The Ospreys v Scarlets Welsh derby was marred by a controversial sending off in the fifth minute.
Scarlets back rower Tomas Lezana was shown a straight red card for a high tackle on Rhys Davies that left the visitors with a monstrous mountain to climb.
Lezana failed to adjust his tackle height and made direct contact with Davies' head, resulting in the Osprey having to leave the field to be replaced by Alun Wyn Jones as he underwent a HIA.
Referee Craig Evans watched the incident back and could find no mitigating circumstances. Speaking to his fellow officials he said: "For me we have seven red upright making the tackle. He could have got lower to make a genuine attempt at a tackle. It is not a passive tackle and I cannot see mitigation. I'm a red card here."
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Despite the clear explanation and the laws in place to protect against head injuries, plenty of Scarlets fans took to social media to berate the decision and claim the game had been ruined. Some argued Lezana had no chance of adjusting his body and head position.
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Later in the first-half a similar tackle from Owen Williams on Sam Costelow saw Evans reach for his cards again, albeit a different colour this time. The tackle by Wales international Williams on the recently-capped Costelow saw the Ospreys man caught upright and collide head-to-head with the Scarlets playmaker just before the half-hour mark - with Costelow then departing injured afterwards.
Speaking to his TMO, Evans reasoned that it wasn't as bad as Lezana's tackle, saying: "I don't see it as a dominant tackle from Ospreys 10, I see it as a passive one. "So for that reason, I've got mitigation for a yellow card here. I see it differently to the first one. The reasons being that there is a step from Scarlets 10 and it's a passive tackle from Ospreys 10. For that reason, I'm at a yellow card."
Explaining it to captains Jonathan Davies and Rhys Webb, he said: "Let me explain this one. It's different. The tackle is passive and there's a late step. That's why it's a yellow card."
Davies could be heard protesting that there was no drop in height from Williams, but Evans maintained the fact it was a passive tackle was why it had been downgraded from a red to a yellow.
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