Dan Cole's career ends in sin bin after controversial yellow card
A Premiership final that was higher on tension than moments of genuine quality was ultimately decided by a Finn Russell kick that bisected the posts with boos ringing loudly around Twickenham.
The disquiet had been caused by Karl Dickson's call to bring an early end to the illustrious career of Leicester Tigers ' Dan Cole by means of a yellow card following a collision with Russell in the back-field.
A late challenge caused the penalty to be brought forward from where Russell had hoisted his up-and-under, on the Bath 10-metre line, to where the ball landed, 20 metres further up the pitch.
What happened?
Having arrived on the field around seven minutes previously, to a truly heart-warming reception, Cole found himself in a position to impart pressure on Russell during a kicking exchange.
He summoned a burst of speed and lifted his arms above his head in what appeared to be a genuine charge-down attempt. However, on his way back down, Cole twisted his body and braced for contact. His shoulder and his side looked to make contact with the face of Russell.
Nightmare for Dan Cole! 😐
The prop receives a yellow in his final game which could be his final act... #GallagherPremFinal pic.twitter.com/SnVRx6guzw
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) June 14, 2025
Was it the right decision?
As undeniably sad as it was for a totem of the English game to bow out on this note, and as much as Cole has been an emblem of resilience over the past two decades, Dickson was completely justified in penalising the veteran tighthead prop and reaching for a yellow card. Only a penalty would have felt lenient.
This was nowhere near as violent as CJ Stander's body-check on Pat Lambie back in 2016, yet was in the same wheelhouse. The coming-together could have caused much more damage, and there was a degree of recklessness on Cole's part.
Mic'd up so that supporters in the stadium could hear his explanation, Dickson stressed the point that the initial charge-down attempt had been fine.
What put Cole in trouble, and made the situation more dangerous, was how he tucked and turned before contact.
What was the reaction?
Tom Varndell, the former Leicester wing, suggested that Russell had done his best to earn the penalty.
'Finn Russell milked that,' Varndell said. 'It's a tough one because Dan Cole has gone airborne but I think what the issue is that motion of taking the arms down, turning the shoulder into Finn Russell has made it look a lot worse than it was.'
Another ex-Tiger, Austin Healey, believed it to be a harsh decision. Chris Ashton disagreed.
'You've got to be in control of your body,' he said. 'I know [Cole] is saying he's been hit in the side, but... I've never seen Dan Cole jump before. Of all the times to decide to jump.'
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