RFU ‘sorry’ for sin bin chaos at Harlequins amid Bath furore – but match will not be replayed

The Rugby Football Union has apologized “to both teams” for a refereeing error that saw Irné Herbst serve just seven minutes in the sin bin during Harlequins’ thrilling win over Bath, with the governing body insisting the match result will stand.

Telegraph Sport revealed on Saturday how furious Bath will lodge a formal complaint and demand an explanation from both the RFU and Premiership Rugby after the Harlequins player was allowed to return at a crucial moment in the match. The West Country club were on the rise at the moment and the South African lock had not spent the full 10 minutes on the sidelines due to his cynical scrum.

Telegraph Sport understands the row arose from fourth official Charlie Gayther’s timekeeping error and that Harlequins did not put any pressure on Herbst to return earlier than allowed. At the time of the lock’s reintroduction, the hosts had also just used winger Louis Lynagh, who had been sent to the sin-bin.

Both the RFU and Premiership Rugby refused to comment on Saturday night, but the English governing body publicly apologized to both Harlequins and Bath on Sunday, absolving the hosts of any culpability despite technically playing three minutes of the match with an extra player.

An RFU statement said: “The RFU Professional Match Officials Team (PGMOT) acknowledges and accepts an error in the Gallagher Premiership match between Harlequins and Bath that resulted in a yellow card penalty which resulted in Irné Herbst returning to the field approximately three minutes early.” He apologizes.” .

“We apologize to both teams for this error. As always, PGMOT will review all games to ensure continuous improvement and learning.

“The result of the match is certain”

Herbst received a yellow card at 63 minutes and 52 seconds of the match, which turned into one of the matches of the season, but he had to stay off the field for the key 10 minutes. Television footage showed him returning to action 70 minutes and 51 seconds later, a full three minutes early.

The story continues

At the time of Herbst’s reintroduction, Bath head coach Johann van Graan appealed to the fourth official, highlighting the error and asking for play to be stopped as referee Anthony Woodthorpe was completely unaware of the situation.

Herbst then made a tackle and made a move after 71 minutes 58 seconds and the Quins departed with the West Country club losing two bonus points despite Bath’s 40-3 comeback early in the second half. The home team achieved a five-point victory with a score of 40-36.

The crisis looms as referees are under greater scrutiny than ever

The RFU’s apology comes after an already turbulent week for its officials. In the previous Premiership round, audio was released in error, revealing television match official Stuart Terheege did not review a foul action against Saracens captain Owen Farrell because it was highlighted in TV commentary. Terheege later admitted that he was “disappointed that he allowed himself to be distracted in his interactions with the broadcast team and failed to communicate his decision to the match officials on the field”.

Although isolated incidents, both controversies cast a negative light on English rugby officials at a time when those enforcing the law are under greater scrutiny than ever before. Four senior referees have withdrawn from international matches in the last six months; Two cited death threats among numerous reasons. Routine, fundamental mistakes at club level will do little to win the support of a supporter already struggling to stay afloat. It’s full of variations, tweaks and interpretations of rugby’s mountain of law.

The RFU said in its statement that it would follow the “usual review process” but stressed that if such high-profile incidents continue to occur, questions must be asked whether such a procedure is fit for purpose. The past two weeks may have been unfortunate timing, but if there is another management row in the Premier League before the end of the season, there could be a crisis on the horizon. It remains to be seen how Bath will react to this announcement, given their anger on Saturday night and the stakes in what is shaping up to be the tightest Premiership encounter of all time.