While this October 15 marked the first anniversary of the cruel elimination of the Blues against the Springboks in the quarterfinals of their World Cup, Bernard Laporte pointed out the arbitration of Ben O’Keeffe.
The birthday was painful. A year later, the defeat conceded by the XV of France against South Africa in the quarterfinals of the World Cup is still a bruising for tricolor rugby. The fault of the meeting scenario, marked by guilty errors of the men of Fabien Galkié while they seemed to master the debates, but also arbitration decisions subject to controversy.
A year later, Ben O’Keeffe is still the target of strong criticism and Bernard Laporte, the former president of the French Federation, remains convinced of certain errors of the New Zealand referee. “I sincerely think he is mistaken about the last penalty. The penalty, it is not for Springboks, it is for us, since the player puts his hand on the ground. She is for us. So he was wrong ”He thus entrusted during a lanyard exchange with François Trillo on YouTube.
Ben O’Keeffe is not the only culprit
“But it is not he who misses the two candles on which we take the tests, he nevertheless took care to add. I was the first to say that O’Keeffe was wrong. But we can’t take tests as we took. »»
But for the former tricolor coach, Ben O’Keeffe is not the sole responsible for this tendentious arbitration. French rugby leaders have also failed.
“What really pissed me off was that I have the impression that we were arbitrated as an outside team. And we know why. I don’t want to get these controversies. But talk to the referees during the week, go see them, do what is called lobbying, everyone does it. We? We didn’t do it ”he blown, convinced that a coronation at the World Cup would have had huge repercussions on French rugby: “I think it was our year. It would have been so good for our sport. To drive the nail and win. If France had been world champion, it would have been considerable in terms of enthusiasm for rugby schools. »»
