Super Rugby Pacific: Clayton McMillan surprised by penalty on Luke Jacobson after collision in Blues v Chiefs match

Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan says he was surprised Luke Jacobson was penalised after charging into a ruck and colliding headfirst with two Blues players last night.

Blues halfback Finlay Christie copped the brunt of the brutal collision in the 60th minute of the Super Rugby Pacific clash at Eden Park, with Chiefs captain Jacobson needing several stitches post-match.

Jacobson was trying to counter-ruck with the scores at 26-7 to the Blues, but led with his head and brushed Ricky Riccitelli’s shoulder before crashing into Christie. After the initial contact, Riccitelli pushed the openside flanker upwards, but not before he had already collided with Christie.

The match was paused while referee Ben O’Keeffe sent the incident to be reviewed by the TMO. The play was deemed to be just a penalty against Jacobson and he was able to remain on the field.

After the 31-17 defeat, McMillan told the media scrum: “I was surprised it was a penalty to be perfectly honest.”

Meanwhile, Blues captain Patrick Tuipolutu was hoping for “a send-off” but said the lack of that result was one of those things.

Blues coach Vern Cotter shared a similar view to his captain: “When we saw the deliberation from Ben [O’Keeffe] I think he wasn’t sure... they [referees] want a good product as well and they’ll make a decision based on what they think.

“I think he deliberated and he made a decision, he thought was right – we stick with it.”

The incident divided opinion on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Is it possible to get two red cards? I have seen plenty of accidental head-on-head collisions given red cards,” one person wrote. “Not that I necessarily agree with accidental red cards as it can ruin games, but if they want to avoid head injuries then surely this needed to be carded.”

“This angle doesn’t show the mitigating circumstances. Should’ve been a reviewed yellow,” said another.

“They went through the process & it was a fair call. Did you not watch it live?” one asked. “Didn’t line any player up, force was reasonable, deflected up in motion at initial contact. Penalty, no cards is the correct call.”

Super Rugby Pacific playoffs set as Hurricanes claim top spot

Super Rugby Pacific’s quarter-finals are set, and the Hurricanes are top dogs.

A tense, tight race to secure pole position went down to the final minute of the regular season as the Blues blew a three-try lead in their quest to secure a treasured bonus-point victory over local rivals the Chiefs at Eden Park.

The Hurricanes’ 41-14 victory, which featured a Salesi Rayasi hat-trick, against the Highlanders in Wellington earlier on Saturday left the Blues needing a bonus-point win to bag top spot.

For much of the second half, after pulling away from a 12-7 halftime lead, the Blues comfortably held a three-try buffer on the Chiefs.

But two late tries from Chiefs midfielder Quinn Tupaea and replacement playmaker Josh Ioane flipped the script to hand the Hurricanes first place and leave the 22,194 crowd deflated as they headed for the Eden Park exits.

Despite claiming a five-tries-to-three victory and improving to 12-2 for the season, the Blues will rue their final 10 minutes, when they let home advantage slip through their grasp after leading 31-7 midway through the second half.

The Blues could’ve, should’ve, shut the door. That lack of ruthlessness could come back to haunt them.

Read the full report here.