You Won’t Believe How Long It’s Been Since An All Black Got Sent off

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The All Blacks indiscipline has been brought into question in recent days.

Steve Hansen’s men were criticised for a number of challenges on the Irish team on Saturday with Sam Cane and Malakai Fekitoa’s challenges on Robbie Henshaw and Simon Zebo respectively being highlighted in particular.

Now once again this isn’t an article using their actions as an excuse for Ireland’s loss. Joe Schmidt’s men were not clinical enough and lost to the better team on the day, that doesn’t however mean it wasn’t a cynical performance  from New Zealand.

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Cane’s challenge was reckless at the end of the day and he should have been held responsible. A yellow card was the minimum punishment that should have been handed out in that instance. The tackle however that has everyone talking was Malakai Fekitoa’s on an unsuspecting Simon Zebo. There is no question there, even the New Zealand media have accepted it was out of hand and dangerous.

Fekitoa should have seen red, end of. The amazing thing however is how long it’s been since an All Black was sent off. The last time a New Zealand player was given his marching orders, there was no red cards. According to the ESPN’s records, they haven’t had a player sent off since 1967.

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The player in question was Colin Meads, a man later voted New Zealand’s Player of the Century. He was sent off by referee Kevin Kelleher for kicking Scotland’s David Chisholm as he lay on the ground in the ’67 game in Murrayfield.

To think it’s been almost fifty years since an All Black has been sent off is madness. Ireland last saw red back in the summer when CJ Stander was controversially send-0ff against South Africa.

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