FRENCH PLAYERS HAVE complained after South African referee Craig Joubert made a number of contentious decisions that went against them during Sunday’s Rugby World Cup final.
While New Zealand gained an early lead in the first half, France recovered to dominate the second period, with Joubert seemingly failing to spot a number of infringements that would have earned them a much-needed penalty to potentially win the match.
France’s Dimitri Szarzewski led the protests, controversially suggesting to reporters that the referee had favoured the hosts: “Mr. Joubert was not brave. It was a World Cup final. I wanted things to be fair. And that was not the case.”
Szarzewski’s teammate, Maxime Mermoz, backed up his criticism of Joubert, claiming:
“I took a punch from Weepu right in the ear. I couldn’t hear anything and I still can’t hear well now. And the referee didn’t whistle.”
Meanwhile, Morgan Parra refrained from openly criticising the officiating, but said: “I think we deserved better.”
New Zealand beat France 8-7 on Sunday, and consequently won the Web Ellis trophy for the first time since the inaugural World Cup tournament in 1987.