Last night the Springbok rugby team was robbed playing France when the Italian referee bottled a decision. You don't mind losing because that is the nature of sport, but when it is down to poor officiating it does not sit well. I am the last one to call out a referee for an error of judgement having been one myself yet here I am mind blown on what I just witnessed.
The French scrum were on a final warning after multiple penalties conceded when the scrum collapsed for the umpteenth time. The referee instead of awarding another penalty sending a player off he said play on. The Springboks complaints fell on deaf ears and they were justified with their grievances. Being forced to play away instead of playing an advantage is disappointing and was the match right there. This summed the game up right there as you look forward to the game all week and the game is decided not by a great move, but by an official who should not have a whistle.
The very next scrum away from the French try line saw the scrum collapse again and only then did the referee award a penalty and send a player off. There was no difference between the two calls besides the referee bottling it on the earlier scrum. This was a clear opportunity that was a game changer and this same referee has had two poor games in a row. This game he yellow carded 4 Springboks and red carded another. The same official was in charge for the Australian game that left the Aussies playing with 11 players so his player management comes into question.
Having been a referee myself I can tell you comfortably this referee is not up to the standards expected from officials officiating international rugby. This is a professional sport and you expect the same levels from the official.
The French team played very well for the first half and ran out of steam early in the second half and clung on thanks to the referee. The Springboks played with 14 men for 20 minutes of the game as a player was red carded. I have no problems with the red and yellow cards in this match as this was refereed correctly.
The Springboks dominated the French upfront having been awarded 11 dominant scrum penalties which highlights the pressure the French were under. The intensity was sky high with fine margins and you do not leave referee calls to chance.
The French were 21-7 up at half time with two Springbok tries disallowed and in the second half the French were kept scoreless. The French were desperate for a win and I am happy they sent their fans home happy even though we all know what happened here. A loss keeps the Springboks grounded which is also not a negative because they need to know other teams can beat them.
I think every team will be trying to avoid this referee in the future because there is just something off and it comes down to over officiating and not making the right calls. A penalty try was missed after a deliberate knock on with a two man overlap. The penalty try was not even discussed by the TMO when it was really the only obvious call.
After every match we would be graded by a referee assessor and these errors are something you cannot sweep under the carpet and needs to be dissected and addressed. I feel sorry for both sets of players because wrong calls do change matches especially such glaring errors. I have no doubt in my mind the referee bottled this match and that is a bigger worry than the result. How can he be kept in the international officiating pool after a second sub standard performance?