Disgrace.

Former All Black Craig Dowd has branded the decision to let Owen Farrell’s controversial thumping hit on Springbok André Esterhuizen an “absolute disgrace” and a “blight on world rugby.”

Many feel Farrell’s tackle should have resulted in a penalty for South Africa at the very minimum, including former referees and Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus.

Dowd, who played 60 Tests for the All Blacks including two World Cups, says the referees “bottled themselves” on the day. Writing in a column for ESPN, Dowd also criticised World Rugby for not citing Farrell.

“The referees bottled themselves. It was a terrible decision and World Rugby should be looking at the referees sideways.” Dowd writes

There needs to be an explanation to say why that was not a yellow card; at minimum it was a penalty; and how the hell did they not do anything about that tackle, even by citing it afterwards?”

“It was a terrible tackle and the decision was an absolute disgrace and a blight on world rugby; the sooner the top administrators take some ownership of that, like they have on other controversial decisions, the better.”