At most, a yellow, but officials need to make these decisions: Powell on Nche red card

A red card to Ox Nche in Durban on Saturday put the Sharks under immense pressure in their 39-31 Champions Cup win over Harlequins on Saturday. 

READ | 13-man Sharks beat Harlequins in enthralling, controversial Champions Cup opener

Nche received his marching orders for head-on-head contact in the tackle with Harlequins hooker Jack Walker which drew the ire of the King Park spectators. 

Nche walked humbly and apologetically off the field despite the contentious nature of the call, which in real-time, looked innocuous.  

Speaking after the match, Powell acknowledged that the officials have to make decisions regarding these incidents when they occur but believed that Nche should have only received a yellow card for his indiscretion.  

With Nche off the field permanently and hooker Bongi Mbonambi receiving a yellow card for continued infringements by the Sharks, Powell said defending against an attacking side like Harlequins is no easy matter.  

"It does make it difficult, especially for a team that is attacking well from scrums," Powell said. 

"Having one player less on the field is obviously going to make it challenging. You need to be creative and think about how you want to defend against a team that is so accurate in attack from scrums when you are one guy less.  

While Harlequins put themselves back in contention for the win thanks to some late tries, the Sharks sealed the match thanks to their fifth score as Boeta Chamberlain dotted down in the 78th minute. 

Powell's charges now turn their attention to Bordeaux, who they play away on Friday. 

Kick-off is at 22:00 (SA time).