"There should be no debate about the red cards they were all correct," he told AFP by phone from Wales. "You have to accept that if you go in recklessly, dangerously illegally by leading with the shoulder or the forearm and hit a player's head you are in trouble." Owens, who aside from some punditry devotes his time to farming his 40 Hereford cattle, said the red cards are not because referees have become stricter. "These would have been red cards in previous years but the reason why you did not have sendings off is the clearout was different," he said. "Sam Warburton for instance with the final decision in the third and final Test between the Lions and New Zealand tied at 15-15," said Owens.

Source: News 24 March 26, 2021 12:00 UTC