66 minutes into the Guinness PRO14 final and a huge moment in the game
Leinster were 18-10 ahead but Glasgow Warriors had just turned the ball over after surviving a storm.
Glasgow made a clearing kick and Rob Kearney chased back before pumping an up-and-under back into the opposition half. Up soared Stuart Hogg, not for the first time, and he claimed the take before, a split-second later, Kearney arrived.
Hogg was sent hurtling, uncontrolled, to the deck and his landing looked awful. Medics rushed on and a brawl ensued, with most of the starting XVs getting involved.
Stuart Hogg of Glasgow Warriors is tackled by Rob Kearney during the Guinness PRO14 Final. (Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile)Glasgow fans screamed for a red card and slow-motion replays only increased their ire and collective noise.
One first, second and third glimpse, the collision looked bad and Kearney was in danger of being shown a straight red card.
Thar a bheith ciotach ó Kearney!
Very clumsy from Kearney!
@PRO14Official ar @TG4TV #GLAvLEI #PRO14Final @threeredkings @BHHooker @ballsdotie pic.twitter.com/2yEtRIr8e6— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) May 25, 2019
Referee Nigel Owens looked at a couple more replays and, with Hogg landing on his shoulder and not head, appeared to make his mind up.
There were a brief few words with the TMO before Owens turned to Kearney and said:
“You’re careless, you got your timing wrong and it is a yellow card. Off you go.”
"You're careless, you got your timing wrong and it is a yellow card.
"Off you go!"
A yellow card for Rob Kearney for a high challenge on Stuart Hogg.
The partisan Glasgow crowd think it should have been a red card!#GLAvLEI #GuinnessPRO14 pic.twitter.com/4fkejtBR3H
— eir Sport (@eirSport) May 25, 2019
Kearney returned for the final five minutes of the game as Leinster held on to win 18-15, and claim another league title.
In the post-match analysis on eir Sport, former Leinster star Luke Fitzgerald stated that the wrong colour of card had been flashed.
“I think it is a red card,” he said, “and Leinster might have got away with one.”
Over on social media, few were disagreeing and Owens was accused of “bottling” a big call.
Did Rob Kearney or Nigel Owens get man of the match? Those were the two involved in the biggest incident #pro14final
— John Hamilton 🏴 (@johnham666) May 25, 2019
And Nigel Owens bottling a red card.
— David Richardson (@Davidbrich79) May 25, 2019
https://twitter.com/DougallChops/status/1132370509763620864
Conditions against Glasgow tonight & that’s without mentioning Nigel Owens poor performance. No complaints with Glasgow yellow but bottled a Kearney red & that’s without his ‘dodgy’ reffing at scrum. How many times can Healy’s elbow hit ground first before a pen against him?
— Mark Smith (@jaggo2210) May 25, 2019
Fuck. Unlucky Glasgow. Feels a bit like they lost that game to a couple of bad decisions by Nigel Owens.
— David Hill (@teuchterdavid) May 25, 2019
The Glasgow fans were howling for calls all night, but they could have had a case over the Kearney incident.
