ACT Brumbies forward Scott Fardy says he was "genuinely trying to intercept" a pass that resulted in him controversially being sent to the sin bin in the fiesty Australian derby in Sydney.
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Fardy called for changes to the involvement of video referees in rugby, adamant they should only be used in scoring situations to stamp out inconsistent decisions.
The Brumbies left Sydney on Sunday night licking their wounds after a 28-13 loss to the NSW Waratahs.
They are counting the costs with Tevita Kuridrani set for an extended stint on the sideline with a shoulder injury, which is expected to keep the newly re-signed Wallabies outside centre out of action for at least a month.
Fardy was given a yellow card in the seventh minute of the match when the Brumbies were leading 7-0.
Referee Craig Joubert and his sideline officials initially ruled that Fardy had tried to intercept a pass from Waratahs playmaker Bernard Foley.
Had it not hit Fardy's hand, the Waratahs would have probably scored in the corner.
NSW players protested that Fardy deliberately knocked the ball down. They delayed the game long enough for video replays to be shown on the big screens at the ground and Joubert reversed his initial decision.
About 15 minutes later, Nick Phipps knocked down a Brumbies pass, but the incident was not replayed on the screens and Joubert stuck to his ruling that Phipps attempted an intercept.
Fardy described the ruling as a grey area and urged officials to review the use of replays in affecting refereeing decisions.
"It's a very grey rule and I think it needs to be addressed across the board ... if it's a genuine attempt for an intercept, which I was going for, then it needs to be looked at," Fardy said.
"I thought the rule was that if your action was down on the ball, but I thought I went for the intercept.
"Where's the difference between what the home town are doing in terms of having it replayed on the video screens ... we didn't see a replay of [Phipps' incident] at all, but I'm replayed umpteen times.
"For me, I think we use the video referee too much. It's slowing down the game and slowing down the spectacle.
"Once you've made a decision, stick to it. If not, you've got to be consistent in what you do regardless of where you're at [on the field].
"They've got huge screens [at Allianz Stadium] ... I'd like to see us go away from those replays and back to the ref. If it's wrong, it's wrong. You deal with it and move on, take the good with the bad."
Fardy is not the first to raise concerns about the use of video replays in favour of home teams.
New Zealand coach Steve Hanson wanted it stamped out of the game after a Test against England last year in which replays favoured the home side.
The Brumbies were physically beaten by the Waratahs, conceding three tries to one.
Brumbies playmaker Matt Toomua opened the scoring after just three minutes, but the Waratahs got back in the contest when Fardy was sent from the field minutes later.
Some Israel Folau brilliance sparked the Waratahs in attack, first setting up Bernard Foley and then scoring a try of his own to get NSW to a half-time lead.
Hooker Tolu Latu sealed the result late in the second half with the third try. The Brumbies had conceded only three tries in five games before taking on the Waratahs.
Kuridrani injured his shoulder in the second half when he was tackled close to the line. The hard-running No.13 is expected to need surgery.
It is a massive blow a week after he signed a new two-year deal with the Brumbies and the ARU, with the World Cup looming at the end of the year.
"We had chances, we got out to a lead ... I think we only had the ball three times in the first half and we scrambled well in defence," Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham said.
"I thought [Fardy's sin binning] was a tough call. From where we were it didn't look like he slapped it down. There's not much you can do about it. It certainly hurt us, it made it difficult. Those calls happen."
AT A GLANCE
NSW WARATAHS 28 (Bernard Foley, Israel Folau, Tolu Latu tries; Bernard Foley 2 conversions; Bernard Foley 2, Kurtley Beale penalties) bt ACT BRUMBIES 13 (Matt Toomua try; Christian Lealiifano conversion, penalty) at Allianz Stadium on Sunday. Referee: Craig Joubert. Crowd: 27,469.
