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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Jon Doel

Australia v South Africa incident sparks outrage as Nic White accused of 'killing rugby's soul'

Former rugby players and TV viewers were left outraged during the Australia v South Africa match after Faf de Klerk was yellow-carded for brushing the face of rival scrum-half Nic White.

Many were unhappy with the theatrics of White who grabbed towards his face and fell to the ground despite what looked like minimal contact. Surprisingly, the TMO looked at the clash at a scrum and decided de Klerk should be sent from the field.

The incident saw former South Africa captain John Smit slam White's actions, saying: "Yellow 9 just killed a little piece of rugby's soul today."

Former South Africa player and TV pundit Butch James claimed White should have been yellow-carded, not de Klerk. "It's a disgrace to the game of rugby that a player can behave like that," he said.

Respected South African journalist Brendan Nel added: "Nic White's Oscar may be celebrated by those who don't like the Boks. But it a poor advert for the game. This isn't football. Theatrics may win you a penalty but they are a blight on the game. It is an embarrassment."

One viewer on Twitter wrote: "Not a Springbok fan, but it's a sad day for rugby when the players behave like pathetic football players. Disgusting by Nic White."

Another said: "Nic White's Oscar performance is a disgrace to the game of rugby.. Nigel Owens would have told him "This is not soccer."

The Wallabies went on to win the match 25-17, which you can read about here. South African fans were unhappy about a number of decisions made by referee Paul Williams, including the failure to punish Marika Koroibete for a spectacular try-saving tackle many thought was illegal.

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