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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Jon Doel

The violent 'cheap shot' on Alun Wyn Jones that went completely unnoticed by France v Wales officials

This was the moment a "cheap shot" on Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones went completely unnoticed by the officials in the match against France on Saturday night.

The first-half incident wasn't picked up by referee Karl Dickson, his TMO or the ITV cameras and pundits. However, it was seen by a number of fans and S4C's commentators.

The video clip clearly shows French second row Bernard Le Roux elbow Jones during a confrontation at the breakdown.

Le Roux initially appears to hit the skipper in the back of the head from behind before putting his arm around his neck. As the pair tumble forward onto the turf, Le Roux's right forearm looks to be needlessly thrust directly into Jones' face as he lies on the ground.

Several viewers who spotted the incident described it as a clear red card offence, and Le Roux could well face retrospective action from the citing commissioner. You can read what Wayne Pivac and Alun Wyn Jones had to say about the incident here.

S4C pundit Nicky Robinson said: “You can’t hold around the neck in the first place but the biggest problem is when he’s on the floor the elbow comes through. If the video referee had seen that, it would have to have been a red card.”

“That is not an accident, that looks terrible and he’s lucky Alun Wyn is ok, has stood up, hasn’t complained and has carried on with the game. But that is why the video referee is here, to see dirty play off the ball and that is clear and should be seen by someone.”

The France v Wales fan survey (available here or below)

Welsh rugby legend and pundit Gareth Thomas said on ITV4's coverage: "To me, he comes down with a forearm into his face.

"As Alun Wyn Jones’ head gets tilted to the floor, the right elbow comes in and onto his face."

Fellow pundit James Hook, who played 81 times for Wales, said: "There is definitely intent there. That right elbow, there’s intent there. He knows exactly what he’s doing."

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