Probably the wrong thread for this (as it's the wrong game/teams) ... but here I go anyway!
... I disagree with everything you've said except for perhaps consulting the other officials, and then only to buy a little time, take the heat out of the situation, and for the ref to cover his own arse.
... The decision was the correct one, Warburton lifted the player above the horizontal which isn't allowed and is unsafe, and then dropped Clerc when the tackler has the responsibility to put the player down safely ... had he at least put him down safely, he might have got off with a yellow card ... but, the rules are pretty clear, so the ref didn't have a lot of options.
... it's not the ref's responsibility to make the game entertaining, or provide value for money, for money for the fans ... if the fans want their money back, they should invoice Warburton.
To tie this back to this thread, and tonight's game, if the exact same situation occurred tonight, I hope the ref would rule the exact same way, regardless of whether it was an All Black or Wallaby player ... the dangerous stuff needs to be stamped out, and the offending player only have themselves to blame.
... not biased against Wales either ... I like Warburton as a player and was backing Wales too
