LOOK: Referee blew it in Paris says Les Bleus
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Reffing angry: France’s Dupont
France captain and scrumhalf Antoine Dupont is not happy with the way New Zealand referee Ben O’Keefe officiated their 29-28 Rugby World Cup exit against the Springboks in Paris on Sunday night.
Asked about O’Keefe’s performance after their quarterfinal exit, Dupont says: “What did you think from the outside? It’s hard to say because there’s a lot of disappointment and frustration.
“We want to see the images again - which will give us even more disappointment and even more frustration - but I think some clear and obvious things weren’t whistled.
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“I don’t know if the match was lost at that point, but at crucial moments, we could have had a penalty. When you’ve gone forward 60 metres and you’re slowed down in the rucks, it’s pretty easy to whistle.
“I don’t want to sound bitter, moaning about the refereeing because we lost the match, but I’m not sure the refereeing was up to the challenge.
Nous aurions voulu rêver avec vous plus longtemps mais malheureusement notre aventure s'arrête là .
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“That doesn’t take anything away from the South Africans’ great game, who got on top of us at the breakdown. They played a great game.”
Coach Fabien Galthie adds of the ref: “He’s not on his own. The TMO and the referees have time to review the images like us and have the right to officiate. I ask my players to be brave at times like this because I understand their frustration. But I won’t comment on it personally.”