South Africa's Rugby World Cup final victory over New Zealand last night was certainly not short on drama, much of which centred around the decisions made by Wayne Barnes and the rest of his officiating team.
In fairness, they seemed to get most of them correct. The red card given to Sam Cane was the correct call, while the Springboks could have no complaints about the two yellow cards they received.
The main issue of contention stemmed from a penalty awarded to South Africa in the first half. It came when Barnes penalised Ardie Savea for holding onto the ball in a ruck, with Handre Pollard going on to score from the resulting kick.
However, many though that Barnes then seemed to indicate that having viewed the replay on the big screen, he told the All Blacks that he got the decision wrong.
"Sorry mate, I thought he stayed on him. I didn't see him come off enough."
Wayne Barnes admits his mistake. How costly could that be to the All Blacks? 🤔#NZLvRSA | #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/YG7RUtIhbz— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) October 28, 2023
Of course, with South Africa winning the game by just one point, this turned out to be a key moment in the final.
However, the accepted interpretation of the apology from the referee may not be the correct one.
READ HERE: New Zealand Fans Won't Like Brian O'Driscoll's Opinion On Officiating In RWC Final
Did Wayne Barnes really apologise for RWC final decision?
While most viewers assumed that Wayne Barnes was apologising for getting the decision wrong after seeing a replay, this may not have been the case.
When you look at what the referee said, he was not apologising for getting the call wrong. He simply apologised for not watching the replay on the screen as the players had done, going on to explain his reasoning for penalising Savea.
Sorry mate, I didn't see the replay.
I thought he stayed on him, I didn't see him come off enough.
Wayne Barnes did not apologise or admit fault on the Ardie Savea penalty. He said he didn’t see the replay and that there wasn’t a clear enough release, to justify why he gave a penalty.
He was quite clear.— Jonny Holland (@jonnyholland10) October 29, 2023
While you can argue if the call was correct in the first place, Wayne Barnes did not immediately apologise for getting it wrong as had been widely suggested.
Many in New Zealand were very unhappy with the officiating in this Rugby World Cup final, feeling that a number of key decisions went against their side in the game. In saying that, many neutral observers felt that that refereeing team had a good game.
In any case, the All Blacks had more than enough opportunities to go and win the game, something they did not capitalise on.
SEE ALSO: All Blacks Legend Unleashes Rant At Wayne Barnes As Kiwis Rage At World Cup Final Refs
