A weekend of Rugby where 14 men prevailed

Red cards in Rugby are not very frequent but when a side is reduced to 14 men for the rest of the game the chances of them winning are quite slim. However that was not the case in the weekends games around Europe with three sides managing to win their games despite playing most of the game with 14 players.

After Seremaia Bai was sent of for Leicester Tigers against Wasps just before half time, Tigers fans would have been worried that their side could come undone in the second half. However that was not the case in what was a magnificent defensive display from Leicester who kept Wasps at bay with some relentless tackling, while also scoring the only try in the second half through Adam Thompstone. As they went into the break 18-9 ahead, Stuart Cockerill would have been telling his players that if they were going to come away from the Ricoh Arena with a win that missed tackles and lapses of concentration would cost them dear and they didn’t disappoint with Wasps only managing to find scores from the tee. With Wasps scoring the most tries in the league and having one of the best home records, it was quite an achievement they conceded no tries in the game despite playing 44 minutes with 14 men.

We saw another spirited performance from 14 men on Sunday as Stade Francais were victorious in the Paris derby against Racing Metro despite playing most of the game with 14 players. As captain Sergio Parisse was given his marching orders with only 19 minutes played, Stade fans must of felt that the game was as good as over. When you lose a player of Parisse’s ability, it is never going to be an easy game but credit to Stade Francais who were able to come away from the Stade Yves du Manoir with a 9 point win, with Racing not even securing a losing bonus point. Stade Francais defended well but Racing Metro’s lack of discipline cost them the game with Morne Steyn kicking 23 points for his side.

 With Leicester and Racing Metro securing wins in close encounters, the same cannot be said for Gloucester. When Matt Kvesic was sent off after 23 minutes for Gloucester in their game against London Irish you would of felt they were in for a tough game but that was not the case.The Cherry and Whites almost seemed to perform better with a man less and cruised to a 35-13 win. Questions will have to be asked about the London Irish performance how they played so poorly despite playing most of the game with a man advantage.

Gloucester, Stade Francais and Leicester Tigers wins at the weekend have shown that there is no need to panic when you are reduced to 14 men and despite your opponent having a man advantage it does not mean the game is out of reach for your side. The three sides have shown that if you have the right mindset and desire to win you can win any Rugby game.

Ciaran Fallon