Mafileo Kefu straight red card for high tackle on Alexis Palisson

straight read eh...

Thanks.. typo, fixed now :)

looks to me as if yellow would have been enough, hm...

Bit harsh.
Seen much worse go unpunished.

Looks like his teammates gave him a few knees to the head just to top it off lol.

Like the others have said, could've been dealt with perfectly by issuing a yellow, especially for a first offence so early in the game.

A red for that? What a load of tosh.

Didn't help when the tart on the floor was playing on it.

That was far too harsh. The player Side stepped and semi ducked into it.

Yes, as someone already mentioned, much worse has gone unpunished, but then again, someone playing professional rugby should bloody well know better.

If I was his coach I would definitely give him a dressing down about his tackling.

Despite it being a bad head high tackle, that should never have been a red card.
Often around rucks and mauls these tackles sometimes go unnoticed.
I think a yellow would have been fair.

A red is consistent with the irb new emphasis on getting rid of dangerous tackles, the decision is fine be this needs to be consistent so some people don't go unpunished, and so others don't feel hard done by as a result. Many do go unpunished which is a bad message to young aspiring players.
WH

Good choice in my opinion... Maybe it wasn't malicious, but as a professional rugby player you should know where you are allowed to tackle.

I like the hard, physical side of rugby but there must be well signalled limits to keep it safe. And this was beyond boundaries. End of story.

Reminds me of an Andra Masi high tackle on Rob Kearney in the Six Nations, also was within the first minutes of play and only got a yellow.

Good for Kefu for just accepting the ref's decision and walking straight out of the pitch.

I was shocked to see that is was an islander who did the high tackle!

Jesus, what a soft red. Based on what a couple of you consider to warrant a red, that try in 1973 should've seen about three red cards during the build up.

Come on. It's the Top 14. Cards get doled out all the time when they shouldn't (I think the crowd often intimidates referees, along with coaching staff, and the player sometimes milks it) and this is no exception.

Also, I thought for a second there that the match was going to turn into a Pro D2-style brawl. Glad it didn't.

The IRB is tripping. I wish that all this card stuff never started with rugby union. It's ruining the sport.

In the lesser ranks ambitious referees are assessed by how many times they show colors.

The end result is refs blowing the whistle more than ever.

This is more dangerous that a lot of similar tackles because of the pace at which the player is running.

Not sure if that makes a difference to the rule - high is high, but high and fast is obviously more dangerous.

Anyone know?

Nothing in it. He was wronged and stuck his arm out instinctively.

You cannot remove that sort of thing from the game as it's not a conscious effort.

Red is too harsh. Yellow, at best.

Accidental head high, just a penalty, not even a yellow card.
French refs are idiots who love carding players.
Ridiculousl and soft, you would never see this in a SH league.
It was an accident.

Yellow card at best. He stepped back into the line of defense and thats why kefu swung his arm out. Its quite a reflex thing if you have been in that position before. Nothing malicious.
Definitely spoilt the game. Think the referee was influenced cos the guy was lying on the ground needed medical treatment.
The offense should be viewed as a standalone and the injury caused shouldn't be a factor in decided the penalty meted out

French refs are the worst refs in the world.
They're hopeless and love, absolutley love blowing their whistles and pulling out cards.
It ruins the league, I can't really even watch the T14 most of the time, because the refs butcher every game with their pedantry.

Pallison made it out to be worse than it was, players in the French league do this alot.
It's disgusting football player behaviour and brings shame on their entire league.
Sickening how soft they act.

Clear yellow to me, nothing more and nothing less. The Brive coach made it look like he was a football coach. Very unsporting.

Red or yellow card that debate can go on and on, dangerous it was, with intent, didn't look like it, but... the comment i want to make is the coach waving his hand to say "get hime off" that is something that is far too footbally, and has no place in that game, let alone in rugby, its just not on and i dispise people trying to affect decisions by actions such as that

Cynical tackle ,high & dangerous and deserved full red.

I reckon it was red as he made no attempt to even give a legal tackle here. The arm was high and swinging and went straight in at the neck. It may seem harsh but I'd like to see players at least attempt a legal tackle.

'you would never see this in a SH league.'

Tri nations this year?

We are not talking of IRB rules, mentality, Toulon, etc. You just have eyes to see it :

THIS IS NOT RUGBY

This should be our mantra

"Rugby is a game for barbarians played by gentlemen."

Perfect decision. Unbelievably dangerous action (I won't even use the word attempted tackle) intent only on injuring an opponent.

Some of the comments here are disappointing to read, as anyone who's ever been caught high and at speed by a flailing arm will no doubt attest to.

Do we need somebody to leave the field with a broken neck before we all get with the programme here?

poor tackle certainly deserving a binning. don't think there was any malicious intent there... the referee's gone way overboard.

let's face it, if wilkinson had done it; or palisson on kefu, then there would never have been a red card. One rule for islanders, another for everyone else.

He didn't just hit him high but also held on and swung him down to the ground.

I know it's contentious but once the player has been wrong footed he doesn't have to go through with the clothesline. If he knows he could be given a yellow or a red for a bad tackle then surely he can pull out? Player responsibility no? They are adults after all.

Could've been a yellow nevertheless but they are trying to discourage stiff arm tackles like this. As the guy above said, it shouldn't need a really bad injury for a red to be justified. The player landed pretty badly.

He didn't just hit him high but also held on and swung him down to the ground.

I know it's contentious but once the player has been wrong footed he doesn't have to go through with the clothesline. If he knows he could be given a yellow or a red for a bad tackle then surely he can pull out? Player responsibility no? They are adults after all.

Could've been a yellow nevertheless but they are trying to discourage stiff arm tackles like this. As the guy above said, it shouldn't need a really bad injury for a red to be justified. The player landed pretty badly.

Referees can red card this sort of stuff as much as they like (and there are many refs who do seem to like it), but it'll never disappear from the game. Yeah, these guys are professionals and they're the leading examples of what rugby players can be, but they're still human and make human decisions/reactions.

I'm a winger and have had many neck-high tackles thrown my way - I've also been stupid enough to give a few when I've been side-stepped. It's a reaction. That's it. Yellow card; red for repeated offenses or intentional injury/malicious behavior.

Whats with that coach on the sideline mouthing off. Looks like a soccer coach the way he is carrying on.

Last week, in Top 14, another player (from Racing Metro) made the same tackle and was not sent off, no card at all.

Most of the French refs are not refereing Toulon as any other team.
And I say Toulon but also some other teams.
That's the deal for decades now.

Alcatraz, tu dois etre un toulonnais parano pour dire a. Le racing a exactement le mm "statut" que toulon (cad celui de nouveau club "riche" -ce qui n'est pas pejoratif pour moi- pretendant au brennus) et tu penses que toulon est dfavoris, mme par rapport au racing? a c'est du complot mondial!

@ the people who think that this tackle deserves a yellow at best (Chris, Tommo, Bill, Tommy...), I think you are wrong. Even if it's instinctive, this tackle is more than a high tackle ; the player (running fast) is stopped by kefu's arm against his neck only. The slow motion make it appear more soft than it really is. A tackle like this can hurt the player very badly. I don't think that professional players have to be more injured just only because the fans want a more and more physical game.

Agree with 3/4 centre. That wasn't a high tackle, that a throat tackle, wich may be the most dangerous ones in rugby. The slow motion shows that Palisson managed to twist around while being tackle avoiding its head to go backward but at real speed you just see the lower body moving forward and the upper backward. Kefu was red binned because how dangerous this could have been not how badly hurt the player has been.

I don't know what people are going on about saying much worse goes unpunished a high tackle like that always gets punished from what ive seen and how 'much worse' can it get he gets the players throat for christs sake.

As for it being a clothesline im not so sure and i dont think it was malicious either i think kefu just wanted to make sure he didnt miss and swung wildly to get him. If kefu was smaller than pallison it would not have been a high tackle.

That said head and neck injuries are potentially career ending and must be discouraged. Maybe a yellow would have been better given that it was so early in the game and probably not a malicioius tackle.

@ 3/4 centre :
Non, pas parano, juste blas de l'arbitrage envers Toulon depuis des dcennies. Ca ne date pas du statut de "nouveau riche".
La preuve, le placage du talonneur du Racing sur JVN la semaine dernire tait bien pire que celui de Kefu, et il n'a mme pas t pnalis (ni siffl, d'ailleurs...)

Et je ne suis pas parano car je ne dis pas qu'il n'y a QUE Toulon, a tre dfavoris par les arbitres, mais il y a d'autres clubs qui le sont depuis des annes.
De mme, ce sont souvent les mmes qui sont, eux, favoriss.

Ne me parle pas d'erreur d'arbitrage qui s'quilibrent sur une saison... J'attends encore, par exemple, l'quilibre des essais non-valables accords Montpellier et Montauban l'an dernier, ou du "cadeau" annuel de Matheu face au Stade Francais (match nul alors qu'une pnalit de Wilkinson passe entre les barres a t refuse).

Et je ne parle mme pas de la demifinale contre Clermont...

Autre bizarrerie : explique moi pourquoi, lors des 3 premires journes, Toulon a eu comme arbitre de champ les 3 arbitres/juges de touches de Saint Etienne ?

Je te renvoie l'interview de M. Men, qui, mme lui, a reconnu des "couacs" lors de Toulon - Bayonne.

Parano, non. Raliste sur le triste tat fdral du sicle dernier de l'arbitrage en France : oui.

To my opinion, the only thing which can turn this red card in a yellow is the time : it's maybe too soon for a red, but it's deserved, so...

Yellow.

He went down like that because the hit was across his shoulders.. and he's a lightweight. Then the theatricals. Faark, typical Northern Hemisphere shite this.

Clear Red.. It does not matter if their was no malice intended It is as dangerous a tackle as exists Carelessness lik ethis does kill players 1983 I saw a good mate taken out in exactly the same way Instant paraplegic Died 4 years later

Clear Red.. It does not matter if their was no malice intended It is as dangerous a tackle as exists Carelessness lik ethis does kill players 1983 I saw a good mate taken out in exactly the same way Instant paraplegic Died 4 years later

C'est clair que l'arbitrage en France est mauvais, on ne peut pas dire le contraire. Sauf qu'un supporter voit bien plus d'erreurs d'arbitrage contre son quipe que contre celle des autres, c'est logique. Explique moi comment Toulon peut finir 2 de la saison rgulire en enchainant les victoires avec un arbitrage contre lui? Comment la pseudo-hirarchie est elle bouscule ce point si les arbitres avantagent toujours les mmes ? Comment Biarritz et le SF sont-ils "largus" depuis 2 ans? Je ne crois pas que certains aient un traitement de faveur de la part des arbitres (au niveau des penalits siffles surtout), mais plutt que les meilleures quipes sont meilleures aussi grce leur discipline, donc moins penalises.

Le coup des 3 arbitres de Saint Etienne, c'est vraiment tir par les cheveux. Premirement, vous ne vous tes clairement pas fait voler ce match. Un rsultat inverse aurait t un "hold up" comme le disent si bien les journaleux, au vu de la domination clermontoise (je ne justifie surtout pas l'erreur d'arbitrage ici, mais je pense sincrement que cela n'aurait rien chang, cela vaut ce que cela vaut...). Aprs si vous perdez 2 des 3 premiers matchs cette saison c'est parce que les mecs ne jouent pas bien, pas parce que tel ou tel a arbitr tel autre match avant... Et d'ailleurs, Toulon n'a t'il pas gagn Biarritz (soi disant protg de la ligue...) avec un de ces arbitres?

Le coup de l'essai de Delasau contre vous l'an dernier tait clairement un scandale, je n'en connais pas la raison mais je ne pense pas que cela soit "parce que c'tait Toulon".

Aprs avoir parl d'eux, j'espre quand mme que toulonnais et clermontois vont commencer jouer au rugby cette anne parce que pour l'instant, leurs matchs sont quand mmes soporifiques...

AU niveau de l'arbitrage franais, s'il y partialit je pense que cela peut tre surtout en faveur de certains clubs ayant une grosse notorit (clermont, toulouse principalement) qu'en dfaveur d'autres. Et je pense que c'est l'image collective que donne ces clubs et leurs joueurs qui influe sur les arbitres. Si Vincent Clerc effectue le mme plaquage en prenant un air dsol juste aprs (je n'ai rien contre Clerc)il ne prend pas un rouge..

I think the whole think was overly dramatic. It wasn't a good tackle and Kefu should have been given a yellow. I'd even go as far as to say a penalty would have been sufficient, but a red for a tackle like that at the time that it occurred is bs. Now he faces up to 52 weeks suspension for something that wasn't that bad. I've seen eye-gouging cases given less time, and that is about as bad as it gets.

The tackle came across his chest, and the player milked it like it was his neck. If it had been that bad, then why did Palisson get up and continue playing without looking even remotely injured? Best Actor in a leading role goes to...?

Je suis bien d' accord sur la rputation de certains joueurs quel que soit leur club : Maestri ou Fritz Toulouse et Cudmore Clermont, pour prendre les mmes exemples que toi.
En revanche je ne pense pas que les joueurs de "standing" international sont moins siffls parce qu' ils sont internationaux, mais plutt qu' ils sont internationaux parce qu' ils sont moins siffls.
Par ailleurs Jauzion a pris un jaune un peu svre (c'est plutt Delasau qui aurait d l' avoir) contre le SF comme quoi tout arrive...

To my mind, it is really a red card. Is a dangerous tackle. It may be a reflex of Kefu, but it's a silly gesture. I think that a yellow card haven't been enough.
Top 14 is the best competition in the world. But I agree with you, French refs are shits.


Pour moi, ca vaut vraiment un carton rouge. C'est un plaquage dangereux. C'est peut-tre un rflexe de Kefu, mais c'est un geste idiot. Palisson aurait pu avoir de gros ennuis. Sinon je suis d'accord avec une majeur partie d'entre vous, les arbitres franais sont mauvais.

straight red imo. for those saying "yellow is enough", just look during the last replay (@ 1'55") how Palisson's feet are going up. Just imagine what his throat must feel like at that moment. Might not be intentional, but definitely worth a red card. I hope he won't get a long time ban for that.

Les toulonnais, arrtez de nous bassiner avec votre complot mondial contre vous. Des erreurs d'arbitrage, y en a tous les matchs. Contre Toulon, et en faveur de Toulon. Jeu somme nulle. Je connais un arbitre de bon niveau qui m'a dit que l'essai de Delasau tait sujet l'interprtation, mais que lui l'accorderait (pas moi par contre). Menfin je me doute que a sert rien que j'essaie de te convaincre.

Le rouge me semble la meilleure des solutions. Je pense qu'il s'agit plus d'un mauvais rflexe que de la pure mchancet mais cela doit tout de mme tre sanctionn. Avec un rouge l'arbitre calme tout le monde, le public ( Brive), les entraneurs et surtout cela dissuade les quipiers de Palisson de se venger.

stop press, islander in high tackle shock!!

oh wait...

Not sure to be honest. It's one of the worse ones I've seen recently. It is certainly a yellow but due to the huge number of high tackles not penalised or not carded, I'm not sure what tackles like this deserve any more. Maybe if there was a bit more consistency when it comes to refereeing tackles like these this decision would be more clearly understood by spectators.

-KG

"Nothing in it. He was wronged and stuck his arm out instinctively."

Not really sure about that. Any defender who has an attacker step inside in this manner almost always tries this. I do it myself in games. It is an instinctive action, but only because players have allowed it to become one. They know it's not allowed, but they also know that a penalty or an occasional yellow is better than a probably try, so they do it whenever the occasion arises, making it habitual / instinctive.

-KG

"Faark, typical Northern Hemisphere shite this."

Remember Giteau's swan dive vs. England? I do.

-KG

Clear red for me.
We don't need to have a career ending injury to make strong decision.

love him great player like his brother

A tous les frenchies...

Les gars pour moi c'est pas une question d'arbitrage mauvais, de Toulon ou pas Toulon!
Ce genre de geste est trs dangereux et on doit essayer au mieu de les radiquer! Donc bon c'est tomb sur Kefu, il prend son rouge mrit et basta (et mme une suspension pour plusieurs matches serait souhaitable!)
Aprs il faut que les instances se mettent d'accord pour appliquer cela tous les plaquages haut, quelque soit le championnat ou la comptition!! Ca fera rflchir les types et on ne diras plus tel ou tel club est avantag!

Obvious yellow of course. BUT RED?

That early in the game? I don't think so.

Ref overreactiion. Ok it looked bad, but I think Kefu was something of a reflex action

Absolutley unbelievable, you'd think none of you had played the game.
Head highs WILL HAPPEN.
They are almost always accidents, like this one, it's instinctive to throw your arm out when someone cuts inside you.
Red card this and you're killing the sport, softening it up.
It was accidental, a penalty would be enough, yellow would be harsh.
THIS IS NOT SOCCER.
It's a hard sport, these things happen you can't whistle them out of the game, and if you try you will destroy the game of rugby in the process.
HARDEN UP.

Only in France would this be a red.
Accidental head high, nothing in it.

Islanders are born to hurt people lol..

KG, it can't be instinctive and intentional at the same time. That's BS.
It's completely accidental, he threw his arm out as a guy cut inside him, it happens all the time. Most of the time it isn't high, soemtimes it is, and because they are going in different directions it creates a coathanger type effect.
But it's compeltely accidental and ultimatley it will continue to happen from time to time as long as the game of rugby is played (or as long as it's played properly and we don't turn it into touch or, 'shudder', soccer).
It's completely an accident though, KEfu wouldn't have intentionally head highed the guy and given away a penalty, that would be totally counter productive.
In the old days it'd just be a penalty.
These days, because of the wowsers, a yellow might be understnadable (it is France after all) but a red?
Insanity.

The IRB's attempt at stamping out these types of tackles isn't going to work, simply because this type of tackle is an instinctual reflex: someone cuts inside you so you stick out your arm immediately. There's no careful consideration of 'I might get a red if I high tackle that guy now', it's just 'SHIT he stepped me, try and grab him!'. Very difficult to stop yourself making this sort of tackle unfortunately

Just a yellow... IMHO.

But is this Kefu the little brother of Toutai and Steve of the QLD Reds??

yes he is.

I just can't believe the opposing coach was waving an imaginary card.. we are not footballers!!

I didn't say it was both instinctive and intentional. And it isn't completely accidental. They know that it isn't allowed but it's just more natural to stick out an arm and stop the player illegally than to let the player pass. Letting the player pass is in itself easy enough. It's knowing that you may be allowing a try which makes you stick your arm out. It's more of a mental obstacle than a reflex. I do it myself when I play even though I know it's illegal. I've had it done to me. I could stop it, but I've only ever been penalised for it, so I'd pick that over a try. I'm sure a top level player would have better discipline than I do though.

Perhaps grabbing the throat was accidental, however, when making a tackle like that you know that you can hit anywhere from the abdomen to the face.

I do think the player staying on the ground and the crowd may have effected the referees decision though but I do think these sort of tackles should be more harshly dealt with, with at least a yellow as the typical punishment.

-KG

He got a red card beacuse of all the fuss players made after the tackle... if he wasn't sent off, as soon as he got back on the pitch, 10 minutes on and you'ld have a brawl... honestly, blame it on the french and their attitude on rugby pitch... it really ruins the TOP14 as it's usually great to watch (when you don't have all the fighting)

^^ You don't know what you're talking about mate, there are no more brawls in T14 than in every other professional championship (premiership, S15, currie cup, etc). That's a legend this thing about the supposed violence and lack of discipline of the french. It's the same thing in every league, i recall you that rugby isn't a soft sport.

Personally it looks like a yellow card to me - the speed at which things happen in the modern game tends to exarcebate how bad things can look!

That said it was a very very poor tackle whether malicious or not and I think that Kefu jumped up into the tackle which indicates perhaps a level on dangerous over-exuberance! Yours a soft european....

If Rugby is to grow around the world as a genuine sport it must get rid of all the nuissances such as this Kefu Tackle.

I don't watch Football anymore because I hate all the crybabying and all the theater antics.

I'd hate to see Rugby decline in worldwide participation because of unecessary aggression.

I love the macho bull sh*t that goes on in these forums. How do any of you know how the player on the floor was feeling? I suppose you "got up after one of these tackles and took it like a man!!!!!" This guy is a professional rugby player and should be able to tackle better than this. I player lower end rugby for a lower end club and this sort of thing doesn't happen there. It wasn't 'accidental' if you watch as he made no attempt to tackle low. We shouldn't be saying this doesn't deserve a card because other's don't we should be saying they deserve a red!!! Just my opinion!

This shit happens in rugby.
Jimbo if you've never seen a head high like this you must play in a very soft league, it's an accidental head high ffs! It happens all the fucking time.
It's not bad enough to send a guy off for it, that's crazy.
Unnessiarey aggrsssion!
WTF? Soccer fans, stay away, your soft attitutide is atarting to rub off on rugby.

yellow.
only goes red if someone kicking or punching. high tackle should never been red