contact
Unfortunately for Caulfield, the Ireland international forward was in his path and his left boot hit Bealham on the side of the head after he attempted to step over the prop.
Officials were quick to discover the incident early in Friday’s Investec Champions Cup pool match, leaving spectators at the Sportsground grimacing as they watched replays on the stadium’s screens.
Bourset wanted to take a close look at the replay shown by TMO Denis Grenouillet and made a quick decision as Caulfield’s night was cut short.
Feel this is a very tough call on Josh Caulfield. pic.twitter.com/RW78XI9dgl
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) January 19, 2024
A red card made a nightmarish start to the game worse for Bristol Bears after Connacht winger Shane Bolton crossed for a 7-0 lead after seven minutes.
Jacques Angers, who replaced Bealham while he was receiving treatment for a head wound and an HIA check, also went over the whitewash to double Connacht’s buffer. To make matters worse for the Bears, England prop Kyle Sinckler was sin-binned offensively ahead of the Irish forward’s try.
Bealum was then patched up and returned to the field, much to the delight of the home supporters as Connacht appeared to be looking forward to their 14-man Bristol Bears shirt.
14 point lead
Scrumhalf Kaolin Blade scored a try before the interval, taking the tally to 14 points. This came after former Connacht and Sale flyhalf AJ McGinty took a penalty kick.
The scoreline remained at 17-3 at half-time, and Connacht were well on their way to securing their first win of the tournament after three straight defeats.
However, the reaction to Caulfield’s red card was divisive on X (formerly Twitter) as injured Bristol prop Ellis Genge appeared to support his team-mate immediately after the act.
There’s no way in this world Josh Caufield would intentionally stomp on the head, and every player watching knows that.
— Genge (@EllisGenge) January 19, 2024
However, TNT Sports guest Donncha O’Callaghan believes every player has a duty of care on the field and it should have been a red card, a view echoed by Andy McGeady. Ta.
There is no malicious intent. There’s no malice there. However, you have a duty of care and that alone is not enough.
This is my paraphrase of what Donncha O’Callaghan said at half-time about Caulfield’s reds, but to me it’s spot on.#CONvBRI
— Andy McGeady (@andymcgeady) January 19, 2024
“That red card against Caulfield felt a bit complacent with the card… it wasn’t intentional, it was clearly an accident. It should have been yellow,” wrote another. It was dark.
Some felt it was a clear red card.
One post said: “Caulfield walked away shaking his head, but he has no room for argument. Don’t do that.”
read more: New England captain rules Saracens out with injury, Manie Livbok reaches milestone