Fiji Airways Flying Fijians captain Dominiko Waqaniburotu says he had asked referee, Ben O'Keeffe to look at the incident involving the tackle by Wallabies winger Reece Hodge on Fijian star Peceli Yato which has now been labeled that it met the red card threshold for an act of foul play.
Waqaniburotu says O'Keeffe said he had referred it to the Television Match Official.
He adds the referees said they did not see anything, so they said they were referring it to the TMO and were waiting on that.
Hodge has been cited for a dangerous tackle on Yato in the 26th minute of the first half, which left Yato concussed and ended his involvement in the game.
Citing commissioner John Montgomery, found the incident in the 26th minute of the Wallabies' 39‑21 win, met the red card threshold for an act of foul play.
One camera angle appeared to show Hodge hitting Yato high and with no attempt to wrap his right arm, dipping his shoulder to stop the Fijian flanker, who was hurtling down-field near top speed. Another appeared to show Hodge try to wrap his right arm.
Breaking: Reece Hodge has been cited for this tackle on Peceli Yato 🤕 #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/c9CYfluK0S
— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) September 22, 2019
The Wallabies could face a nervous wait if the citing commissioner finds O'Keeffe and Saturday's TMO missed something.
Australia plays Wales in Tokyo at 7.45pm Sunday.
If the citing commissioner finds the tackle met the red‑card threshold, Hodge could face a suspension.
Fiji now takes on Uruguay at 5.15pm Wednesday in their second pool game of the Rugby World Cup.
Meanwhile, Wales will meet Georgia at 10.15 tonight.
ADVERTISEMENT
Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations
