Wales fell agonisingly short of reaching their first rugby World Cup final today after playing three-quarters of their semi-final against France without captain Sam Warburton who had been sent off in the first 20 minutes.
An heroic Welsh side scored the only try of the match but were edged 9-8 by France who offered nothing in attack and were forced to make more than twice the number of tackles as their opponents.
The decision by Irish referee Alain Rolland to show a red card to Warburton for a dangerous tackle on Vincent Clerc should have ended the game as a contest.
A brawl broke out after Warburton lifted the slight Frenchman off his feet and dropped him to the ground. Rolland then reached for a red card to the incredulity of the Welsh team and the dismay of the majority of the crowd, who booed and whistled throughout the remainder of the match.
A grim-faced Wales coach Warren Gatland, whose young side have played with increasing fluency and confidence throughout the tournament, said a yellow card would have been an appropriate punishment.
«I thought an experienced referee at the stage would have said ‘Hang on a minute, let’s bring the two touchies (touch judges) in and have a chat and have a chance to look at the screen and see the replay and perhaps make a cool judgment’,» he said.
«That came out of the blue — for an experienced referee to make such a quick decision in the semi-final of a World Cup. I though that decision ruined the semi-final.»
Gatland’s views were shared by the majority of neutrals in the crowd at Eden Park and Rolland’s decision was greeted with outrage on internet message boards.
In Rolland’s defence, the relevant rule defines a dangerous tackle as «lifting a player from the ground and dropping or driving that player whilst that player’s feet are still off the ground.» Referees have also been directed to show a red card for play they consider dangerous.
Warburton’s dismissal was the second in the knockout stages of a World Cup. Lock Huw Richards was sent off in the only previous time Wales reached the semi-finals when he tangled with his opposite number Gary Whetton of New Zealand in 1987.
Wales, who trailed 6-3 at halftime, regrouped after the interval, surging into French territory in a series of attacks.
They were rewarded when Mike Phillips, as he had against Ireland in the quarter-finals, strode around the blindside, dummied, fended off an attempted tackle and dived over the line.
Stephen Jones, who had come on at flyhalf in place of James Hook, missed the conversion which would given Wales victory.
Yet although Wales won the plaudits, it is France who go through to their third final after losing two pool matches. Wales are condemned to a third place playoff next Friday against the losers of Sunday’s match between New Zealand and Australia.
France coach Marc Lievremont was unrepentant about his team’s subdued performance, with flyhalf Morgan Parra kicking three penalties, and backed Rolland’s controversial red card call.
«We are in the final and that is all that counts, so don’t be too enthusiastic about it,» he said. «You’ve seen the tackle, it was a dangerous tackle and deserved a red card.»
Phillips remained unimpressed.
«They were looking for penalties and played pretty boring stuff really,» he said «I think they’ll find it difficult in the final.»
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