Douglas defends Franks

Kane Douglas says Owen Franks did not eye-gouge him in Wellington last Saturday.

TV footage showed the All Blacks prop's hand moving across the Wallabies lock's face, but Franks was not cited after the game.

Douglas said he had no problem with the decision.

'I didn’t think of it like that [as an eye-gouge],' he told Brisbane's Courier Mail. 'It was an All Black trying to stop me driving through the maul, arms everywhere and everything happening in a few seconds.

'I've got no issue at all but obviously you want to be protecting the eyes of players.'

Douglas said the footage made Franks's actions look worse that they were.

'I probably didn't realise how bad it looked until after the game [when watching replays]. My eyes were fine and it all happened so quickly I was on to the next thing in the game.'

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