Ben O’Keeffe had a turbulent second part of the World Cup. Criticized after the quarter-final between the XV of France and South Africa, the New Zealand referee was taken aback by certain supporters during the semi-final between the Boks and England. For former referee Romain Poite, the red line has been crossed.
Usual scenes during this Rugby World Cup. Generally, players accept the referee’s decisions, but as various observers have noted, there have been numerous protests or critical statements in recent days. Star of XV of France, Antoine Dupont had considered that the referee Ben O’Keeffe had not been at the level during the quarter-final against theSouth Africa. A statement, which was not unanimous within the Blues and which was even contested. “ If there is a controversy with the referee? No, from the moment you take four valid attempts, that means that you have something to look for (the reasons for the defeat) in your own performance ” dropped Karim Ghezalco-coach of the forwards.
Rugby World Cup: Antoine Dupont receives a great reward https://t.co/a3YNwHamx1 pic.twitter.com/OWBrK4XZ7B
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Be O’Keeffe whistled by the public
But the damage was done Ben O’Keeffe. Highly criticized on social networks, the referee was whistled during the semi-final between the Springboks and theEngland. For the former international referee Romain Poite, these scenes are rather rare in the world of rugby. Despite the numerous controversies, the Frenchman insisted on defending his colleague.
“We no longer only attack the function, we now attack the man”
« There were too many discussions and disputes, it’s something we haven’t seen for a long time and it’s a dangerous relationship for our sport. The comments have become virulent: we are no longer just attacking the function, we are now attacking the man. It’s serious ” dropped Poite has Rugby Rama.
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