Andrea Piardi was forced to leave the field during the Six Nations match and be replaced after going down in the first-half
England v Ireland referee Andrea Piardi was forced to leave the field during the first half of the Six Nations after suffering an injury. The match was halted for several minutes as a replacement was called in.
Piardi was seen pulling up on camera as an Ireland attack unfolded, dropping to the turf as concerned fellow officials joined him on the pitch.
The referee was replaced by assistant Pierre Brousset, with fourth official Craig Maxwell Keys taking his place as touch judge.
Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
Piardi was seen shaking his head and saying “I heard it pop” before calling the two captains over and explaining: “Guys, it’s tough for me, my quad has gone. Best of luck for the game.” He then shook the hands of Maro Itoje and Caelan Doris before departing.
After play resumed, Tommy O’Brien crossed for Ireland’s third try as the visitors stormed into a 22-0 first-half lead against the stunned English.
The English hit back just before the break but still trailed 22-7 at half-time after an eventful 40 minutes that saw Freddie Steward and Luke Cowan-Dickie replaced by Marcus Smith and Jamie George because things were going so badly.