Despite the fact it was entirely his fault, and it’s hardly the only disciplinary blemish on his career, I can’t help feeling slightly sorry for Dylan Hartley.
Not because I believe his story about his eloquent “f****** cheat” being aimed at Tom Youngs as opposed to referee, and Stuart Broad-lookalike, Wayne Barnes.
Twickenham was stunned by Dylan Hartley’s red card – especially at my end, where we couldn’t see the colour of the card Wayne Barnes showed
But the fact a second of madness – undoubtedly borne out of a frustration at the way the first half of the Premiership final had ended, with a Stephen Myler mistake and a collapsed scrum giving Leicester the chance to extend their lead by three cheap points – has cost Hartley his Lions place and, possibly, Saints the title.
Even so, you’ve got to commend Barnes for having the guts to show Hartley a straight red card for an incident which a less authoritative referee (and, dare I say it, most football referees) could easily have got away with pretending it had never happened. It’s good to see some officials sticking up against abuse.
The RFU should be praised, too, for the speed in which they convened a hearing and handed Hartley an 11-week ban. It gave Rory Best the chance to get on the plane to Australia straight away, even if it was disappointing Warren Gatland didn’t decide to heed my advice to #callforKen (Owens).
Anyway, the RFU has to deal with Leicester coach Richard Cockerill who, let’s face it, is guilty of almost as much as Hartley.
Cockerill came racing down the steps from his coaching position to berate the fourth official after what he believed – probably wrongly – to be a late hit by Saints second row Courtney Lawes on Tigers captain Toby Flood. In effect, Cockerill was also questioning the competence of the officials, if not outright accusing them of cheating. Respecting the referee applies as much to players on the field as to coaches off it.
Oh, and it’s been a bit overshadowed, but the game itself wasn’t bad either.
An Early Bath 