Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel looks for consistency on head collision tackles
- Published
Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel is calling for consistency in decisions on dangerous tackles after his flanker Tomas Lezana was shown a red card in Monday's 34-14 loss at Ospreys.
Lezana was sent off in the fifth minute for a dangerous tackle on Ospreys lock Rhys Davies.
Ospreys fly-half Owen Williams was shown a yellow card for a challenge on opposite number Sam Costelow.
"I am disappointed because I felt they were similar incidents," said Peel.
Costelow did not return to the field after failing a head injury assessment and will miss the United Rugby Championship home match against Dragons on 1 January.
In contrast, Ospreys lock Davies came back on the field after treatment.
Both challenges saw head-on-head collisions. Referee Craig Evans decided it was not a red card for Williams because he deemed it a passive tackle and adjudged that Costelow stepped into the challenge.
"There was head on head (with Lezana) but there was another head on head as well, which we ended up losing our 10 through a head injury assessment," added Peel.
"The consequence of those are huge. I am disappointed because I felt they were similar incidents.
"I understand Costy (Costelow) was carrying the ball back and Tomas (Lezana) was coming off the line.
"There had to be consistency and I know the mitigating factors and they will say that Costy stepped.
"It is disappointing to have the two incidents viewed slightly differently but that's the way it is and 75 minutes with 14 men is tough. There is no point crying over it now, that's gone."
Ospreys head coach Toby Booth added: "You are not going to say it's not an important thing but the referee calls it as he has seen it.
"We can only control what we can control. I understand it does have an influence but you still have to get across the line.
"Sometimes teams that go down to 14 are harder to beat because they dig in, so that's tough.
"Similar from our yellow (card), it's a difficult period of the game to manage. To manage it for such a long time is tough for the Scarlets."
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