Ross Moriarty says he thought it would be “the end of me” had referee Jaco Peyper sent him off in Wales’ Rugby World Cup quarter-final against France.
Moriarty had only been on the pitch for 90 seconds, replacing an injured Josh Navidi, when he was yellow carded for a high tackle on Les Bleus centre Gael Fickou.
Wales went on to win 20-19, with No.8 Moriarty scoring the winning try – but only after an incident that left him sweating, especially when Peyper called in captain Alun Wyn Jones.
“I was just thinking, ‘please, please don’t be a red’. I knew how bad that would be for the team,” Moriarty said.
“I’ve been in that situation before and it is not a nice feeling.
“I never go into a game intending to do anything that would get me a card or put the team at any risk of not winning.
“That was definitely a big moment. I had only been on for 90 seconds and I was thinking to myself: ‘If he gives me a red card, this is the end of me’.
“It was a mistimed tackle. I closed my eyes and thought he was going to run round me, but he stopped and ducked under me.
“It was very nerve-wracking then to come back on and make sure there were no more mistakes and no penalties.
“That’s what I did, and to be able to put the ball down (for a try) towards the end of the game was a very good feeling.”
Moriarty is set to take hamstring injury victim Navidi’s place for the semi-final against South Africa on Sunday.
“This is a game I look forward to. I know what their forwards thrive on, which is being physical, and that’s what I thrive on as well,” Moriarty said.
“Some players go hiding when it gets tough, but I think I get better in those situations.”