France’s scrum-half and captain Antoine Dupont listens as New Zealand referee Ben O’Keeffe (L) instructs players. Photo: AFP
WATCH: Springboks respond to France’s referee criticism
The Springboks have provided their view on the quarter-final refereeing after Ben O’Keeffe was criticised by France captain Antoine Dupont.
France’s scrum-half and captain Antoine Dupont listens as New Zealand referee Ben O’Keeffe (L) instructs players. Photo: AFP
After Sunday’s epic World Cup quarter-final, which saw the Springboks claim a one-point win, Dupont said match official Ben O’Keeffe should have penalised the Springboks for slowing down French possession when the home side were attacking late during the game.
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“I don’t want to be the bitter person who complains about the referee because I lost the game,” Dupont said. “There’s a lot of disappointment and frustration but we can’t wait to see the footage again. There are clear things that should have been whistled. I don’t think the refereeing was at the level of what was at stake today,” he added.
However, the Springboks felt O’Keeffe handled affairs extremely well, with captain Siya Kolisi and coach Jacques Nienaber commending his communication.
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You can watch the response from the Springboks below:
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No excuses from the French coach
France head coach Fabien Galthie chose not to single out O’Keeffe.
“I understand the players’ frustration,” Galthie said. “I understand there is lot of frustration, emotion, it’s difficult to digest. I will accept it, as it’s already happened, the decisions,” he said.
“They used high kicks well,” Galthie said. “It gave them good moments. We prepared for it but they were efficient. The game came down to one point,” he added.
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