Alarming signs of football’s culture seeping into rugby cropped up at Twickenham and Gloucester last weekend.

Culprit-in-chief at England HQ was Argentine Felipe Contepomi who, after sprawling onto the turf following his trip on Serge Betsen’s offending foot, got back to his feet to remonstrate with the referee to get his yellow card out, apparently neglecting the fact that he had executed the exact same trip on Dominic Waldouck minutes earlier.

At Kingsholm the following day, Gloucester hooker Olivier Azam went down like a sack of Jersey Royals after Cardiff wing Tom James made contact with the Frenchman’s noggin through his well-padded scrum cap.

James deserved his red card.

Azam deserved an Oscar.

Credit to Phil Vickery for refusing to be drawn into criticism of Leinster lock Malcom O’Kelly after Wasps' 19-12 win at Twickenham, whose stamp on the England prop’s head deserved more than the yellow card recommended by the touch judge. 

Vickery is too long in the tooth to start slinging mud after the event but he would have been well within his rights to have condemned O’Kelly’s action, however out of character it might have been. 

No need to cry over spilt milk when you’ve just put in a display that suggests you are still much longer for the knacker’s yard than most would believe. 

The only fly in the ointment was Vickery’s decision to take the three points rather than kick for the corner and go for the lineout in the 80^th minute when a try would have put Wasps in control of their own destiny. 

Wasps now travel to Castres needing a four-try bonus point win to even stand a hope of reaching the last eight of the Heineken Cup. 

The French side, despite sitting 12th in the Top14, have not conceded four tries at home all season in domestic or European competition.

Leinster, who can secure their progress with their own bonus point win against Edinburgh no matter what Wasps do, have lost only once at home this campaign and slaughtered the Scottish capital team 52-6 at home before Christmas.

Vickery was hardly likely to have had these stats to hand as he made that decision on a blustery night at Twickenham, but what he did know was that Leinster had lost both props and their second row and skipper Leo Cullen to injury.

They were ripe to be driven over their own line and denied a losing bonus point.

But Vickery would also have known that the most ridiculous ELV of the lot - that allows teams to collapse rolling mauls - meant that Leinster’s weakened forwards would have had the upper hand at the lineout.

Essentially, what we saw was a new law denying the best team on the day the chance to give themselves the ultimate advantage.

What sort of improvement to the game is that?