Japan’s head coach Eddie Jones has taken a swing at the card-wielding referees after his side’s narrow loss to Wales, nearly suggesting they’d stumbled into a game of Uno instead of rugby.
The Brave Blossoms were graciously awarded two yellow cards in the first half of their 24-23 defeat—a thoughtful gift from the officials. In a dramatic play, Epineri Uluiviti found himself in the sin bin for body-checking Alex Mann off the ball like a rugby version of a bouncer. Meanwhile, Faulua Makisi took a leisurely 10-minute break for allegedly tackling Dan Edwards with all the finesse of a toddler with a toy.
Fresh-faced Harry Hockings, making his Test debut, joined the card party with a yellow card of his own for a dangerous tackle. To top it all off, Wales’ Josh Adams had his ribbon of a yellow card swapped for a shiny red—perfect for the festive season—after a clearout that was deemed hazardous.
World Rugby Needs to Check Its Vision
After the match, Jones donned his finest sarcasm to dissect the officiating. “The scoreboard is the only thing anyone remembers,” he quipped, like a true philosopher of the sport. “Hat tip to Wales and Steve Tandy; what a win!” Just wait until the accolades roll in for their card management skills.
Zeroing in on the officiating decisions, he continued, “The sin-bin situation is almost farcical at this point. We’re absolutely ruining the game of rugby—good job on that, team!” It’s almost as if referees have taken a cue from reality TV: more drama, more cards!
Then, he took a charming jab at the Welsh Rugby Union: “At one point, we were down to 13 men, while they were enjoying their own red-card fiesta. Rugby is supposed to be a game of 15 players, not ‘Who’s Got the Best Disguise?’” He added, “If I were a fan, I’d want my money back, but let’s be real—they can’t afford it!”
It’s Getting Wackier by the Minute
Jones, ever the true fan, also caught some snippets of earlier Saturday matches and dished out commentary on Franco Mostert’s red card for a towering tackle on Italian fly-half Paolo Garbisi. “A guy gets chopped in front of him, and this 6ft 8 player just tries to lower himself. His shoulder touched the player’s head, and bam—red card! Like he’s some street performer pulling rabbits out of hats!”
Wrapping up his rant about the last five minutes of the game, where Japan relinquished a two-point lead, he humorously expressed his frustration: “I wanted to kill someone! If I had a gun, I’d have handed it to somebody else for a change. Just kidding! I’m not actually murderous—mostly.” He reflected, “It’s tough to lose in those final moments. The ground was electric; we just couldn’t handle it. But I’m still proud of the team!”
