Freddie Steward’s ridiculous red card shows rugby must make changes to survive

Sign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The general consensus from players past and present, pundits and fans on both sides of the Irish Sea is that Freddie Steward’s red card during the crunch Ireland vs England clash was ridiculous. If you missed the incident, just before half time in the final game of this year’s Six Nations, Steward was sent off after his elbow made contact with Hugo Keenan’s head. Freddie Steward saw red at the hands of referee Jaco Peyper The sending off ruined the Test match as a spectacle, with an already-outgunned England being unable to compete against a relentless Irish machine with a man disadvantage, and, while entertainment value should not be in the minds of referees when they’re making on-pitch decisions, it absolutely should be at the forefront of the law-makers’ thinking. “In the current climate… you’re upright, you’re into contact,” explained referee Jaco Peyper to Steward and baffled England skipper Owen Farrell.