// Chiefs star Anton Lienert-Brown has been cited for the nasty head clash that ended Crusaders winger Dallas McLeod's Super Rugby Pacific final on Saturday night. Referee Ben O'Keeffe gave Lienert-Brown a yellow card in the first half and television match official Brendon Pickerill did not deem the incident worthy of upgrading to a red. But SANZAAR's citing commissioner disagreed and the foul play review committee will now consider the case on Monday. Watch the 2023 Rugby Championship and Rugby World Cup on the home of rugby, Stan Sport. All matches streaming ad free, live and on demand Ex-Wallabies Morgan Turinui and Justin Harrison were both baffled that the All Blacks midfielder was allowed to return to the park. "Completely surprised that it didn't get upgraded to a red card," Turinui said on Stan Sport's halftime coverage. "I don't think there's enough mitigation here not to upgrade it." READ MORE: Breakdancing Crusaders coach seals perfect Super Rugby legacy READ MORE: Robertson's Crusaders 'go through hell' in epic Super Rugby final READ MORE: 'Second to none': Immortal Johns joins the Wallabies camp Harrison added: "That should have been a red, we know that." Lienert-Brown and the uncapped McLeod were among five midfielders named in Ian Foster's All Blacks squad for the Rugby Championship. A bloodied McLeod failed his head injury assessment and was replaced by Chay Fihaki as the Crusaders won a seventh consecutive Super Rugby title with a gripping 25-20 triumph in Hamilton. It was the perfect farewell for breakdancing Crusaders coach Scott Robertson, who will lead the All Blacks next year, and departing stars Sam Whitelock, Richie Mo'unga, Leicester Fainga'anuku and Jack Goodhue. "He deserves a special mention," Robertson said of Whitelock. "He played 80 minutes and wasn't going to come off. We think he's an immortal and is a God like figure to us," Robertson said. "He rises every day and for him to have this moment is pretty special." Whitelock, 34, was in doubt for the final because of a nagging Achilles injury. "The body is definitely sore. I think I'll be in a bit of trouble with All Blacks management," Whitelock said. Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan had a grumble after the match in which Luke Jacobson and Sam Cane also copped yellow cards. O'Keeffe awarded a 15-8 penalty count in favour of the Crusaders. "It's going to be tough to beat the Crusaders when you have three yellow cards," McMillan said. "It's one of those things where I'll have to have a good look and determine if they were the right calls. The referee obviously deemed it was. And I think that that probably played a part in the outcome. "I honestly think the biggest call, momentum swinger, was what I thought was a clear and obvious forward pass just before halftime. "That gives us a scrum, we apply some pressure down that end of the field... They score off the play after. That's a big moment. I don't want to bag the referee. The crowd did that at the end of the game, maybe that says something." For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here Chiefs star Anton Lienert-Brown has been cited for the nasty head clash that ended Crusaders winger Dallas McLeod's Super Rugby Pacific final on Saturday night. Referee Ben O'Keeffe gave Lienert-Brown a yellow card in the first half and television match official Brendon Pickerill did not deem the incident worthy of upgrading to a red. But SANZAAR's citing commissioner disagreed and the foul play review committee will now consider the case on Monday. Watch the 2023 Rugby Championship and Rugby World Cup on the home of rugby, Stan Sport. All matches streaming ad free, live and on demand Ex-Wallabies Morgan Turinui and Justin Harrison were both baffled that the All Blacks midfielder was allowed to return to the park. "Completely surprised that it didn't get upgraded to a red card," Turinui said on Stan Sport's halftime coverage. "I don't think there's enough mitigation here not to upgrade it." READ MORE: Breakdancing Crusaders coach seals perfect Super Rugby legacy READ MORE: Robertson's Crusaders 'go through hell' in epic Super Rugby final READ MORE: 'Second to none': Immortal Johns joins the Wallabies camp Harrison added: "That should have been a red, we know that." Lienert-Brown and the uncapped McLeod were among five midfielders named in Ian Foster's All Blacks squad for the Rugby Championship. A bloodied McLeod failed his head injury assessment and was replaced by Chay Fihaki as the Crusaders won a seventh consecutive Super Rugby title with a gripping 25-20 triumph in Hamilton. It was the perfect farewell for breakdancing Crusaders coach Scott Robertson, who will lead the All Blacks next year, and departing stars Sam Whitelock, Richie Mo'unga, Leicester Fainga'anuku and Jack Goodhue. "He deserves a special mention," Robertson said of Whitelock. "He played 80 minutes and wasn't going to come off. We think he's an immortal and is a God like figure to us," Robertson said. "He rises every day and for him to have this moment is pretty special." Whitelock, 34, was in doubt for the final because of a nagging Achilles injury. "The body is definitely sore. I think I'll be in a bit of trouble with All Blacks management," Whitelock said. Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan had a grumble after the match in which Luke Jacobson and Sam Cane also copped yellow cards. O'Keeffe awarded a 15-8 penalty count in favour of the Crusaders. "It's going to be tough to beat the Crusaders when you have three yellow cards," McMillan said. "It's one of those things where I'll have to have a good look and determine if they were the right calls. The referee obviously deemed it was. And I think that that probably played a part in the outcome. "I honestly think the biggest call, momentum swinger, was what I thought was a clear and obvious forward pass just before halftime. "That gives us a scrum, we apply some pressure down that end of the field... They score off the play after. That's a big moment. I don't want to bag the referee. The crowd did that at the end of the game, maybe that says something." For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here https://ift.tt/CEzI87i //
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