Fiji forward Kitione Kautoga sin binned for brutal high shot, leaving Rhys Dakin knocked out
forward Kitione Kautoga will have a case to answer after he was sent to the sin bin for dangerous contact in his side’s 22-18 win against the Cook Islands during the two nations’ Pacific Champinships clash on Sunday afternoon.
The high shot left Rhys Dakin heavily concussed with the interchange forward leaving the field.
“He leant into the contact and just copped a shoulder right to the face,” Billy Slater said on Nine’s coverage.
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He did lower his level slightly and it’s direct contact … Kautoga may be in strife,” he said.
While Kautoga’s hit left Dakin dazed, Paul Gallen didn’t believe the hit was intentional.
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“Definitely a sin bin these days, it was pretty forceful, the player did lower his body, I think it was accidental … (worthy of) 10 minutes in the bin that’s for sure,” he said at half-time.
Cook Islands were leading 6-4 at the time, with Kautoga leaving the field in the 32nd minute.
The Karmichael Hunt-coached side couldn’t make their opponents pay though, with the score staying the same at half-time following tries to Esan Masters for Cook Islands and Maika Sivo for Fiji.
Both sides then showed their attacking power in the second half, running in five tries overall.
Cook Islands’ Esom Ioka extended his side’s lead straight after the break, however Tigers star Jahream Bula then scored in the 55th minute to keep Fiji in striking distance.
Waqa Blake put Fiji in the lead 12 minutes later. The Cook Islands weren’t done though as Isaiah Cooper-Tetevano crashed over through the middle to change the lead.
Rookie of the year Sunia Turuva managed to grab the match-winner though in the 74th minute, sending his teammates into a crazy frenzy.
Despite their victory, Gallen wasn’t impressed by Fiji.
“Fiji got away with it, I did not expect it to be that close … I just didn’t think they showed the Cook Islands enough respect in the opening half,” he said at full-time.
Kautoga won’t be the only player to appear on the judiciary sheet with Mikaele Ravalawa also put on report for a high shot in the first three minutes.
