Last updated 12:23 24/10/2011
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/
First it was Wayne Barnes, then Bryce Lawrence, Alain Rolland ... and
now Craig Joubert.
The South African is the latest whistleblower to cop plenty of
criticism at the Rugby World Cup, coming under fire for his
performance during last night's final won 8-7 by the All Blacks
against a gallant French team at Eden Park.
France halfback Dimitri Yachvili was unimpressed and suggested Joubert
was influenced by the occasion. "The referee was under a lot of
pressure," he told journalists. "He did not want us to win. That said,
I think New Zealand deserved their win because they are the best team
in the world. They have shown that throughout the tournament."
French captain Thierry Dusautoir queried a number of decisions with
Joubert throughout the final.
He was particularly incensed when, after play had been allowed to
continue for nearly two minutes while the first five- eighth Morgan
Parra was receiving treatment for a head injury, Joubert called a halt
while Aaron Cruden received lengthy treatment after twisting a knee.
Dusautoir was questioning Joubert from the opening minutes when France
were penalised at a scrum even though the All Blacks prop Owen Franks
had dropped to his knees, and when Richie McCaw forced a vital
turnover four minutes from time, the France captain turned to the
touch judge Nigel Owens insisting that the New Zealand captain had
been offside.
"I am very disappointed with the result but I do not feel like
criticising the referee," Dusautoir said later. "He is one of the best
in the world and we did not do enough to get the vital penalty we
needed at the end."
While the players were muted in their criticism and coach Marc
Lievremont refused to seek excuses, it did not stop the French media
and rugby fans from around the globe - many of them New Zealanders -
from ripping into Joubert for supposedly favouring the All Blacks.
"The Blues feel like they have been stolen from," Eurosport.com's
Emilie Dudon wrote, saying referee Joubert is "at the centre of all
discussions".
"For French fans, Mr Joubert should have given a penalty to the French
during their period of domination in the second half. What do the
Blues think of this? Lots of things. However, it's not always the most
deserving team that wins. The Blues know something about that."
In the article, French back Maxime Mermoz claimed: "I took a punch
from (Piri) Weepu in the right ear. I could no longer hear anything
and now I still can't hear properly. And the referee did not blow his
whistle."
Fans have taken to social media and website forums to voice their
displeasure, while Joubert's performance has been slammed by a host of
commenters on stuff.co.nz.
"(Richie) McCaw is a synonym for Joubert. They were basically brothers
in arms today. Another example of a partial referee dictating the
outcome of a game," said Jim.
Added Max: "Surely Joubert should have been at the top of that list
(players of the match) for the ABs."
- Stuff
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/
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