Wellington - The International Rugby Board has found fault with French referee Romaine Poite's decision to award the first of two yellow cards against Springbok hooker Bismarck du Plessis during Saturday's Rugby Championship Test against New Zealand.
In a statement on Monday, the IRB said the yellow card awarded against Du Plessis for a tackle on New Zealand flyhalf Dan Carter in the 17th minute of the match was “incorrect”.
Du Plessis received a second yellow card for foul play in the 42nd minute of the match, which meant he was automatically sent off.
New Zealand went on to win 29-15 as South Africa played most of the second half with 14 men.
The IRB said the yellow card decision “was an unfortunate case of human error by the match officials”. - Sapa-AP