DRAGONS boss Dean Ryan believes rugby needs to get serious about head injuries after the Scarlets’ Jonathan Davies saw yellow for a hit on Josh Lewis.
The Wales and Lions centre was sent to the sin bin for smashing the visiting full-back after he made a clearance kick in the seventh minute of the clash in Llanelli.
Referee Ben Whitehouse viewed the footage on the big screen and consulted with his team of officials before making his decision.
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"Initial point of contact is clearly on the upper arm area, however it slides up and does make contact [with the head] so it's a yellow card,” said Whitehouse to Davies.
Lewis initially continued but was replaced after 11 minutes clutching his left shoulder.
“I’d ask those in charge of the sport if we are serious about player safety. Let’s not talk about is that a red card or isn’t it,” said director of rugby Ryan.
“If we ask that that question often enough then maybe they might change some of the answers.
“We asked questions last week about two incidents [against Gloucester] that were missed by a TMO, a team of four officials and a citing officer.
“I am just not convinced that people are serious about dealing with head injuries, certainly not against the Dragons.”
Scarlets counterpart Dwayne Peel felt that the call to show Davies yellow, the first of three sin-binnings for his side, was correct.
“I think it was the right decision after shoulder to shoulder contact,” said the Scarlets boss.
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