Sam Warburton
was sent off early in the
Rugby World Cup
semi-final as a heroic Wales side came within a whisker of pulling off a remarkable performance to defeat France.
Despite playing for more than three quarters of the match with 14 men, Wales were the dominant and far more progressive side and would have been reached their first ever World Cup final had they not missed two dropped goals and five kicks at goal, including a late long-range effort from Leigh Halfpenny. They even managed to score the only try of the game, through Mike Phillips just before the hour mark, but France somehow managed to cling on thanks to three penalties from Morgan Parra.
Wales were left to wonder how things may have panned out had they played with the full quota of players for 80 minutes.
"The destiny of thre result was taken out of our hands," Warren Gatland, the Wales coach, said. "I'm gutted. Sam is not a dirty player and why spoil a World Cup sem-final by giving a red card."
Scott Gibbs, the former Wales international, said on OSN: "Had Wales had the full complement of players it would have been Wales' day. It was taken out of their hands."
Warburton, one of the form players of the tournament, was red carded in the 18th minute by referee Alain Rolland for a dangerous, lifting tackle on France winger Vincent Clerc. He caught Clerc trying to find a gap on the narrow side of a breakdown, hit the lightly-framed French winger low down, lifting him then dropping him on his back.
Rugby's rules around lifting tackles require a player who has raised an opponent off the ground in a tackle to ensure he is safely returned to the ground.
Warburton is the 16th player to be sent off in a Rugby World Cup match and the second at the current tournament after Samoa fullback Paul Williams. Williams was contentiously dismissed for striking during his team's pool match against South Africa.
The only other Welsh player to have been shown a red card at a World Cup is lock Huw Richards, who was sent off in the semifinal loss to New Zealand on the same ground in 1987.
Jonathan Davies, the former Wales international, described the decision as "an absolute disgrace"
"I have played with and against Rolland but that decision was an absolute disgrace," Davies said on OSN. "He totally spoilt the game. The best team lost."
Bidding to reach the World Cup final for the first time, the decision was a severe setback for Wales after it had already lost veteran prop Adam Jones after 10 minutes with a knee injury.
"The referee had a huge impact on this game," Jeremy Guscott, the former England and British & Irish Lions centre, said on OSN.
Warburton, who turned 23 last week,
was awarded the Wales captaincy by coach Warren Gatland shortly before the World Cup
began when hooker Matthew Rees was ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury.
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