A big game will always come with big moments and huge refereeing responsibility; as was the case in last night's Rugby World Cup quarter-final between France and South Africa. French Captain Antoine Dupont has criticised referee Ben O'Keefe for some of his decisions.
These moments included: a potential slap down and guaranteed yellow card/possible penalty try, which was deemed a knock back by Eben Etzebeth; Cheslin Kolbe's conversion charge down on Thomas Ramos, that some French fans were saying was an early run up from the South African; Kwagga Smith not supporting his own body weight while securing a late penalty for the Springboks.
All of these decisions went in favour of eventual winners South Africa, and after the game, France captain Antoine Dupont questioned the standard of referee Ben O'Keefe.
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.
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.
Antoine Dupont Question Standard Of Refereeing In Rugby World Cup Quarter-Final
Et là ? pic.twitter.com/oSZHkb0lyI
— Florian (@Florian_pascal1) October 15, 2023
Sûrement la plus grosse erreur du match. En avant délibéré de Etzebeth (en arrière d’après Mr O’Keefe 🤥)
Dernier défenseur = carton jaune + essai de pénalité. pic.twitter.com/6VX5EOALev— Kelian Cattaneo (@KelianCa07) October 15, 2023
Some charge down this was from Kolbe! Very tight call but Ramos looks unlucky! Hope the TMO checked it! pic.twitter.com/4SOWDUvfek
— Andy Goode (@AndyGoode10) October 15, 2023
READ HERE: France's Public Enemy No.1 Speaks Out After Reckless Hit On Dupont
READ HERE: Chaotic Scenes As England Fans Kicked Out Of World Cup Quarter-Final
"That doesn't take anything away from the South Africans' great game, who got on top of us at the breakdown," added Antoine Dupont.
"They played a great game.
"Yes, it was our first knock-out game and we didn't win, despite playing a big game in terms of intensity and content.
“We're going to learn from this and gain experience. There's a lot of frustration and disappointment, but we're going to learn from this kind of match.
"Yes, the question came up and we knew we had the chance to go over and score. We chose the penalty. It's clear that when it doesn't pay off we will go back and discuss it again, but it was the right option for us at the time."
SEE ALSO: Viewers In Awe Of Cheslin Kolbe After Clutch Play Helps South Africa Dump Out France
