All Blacks fullback Jordie Barrett has been red-carded after collecting Marika Koroibete in the head during the third Bledisloe Test in Perth, leaving some of the game's finest divided.
Two penalties to Beauden Barrett allowed Ian Foster’s men to control the contest as they looked to close out the series, eventually running out 38-21 winners over the Wallabies.
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The first try would eventually come as Beauden put a kick through for Will Jordan as the All Blacks continued the frenetic pass, eventually finished off by Jordie Barrett
However, Jordie would then go from hero to zero shortly afterwards as he looked to take a bomb.
In the process of catching, he would lash out at Koroibete, collecting him in the face.
This would leave the Rebel clutching his face on the ground after the collision, with the incident sent to the TMO.
In the end, it gave referee Damon Murphy little option but to issue the fullback a red, leaving the All Blacks reduced to 14 for 20 minutes before he was replaced by Damian McKenzie under new law trials put in place for the TRC.
Former Wallabies stars Drew Mitchell and Mordan Turinui backed the call under the current rules despite the accidental nature of the incident.
"Going through it, direct contact with the foot to the head, by the letter of the law that constitutes a red card, accidental or not," he said during Stan's coverage.
"You reverse this and you say it's a shoulder and it'd be the same outcome. It's a tough one, it's accidental but by the letter of the law, the referee has got that one right.
"For mine, it's 100 per cent accidental," Turinui added. "It's still dangerous contact to the head. He's up there, drives the knee up but there still is that kick out in front."
However, Tim Horan questioned the call and the direction of the sport as All Black legend Andrew Mehrtens suggested a yellow card would be more justified.
"Where is our game going? No way that's a red card to Barrett," Horan said via social media.
"Just a reaction from taking a kick in the air."
"As he went up, he ended up having to tilt his body in the air, so it's probably natural for his leg to come out," Mehrtens said as Murphy was handing out the red card.
"I think in the old system he would've got a yellow which would have been justifiable. I think the fact that they know it's not going to reduce them to 14 men for the rest of the game can weigh on that and then they can have a better look at it.
"I don't think it's deliberate, however reckless and the result comes into it at that point."
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All Blacks coach Ian Foster questioned the call, suggesting Barrett lost his balance and was forced to react accordingly to protect himself.
"I was pretty surprised to be honest," Foster said after the match
"He just lost balance and you could see he tilted and you could see what happened (next).
"I feel for the refs in situations like this, because technically they saw things and they make their decisions. I get all that. Have we got a technique problem – no."
The incident comes just two years after brother Scott was red-carded during the inaugural Test match at the venue, won by the Wallabies 47-26.
