Hanyani Shimange claims Italy prop Danilo Fischetti exaggerated contact during a scuffle with Jasper Wiese that led to the Bok No 8 being shown a straight red card.
Shimmy: Italy prop faked headbutt
Wiese was sent off in the 20th minute of the second Test in Port Elizabeth after he reacted to a push from Fischetti by appearing to headbutt the loosehead.
Referee Andrew Brace reviewed the footage and issued the red card, forcing the Boks to play the remainder of the match with 14 men.
Speaking on SuperSport’s Verdict show, former Bok hooker Shimange said the incident raised questions about gamesmanship and the so-called spirit of the game.
“There has been a lot said about it. I don’t see anything wrong with it,” Shimange said in reference to the Boks’ early tactic of forcing a scrum straight from the kick-off
You read the comments on social media that say it’s against the spirit of the game, but then there is an Italian guy trying to fake a little touch on the head, trying to get a player sent off. Is that in the spirit of the game?”
Shimange defended the Bok approach and said their early tactic was about asserting dominance.
“You want to play to your strengths, you want to set a statement nice and early,” he said. “It’s a pity that ended in a free kick [from the ensuing scrum], but that’s a nice way to set the statement.”
Jasper’s younger brother, Cobus, will wear the Bok No 8 jersey against Georgia in Nelspruit on Saturday having made his Test debut off the bench last week.
