Latest news with #MatthewCarley
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Freddie Steward ‘no arms tackle' controversy – was right call made?
This semi-final slug-fest was always likely to come down to the wire and, sure enough, a tight and tense encounter almost featured one more twist as Sale Sharks laid siege to Leicester Tigers in pursuit of a try that could have snatched victory. On the 13th phase of a prolonged attack that had swept from touchline to touchline, Luke Cowan-Dickie spilt the ball in a tackle from Freddie Steward. That appeared to end the game and send the hosts through to the final. Then, however, Matthew Carley was alerted to potential foul play in the collision between Steward and Cowan-Dickie, which had left the latter in need of medical attention. What happened? Having stepped inside one covering defender, Adam Radwan, Cowan-Dickie stooped into the challenge of Steward. The pair clashed heads, which has been a source of penalties and cards around the world over the past few years. Tracking across the back-field on a slippery surface, Steward did well to keep his balance in contact. As the rain grew more intense in the second half, players had been sliding across the pitch constantly. Carley needed to make sure, though, that the Leicester full-back had kept his arms 'up legally' – that is to say, that Steward was attempting to wrap and that the tackle was not a shoulder charge. What was the decision? After studying a couple of replays on the big screen, Carley reached a quick and clear decision. 'Arms up, no foul play,' he said. Stuart Terheege, the television match official, agreed: 'He's making an attempt to tackle there.' Carley went on to suggest that Cowan-Dickie's actions had caused the head contact. 'Fifteen [Steward] is in a legal position to make the tackle,' the referee stated. 'He's got his arms up. 'Two [Cowan-Dickie] drops into the space, so there is no foul play.' The final whistle was subsequently blown. Was it the right decision? Yes, because of the nature of Cowan-Dickie's carry and his sudden stoop. That said, there would have been little surprise to see a penalty awarded to Sale. What was the reaction? Former England scrum-half Danny Care and Wales captain Sam Warburton both agreed that is should been a penalty. 'We all think it is a penalty, don't we? It's a really tough one because it is not malicious. He has tackled Cowan-Dickie's head with his own head, and I think that has led to the knock-on,' said Care. Warburton concurred. 'It's an ugly tackle, not a good tackle, it is not malicious, but it is ugly.' He then added: 'I think he has got that wrong. I don't see much of a wrap there. Alex Sanderson, the Sharks director of rugby, however, declared no complaints in his post-match interview. Steward did concede that his technique could have been more polished. 'I was running around like a headless chicken at the end,' he admitted. 'Luke stepped in and I just got low and tried to belt him. Not the best technique. 'I thought it was fine and I was surprised he went to the TMO. I tried to wrap the arms.'
The Independent
15-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
France vs Scotland referee: Who is Six Nations official Matthew Carley?
England's Matthew Carley will take charge of the final game of the 2025 Six Nations between France and Scotland, his second appointment of the tournament. Born in Deal, Kent, Carley began refereeing at the age of 16, working his way up through the Kent system either side of a stint at university in Gloucestershire. The official soon made the step up to the Rugby Football Union (RFU) national panel, and became the first referee to officiate a professional game while wearing a body camera during the 2012/13 Championship season. A Premiership debut followed soon after, with Carley soon establishing himself as a regular in the top tier of English rugby. His first international fixture arrived in 2015, with Portugal taking on Spain, and Carley took charge of a first game involving a Tier 1 nation in November 2016, overseeing Scotland against Georgia. The 38-year-old travelled to the 2019 World Cup as an assistant referee, operating as a touch judge throughout the tournament, and was also the reserve referee if injury or illness prevented one of those selected to take the whistle from officiating. He was one of three debutants who stepped up to the refereeing panel for the 2023 World Cup, and one of four English referees in France. Match officials for France vs Scotland Referee: Matthew Carley (Eng)
Telegraph
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
France v Scotland, Six Nations 2025: What time is kick-off and what TV channel is it on?
France and Scotland bring the curtain down on their 2025 Six Nations campaigns with a fifth-round clash at Stade de France. When is France v Scotland? Saturday, March 15, in Paris. Kick-off is at 8pm. Where is France v Scotland taking place? At Stade de France in Saint-Denis just north of Paris. France's national stadium has a capacity of 83,300 and hosted the athletics, football, rugby and closing ceremonies of the 2024 Olympic Games. Built for the 1998 Fifa World Cup, two Rugby World Cup finals – South Africa's 15-6 victory over England in 2007 and South Africa's 12-11 triumph over the All Blacks in 2023 – have also been staged at the stadium. How to watch France v Scotland on TV It will be on ITV1. The BBC and ITV are once again sharing coverage of the Six Nations in the UK. Who is the referee? England's Matthew Carley will be the man in the middle, assisted by Karl Dickson (England) and Eoghan Cross (Ireland) running the lines, with South Africa's Marius van der Westhuizen the TMO. What is the latest team news? Gregor Townsend, Scotland's head coach, has raised concerns about benches comprising seven forwards – a tactic France have been using during this Six Nations. Les Bleus utilised a 7-1 bench against Italy and Ireland. Other nations are understood to be sympathetic towards Townsend's position with questions raised around whether the practice is truly been in the spirit of the game. Opponents argue that replacements were originally intended to act as injury cover rather than as a mechanism to deploy an entirely fresh forward pack. Six Nations 2025 table When did France and Scotland last win the Six Nations? France were victorious in 2022, but have since finished second in consecutive years with Ireland winning back-to-back titles. Scotland have never won the Six Nations – they did, however, win the last iteration of the Five Nations in 1999. What was the score last year? Scotland went down to an agonising 20-16 defeat against France at Murrayfield, despite having been the superior team throughout against a continually out-of-sorts Les Bleus. The Scots were a clear camera angle away from snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, with one of the longest TMO reviews in history simply unable to show conclusively whether Sam Skinner had grounded the ball over the line. Was it a try? Almost certainly, but without enough evidence it simply could not be given and Scotland, perhaps fittingly given their failure to close the game out when it was in their hands, were crushed.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Italy vs Wales referee: Who is Six Nations official Matthew Carley?
England's Matthew Carley will take charge of the Six Nations round two fixture between Italy rugby and Wales rugby in Rome. Born in Deal, Kent, Carley began refereeing at the age of 16, working his way up through the Kent system either side of a stint at university in Gloucestershire. The official soon made the step up to the Rugby Football Union (RFU) national panel, and became the first referee to officiate a professional game while wearing a body camera during the 2012/13 Championship season. A Premiership debut followed soon after, with Carley soon establishing himself as a regular in the top tier of English rugby. His first international fixture arrived in 2015, with Portugal taking on Spain, and Carley took charge of a first game involving a Tier 1 nation in November 2016, overseeing Scotland against Georgia. The 38-year-old travelled to the 2019 World Cup as an assistant referee, operating as a touch judge throughout the tournament, and was also the reserve referee if injury or illness prevented one of those selected to take the whistle from officiating. He was one of three debutants who stepped up to the refereeing panel for the 2023 World Cup, and one of four English referees in France. Match officials for Italy vs Wales at the Stadio Olimpico Referee: Matthew Carley (Eng) Assistant Referees: Paul Williams (NZ) & Sam Grove-White (Sco) Television Match Official: Eric Gauzins (Fra) Foul Play Review Officer: Glenn Newman (NZ)
The Independent
08-02-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Italy vs Wales referee: Who is Six Nations official Matthew Carley?
England's Matthew Carley will take charge of the Six Nations round two fixture between Italy rugby and Wales rugby in Rome. Born in Deal, Kent, Carley began refereeing at the age of 16, working his way up through the Kent system either side of a stint at university in Gloucestershire. The official soon made the step up to the Rugby Football Union (RFU) national panel, and became the first referee to officiate a professional game while wearing a body camera during the 2012/13 Championship season. A Premiership debut followed soon after, with Carley soon establishing himself as a regular in the top tier of English rugby. His first international fixture arrived in 2015, with Portugal taking on Spain, and Carley took charge of a first game involving a Tier 1 nation in November 2016, overseeing Scotland against Georgia. The 38-year-old travelled to the 2019 World Cup as an assistant referee, operating as a touch judge throughout the tournament, and was also the reserve referee if injury or illness prevented one of those selected to take the whistle from officiating. He was one of three debutants who stepped up to the refereeing panel for the 2023 World Cup, and one of four English referees in France. Match officials for Italy vs Wales at the Stadio Olimpico Referee: Matthew Carley (Eng) Television Match Official: Eric Gauzins (Fra)
