Gregor Townsend felt Scotland had been robbed of victory over France as he expressed bewilderment that the officers did not award them a attempt within the final motion of a dramatic Murrayfield showdown.
Les Bleus claimed a 20-16 win in Edinburgh to get their Six Nations marketing campaign up and working, however solely after referee Nic Berry and TMO Brian MacNeice spent a number of minutes deliberating over whether or not residence substitute Sam Skinner had grounded the ball on the try-line earlier than deciding that it had been held up by the boot of French alternative Yoram Moefana.
Scotland’s supporters, gamers and employees, having seen footage of the incident on the massive display, had been satisfied they had been about to be awarded a match-winning attempt, and the officers had been loudly booed by the house crowd after they caught with the unique name to not give the rating.
“We were celebrating in the coaches’ box having seen the pictures of the ball being placed down on the tryline after having been on the player’s boot,” mentioned head coach Townsend, visibly angered.
“That was additionally after listening to the communication to the referee from the TMO to say that the ball began on the foot after which went on the bottom.
“The ref then says, ‘I can even see that (ball) on the bottom’ then their final interplay was ‘cling on, let’s take a look at that different angle….yeah, it is inconclusive now, stick together with your on-field choice’.
“It was TMO-driven. If the referee is seeing the images we had been all seeing within the stadium, possibly it is on his shoulders as effectively to say, ‘that is the ball down, that is a attempt’. However the TMO was the one who modified his thoughts and mentioned, ‘stick together with your on-field choice.’
“I don’t understand the rationale. When you see the pictures, and when you also see the conversation, they have already said between them that the ball has been placed on the tryline.”
The Scots led for a lot of the match after taking a seventh-minute lead via Ben White.
France, who additionally scored a first-half attempt via Gael Fickou, managed to outlive 10 minutes with 14 males after Uini Atonio was sin-binned simply earlier than the break and ultimately acquired themselves forward for the primary time within the seventieth minute via Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s attempt.
“I’m absolutely gutted for the players,” mentioned Townsend. “The way the game was going in the second half, I didn’t think there would be any points scored at one stage – we were in control.
“However we did make an error that led to a scrum that led to a attempt. On the time, I believed it was going to be actually troublesome to attain the required 5 factors.
“It was then a fantastic effort to win the ball back, for Kyle Rowe to make his break and for Finn (Russell) to win the ball back and set us up on the tryline.
“The feelings straight after that once I noticed the images had been, ‘what a implausible win, what a staff to come back again.
“To play so well, go behind and come back, what a great victory for our supporters, then it’s taken away from you.
“It is sport, we all know that, and now we have to be higher. That is why you play and coach – to win but in addition to get higher. Now we have to verify we take profitable and shedding out of the fingers of referees and TMOs.”
Requested if he felt the officers had completed their jobs correctly, Townsend mentioned: “I’ll leave that to you guys to decide.
“All I can say is that we had been celebrating a win, our gamers and a number of our supporters had been by the images we noticed. We may hear the conversations.
“Gavin Hastings (former Scotland international) was in front of us, and the media were turning round a few times as well to ask, and I’m saying, ‘yeah, it’s a try’.
“I am going to depart it to you guys to make any remark greater than that, however we consider it was a attempt.”
The debate: Was the ball grounded?
Scotland captain Finn Russell to BBC Sport…
“Personally, I consider that was a attempt on the finish however that is as much as the referee to resolve that. That is what he is there to do the job for, we have simply acquired to take this defeat on the chin and we have got to get higher for England.
“We can’t let the referee decide what happens in a game, that’s up to us to play better and make these matches a victory.”
Legendary rugby referee Nigel Owens to BBC Sport…
“When the referee gives an on-field decision, you have to have clear evidence to overturn that decision.
“It is a very, very troublesome choice to make. All of it comes all the way down to if the TMO has clear proof.
“It looks like it’s probably on the ground, is there enough for him to say 100 per cent it is good? Probably not.
“So it is a type of actually, actually robust ones. However the ball seems like it’s on the bottom. I feel they are going to be debating this one for a very long time.”
World Cup-winning England captain Martin Johnson speaking to the BBC…
“I used to be simply glad I wasn’t making the choice as a result of no matter you probably did there somebody goes to be upset. It appeared like a attempt but when they’re saying ‘now we have to show it’s’, it was troublesome and could not be definitive.
“I like chaotic rugby, it’s a melee, it’s do or die, everyone is trying to pile in. The referee has got to look for 1,000 things and then do the grounding. Normally with those in the game, if in doubt they don’t give it, and that’s what he did.”
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