‘Outrageous decision’ – Referee slammed as Danny Care avoids a red card from ‘old teammate’

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Referee Karl Dickson has come under scrutiny for failing to give Harlequins scrum-half Danny Care his marching orders during the Premiership clash against Northampton Saints.

Dickson issued Care with his first yellow card for a high tackle on Saints star Courtney Lawes in the sixth minute of the match at Twickenham Stadium.

Care returned to the action, and in the second half of the crunch clash, the scrum-half impeded a Saints breakdown inside the Quins’ 22 as he dived on the ball.

Dickson penalised the half-back for his actions and looked to reach to his pocket to issue a card to Care before seemingly realising that he was already on a caution and decided against it.

Danny Care controversy

Care was replaced soon after that incident which has sparked debate on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, with many pointing to the fact that referee Dickson played for Harlequins during his career and shouldn’t be officiating their matches.

“Criticising referees should never been done lightly but I’m sorry, that’s an abomination of a decision from Karl Dickson. That was a clear yellow card for Danny Care – and it was right in front of him. No excuse,” one irate fan wrote.

Another added: “That is outrageous from Karl Dickson as clear a yellow for Danny Care as you will ever see + just looking after your mates awful.”

Tight Five Rugby was also highly critical of the events that unfolded.

“Karl Dickson was about to pull the yellow card out there & rightly so…Until he saw it was Danny Care, who has already been yellow carded. That is a huge, huge let off for Harlequins – Care should have his second yellow card and be off for the rest of the game,” they wrote.

A reply to their post added: “An absolute disgrace. How on earth is he allowed to referee Quins?”

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Planet Rugby sought clarity from Premiership officials who explained the complexity of the law surrounding the decision, which resulted in it not being an additional yellow card.

As it is a tackle only situation, then Care can dive to make a tackle or onto the ball when Alex Mitchell has lifted the ball off the ground. A ruck had not yet formed and Care had also come from an onside position.

However, the Quins scrum-half was instead penalised for pushing James Ramm instead of diving on the ball.

Care’s reaction

Care discussed the two calls with another former Harlequins player, Ugo Moyne, and fellow TNT Sports pundit Lawrence Dallaglio.

“We’ve been discussing the potential second yellow card that you didn’t get from your old teammate, Karl Dickon. What did you make of it, Danny?” Moyne asked.

“I thought the ball was out,” Care said of the second incident.

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On the tackle on Lawes, he added: “That one, yeah the rules are the rules, he’s a big lad. I don’t know how I’ve got high enough to hit his head but I have. That’s one of those, I’ve got to get my head lower and out of the way.

“Bad from me, I’m disappointed in myself there and then this one [the second incident], I think the ball’s out. I’m trying to get the ball.”

Dallaglio added his view as he felt the second incident was worthy of another yellow card.

“I spent a lot of time on a yellow card and I can assure you after a line break, that is a stonewall yellow card,” the former England number eight said.

Moyne added: “That’s the face of someone that knows he’s got away with one.”

Harlequins would go on to win the match 41-32, with Care’s replacement, Will Porter, scoring two tries in the victory.