Scotland coach Gregor Townsend on Saturday said he could not understand the decision not to award his side a try that would have beaten France with the final act of a controversial Six Nations clash.
The visitors clung on to win 20-16 at Murrayfield as the television match official (TMO) and referee Nic Berry decided not to award a try, despite Sam Skinner appearing to ground the ball on the line.
Berry had initially ruled no try on the field and said there was not enough conclusive evidence to overturn that decision.
Photo: AFP
“We were celebrating in the coaching box having seen the pictures [of the ball] being placed on the try-line,” Townsend said. “I don’t understand the rationale when you see the pictures and hear the conversation between them [the referee and TMO]. They have said the ball is placed on the try-line.”
Scotland had led for most of the match after going in front through Ben White’s early try and three Finn Russell penalties.
Gael Fickou’s score reduced France’s deficit in the first half and they went in front for the first time in the game 10 minutes from time when Thomas Ramos converted a brilliant individual try by Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
Ramos added a penalty to stretch the lead to four points, before Scotland appeared to have snatched victory at the death to back up a thrilling 27-26 win over Wales the previous weekend.
“The emotions were what a fantastic win, what a team to come back, great victory for our supporters and it is taken away from you,” Townsend said about the late call.
By contrast, the decision brought relief for embattled France coach Fabien Galthie after his side were humbled 38-17 by Ireland the previous weekend.
Galthie hailed his side’s resolve to come from behind after a week of stinging criticism back home for their display against Ireland in Marseille.
“This is a sport of combat, you have to be combative. One has to accept that there are times of adversity,” said Galthie, whose side have still only lost to Ireland in their past 12 Six Nations matches. “We dealt with that this week. We lose together, we suffer together, we win together.”
Les Bleus are suffering a hangover from failing to win the World Cup for the first time on home soil last year.
France were again far from their best in a performance littered with handling errors in the wet Edinburgh conditions.
However, Galthie said a victory was what mattered most to keep their chances of winning the championship alive, should Ireland slip up.
“Given the context, it is OK,” Galthie said. “We are not here to give demonstrations of perfect rugby, we are here to win matches.”
Both sets of players and fans were left in suspense for more than four minutes as they waited for the officials to decide the fate of the match.
“It is very good for the suspense and audience,” Galthie said with more than a hint of sarcasm when asked for his opinion on the decision. “It is very good to check the television for four minutes. The advertising and the show is up. At the end we are happy.”
Juventus on Sunday stopped Inter from replacing SSC Napoli at the top of Serie A by beating their fierce rivals 1-0 and moving into the UEFA Champions League positions. Francisco Conceicao made sure that Napoli would stay two points ahead of reigning champions Inter by classily tucking home the winning goal 16 minutes before the end of an entertaining contest in Turin. Portugal attacker Conceicao netted his fourth goal of the season in all competitions after brilliant work from Randal Kolo Muani to give Juve a third straight league win. Juve are in fourth place on 46 points, ahead on goal-difference from SS
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
‘SETTING THE TONE’: Donovan Mitchell said that their determination to dominate had nothing to do with past results, but was about a potential post-season clash The Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday boosted their NBA-best record with a 142-105 romp past the New York Knicks, tightening their grip on the Eastern Conference lead with an all-around dominant display. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to lead six Cavs players to score in double figures, connecting on five of seven three-pointers as Cleveland drilled 19 from beyond the arc. “I think the biggest thing was just try to set the tone early,” Mitchell said, adding that the determination to dominate had nothing to do with the Knicks’ first-round playoff win over the Cavs two seasons ago and everything to do with
RSS