Johannesburg - Many South African rugby fans were left seething after what they perceived to be poor and biased officiating cost the Blitzboks victory in the Wellington, New Zealand, leg of the World Rugby Sevens competition on Sunday.
The South Africans were 21-7 up at the break of the final of the competition against hosts New Zealand before they received a yellow card and a series of penalties against them in the final five minutes of the match. New Zealand won 24-21, scoring a try after regular time had expired.
South Africa’s Rosko Specman was sent to the sin-bin for much of that time for what was regarded as a spurious and “soft” yellow card.
Much of the criticism was aimed at Australian-registered referee Matt O’Brien, who officiated in the final despite being born and raised in New Zealand.
His father is Paddy O’Brien, the New Zealand referee who was once World Rugby’s head of referees and has now been put in charge of preparing officials for the Sevens competition at the Rio Olympics.
O’Brien’s performance was described by SuperSport.com rugby writer Brenden Nel as “atrocious”, saying he had been in contact with two international rugby referees, neither of them South African, who believed South Africa had been “robbed”.
Among the points of contention were O’Brien’s refereeing of the breakdown and that he did not award South Africa a single penalty in the final five minutes of the match.
While South African rugby fans decried the poor officiating, New Zealand media described it as a thrilling final, in which their team had not given up until the death.
There will, however, continue be questions over the yellow card and dubious calls by O’Brien.
At last year’s World Cup, South African referee Craig Joubert was criticised by World Rugby for giving a match-winning penalty to Australia at the death against Scotland in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
South African fans have called for World Rugby to do the same with both O’Briens.
South Africa have been the form team of the Sevens Series thus far this season, which, with Sevens now included in the Olympics for the first time, makes them medal contenders for the Rio Games later this year.
They currently lead the overall World Rugby Sevens table ahead of Fiji, who they beat 31-0 in the semifinal on Sunday. New Zealand, who South Africa beat to win the Commonwealth Games title in Glasgow in 2014, are in third spot.
The Star