"8 needs to come off."
35 minutes into Ireland's Second Test encounter with the All Blacks saw untold confusion, on the part of the match officials, New Zealand's players, and most fans watching at Forsyth Barr Stadium, and on TV. Ardie Savea was not the only person wondering what the hell was going on.
From the 16th minute until the 39th minute, four players were carded by referee Jaco Peyper. James Ryan, Leicester Fainga'anuku and Ofa Tu'ungafasi all saw yellow and
Angus Ta'avao was sent off. In the midst of all that, Peyper awarded Ireland a penalty when Garry Ringrose was denied a clear try-scoring opportunity by an off-ball tackle.
Angus Ta'avao had replaced Tu'ungafasi when his fellow tighthead had been sin-binned for that tackle on Ringrose. To facilitate the front-row change, Dalton Papalii was temporarily replaced, so that live scrummaging could continue with a proper front row.
When Ta'avao was sent off for a dangerous tackle [head clash] with ball-carrier Ringrose, loosehead Aidan Ross was brought on so there could be uncontested scrums. To facilitate the entry of Ross, New Zealand No.8 Ardie Savea was brought to the sideline.
All Blacks should be temporarily reduced to 12 men
At this time, 33 minutes into the Second Test, the All Blacks were, under World Rugby laws, supposed to have only 12 players on the pitch. This is due to the current guidelines on uncontested scrums. Instead of facing 13 Kiwis, Ireland should have been up against 12.
On 35 minutes, the 10-minute sin-bin for Ofa Tu'ungafasi was up. He returned to the field of play, but so did Ardie Savea and Dalton Papalii.
As Codie Taylor prepares to throw to the lineout, the All Blacks should have only 14 players on the pitch, at this moment, but they position themselves for that set-piece with a full complement of 15 men.
Duly noted on the sideline, Jaco Peyper is summoned to the sideline and a discussion takes place about which player needs to leave the pitch - Papalii or Savea. At this time, Savea has been told he may need to leave the pitch but he lingers near teammates, awaiting the final call. Peyper is picked up on the ref mic saying:
"8 [Savea] came off for the red, so 8 needs to come off."
Given the amount of cards shown in such a short period, and with front rowers coming off, meaning uncontested scrums, it was rife for an officiating slip. The big errors were New Zealand having 13 players on the pitch for two minutes, instead of 12, and Savea being told to go off, when Papalii should have done so.
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'There's no doubt that we wanted Ardie Savea to go back on'
Following the game,
which Ireland won 23-12, All Blacks head coach Ian Foster confirmed there had been a post-match discussion with Jaco Peyper. The ABs coaching team felt Savea should have been allowed to stay on.
"There was clearly confusion around the red card and what could happen after that,"
Foster told reporters.
"To be fair to everyone it was a revolving door there for a little while, but we’re seeking clarification, and what happened was not what we thought should happen. There's no doubt that we wanted Ardie to go back on."
Papalii [14 caps] is relatively new into the All Blacks set-up while Ardie Savea is an experienced international, a leader within the squad, captained the All Blacks, last year, and had scored two tries in the First Test against Ireland.
"My understanding was the opposite of the officials' understanding," Foster added. "And they told us that they had to live with the decision they made."
The 11-point Irish win, on Saturday, was the All Blacks' biggest home loss in 150 Test matches, stretching back 29 years.
Ireland have now joined Australia, South Africa, England, and France as Test nations to have won a game against the All Blacks on their home turf.
