Scott Higginbotham pleads innocence but red card wrecks Reds opener

The Queensland Reds had a nightmare start to their Super Rugby campaign as they lost a man after just ten minutes, leading to a heavy 45-19 loss at the hands of the Melbourne Rebels. Scott Higginbotham had a match to forget after he made this tackle early on. After consultation with the TMO, referee Brendon Pickerill summed things up and opted to send the Reds skipper off after his dangerous shoulder charge to the head of ball carrier Matt Phillip. 31-year-old Higginbotham argued that Phillip had been falling into the tackle, but the amount of force used and the lack of arms in the challenge …