All Blacks lock Scott Barrett has been cleared to play after a judiciary hearing into his automatic sending off against the Springboks at Twickenham over the weekend. 

It will certainly be a relief for the All Blacks coaching staff, who were facing the possibility of facing France in the Rugby World Cup opener on September 9 (NZT) with only two available locks. Already one lock down due to Brodie Retallick’s knee injury, the All Blacks could ill-afford to lose Barrett from their thin second-row stocks. 

Barrett received two yellow cards in the first half, the first in the 14th minute coming for removing Springboks halfback Faf de Klerk from a ruck illegally after a warning the All Blacks would have a man in the bin if they gave away another penalty. The second came while attempting a clean-out at a ruck, Barrett’s shoulder smashed into Springboks hooker Malcolm Marx. It was deemed a dangerous play after referee Matthew Carley consulted with the TMO. 

The hearing deemed the red card was sufficient sanction in this case given Barrett was sent off for two yellow cards, and the first of those was for a technical offence following a team warning. 

The independent Disciplinary Committee was chaired by Sir James Dingemans (England) with former international player Olly Kohn (Wales) and former referee Valeriu Toma (Romania). 

In its disciplinary decision, it found there was “not a high degree of danger” in the clean-out of Marx because the first contact was with the arm. 

Scott Barrett of New Zealand is sent off by referee Matthew Carley. Photo / Getty 

“We found that the player did not enter late, because the ball was still present at the time of entry, although he player did enter after others. The player entered the ruck at reasonable speed.” 

The Boks were in in full flight to register a record 35-7 win over the All Blacks that suggests they are timing their run to perfection. The five-tries-to-one defeat snapped the All Blacks’ 11-test unbeaten run dating back to last September. 

Barrett became the first All Black to be red-carded twice. In 2019, he became the fourth All Black in history to be given his marching orders, after his shoulder connected with the head of then-Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper late in the first half. 

Meanwhile, starting tighthead prop Tyrel Lomax joined fellow influential forwards Retallick and Shannon Frizell in the mounting casualty ward for the All Blacks’ first World Cup test against France in after suffering a nasty gash to his thigh that required 30 stitches. 

Lomax suffered the deep laceration from the blades of Springboks fullback Damian Willemse’s boot in an accidental incident early in the first half. 

Luke Kirkness is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He previously covered consumer affairs for the Herald and was as assistant news director in the Bay of Plenty. He won Student Journalist of the Year in 2019.