- Kenya beat Uruguay in an Olympic rugby sevens match at the Stade de France
- During the match, Uruguayan Mateo Viñales attacked referee Paulo Duarte
- Vinals tried to tackle Samuel Asati but the referee was between them
Friday’s rugby sevens match between Kenya and Uruguay at the Paris Olympics witnessed an incredible moment when one of the players tackled the referee.
The hilarious moment came in the second half, just before Samuel Asati scored Kenya’s second of three tries.
As Asati picked up the ball and lunged for the line, Uruguayan Mateo Viñales lunged at his opponent.
Unfortunately for Vinals, Portuguese referee Paulo Duarte was amongst the players and it was he who was brought down by what was actually an excellent tackle.
The match was broadcast on the BBC and left the commentary team stunned.
Uruguay’s Mateo Vinals brought down referee Paulo Duarte (second from right) instead of Kenya’s Samuel Asati (right) during a men’s rugby sevens match at the Paris Olympics
Asati pictured leaping over the try line as referee Duarte (bottom left) watches from the ground.
Duarte had been knocked down moments earlier by a tackle that was apparently aimed at Asati.
Vinals (third from left) tried to grab Asati (left) but the referee made a good tackle with a lasso instead.
One commentator said: “I’ve never seen that before. I’ve never seen a perfect execution of a rope tackle on the referee.”
Kenya won the match 19-14. It was a semi-final match, but neither team had a chance of winning a medal.
Both teams had finished bottom of their respective groups and therefore participated in a four-team knockout event to determine their final placements.
Kenya’s win means they will now face Samoa on Sunday to decide who gets the honour of finishing ninth, while Uruguay will face Japan with both teams battling to avoid finishing 12th and last.