Saints coach questions Irish ref Lacey over Wood sin-binning

NORTHAMPTON coach Jim Mallinder has questioned the consistency of refereeing in the Heineken Cup after his side suffered a crushing defeat at sunny Stade Pierre Antoine.

Mallinder was left perplexed by the decision of Irish whistleblower John Lacey to sin bin flanker Tom Wood who was adjudged to have illegally collapsed a maul on Northampton’s 22, in the second-half. It proved to be a costly decision for Saints, who conceded two tries during his absence.

“They had a massive impact,” said Mallinder. “It’s frustrating because when we played Munster away, Paul O’Connell did something similar with a few minutes to go and that was fine but Tom Wood, the first time he does it, gets a yellow card.”