Antoine Dupont & Galthie React to The Referee & France’s Tough Loss | France Press Conference

France's Head Coach, Fabien Galthie, and Captain Dupont give their thoughts after a narrow 1-point loss to the Springboks. The Referee's decisions come under fire in this press conference. However, it was a game for the ages that saw the host nation kicked out of the Rugby World Cup 2023. The Springboks will now go on to face England in the Semi-Finals.

[@thomasorif3653]

Just to clarify a few things about the ref issue : Im french and that question from the French reporter was quite scummy. Dupont never said the "ref was bad". They said the following : - They admitted they thought the quality of the officiating didnt live up to the quality of the game, but that it wasnt that bad either - Then proceeding to say that, even if they were mistakes, Ben O'Keefe should never be targeted personally, and that there is an entire team of TMO behind him that didnt facilitate his work - That they would appreciate if further questions would not go on this terrain, as they dont want to criticise the ref - That whatever mistakes might have occured, it went both ways and favoured both FRA and SA alternatively - That wathever mistakes might have occured, they take nothing away from SA's win They were extremely fair and measured in their terms and they never wouldve mentioned the ref if the topic wasnt brought up in the first place (by that same reporter btw!!)

[@mikezog1030]

Yeah reporters do that and are known to be scummy

[@seanfitz76]

I'm not French but you don't need to be an expert in rugby to see that South Africa went offside any time they scrambled. Totally cynical. These are professional fouls and should be yellow carded but they probably gambled on the referee not producing cards each time

[@joeritchie2]

I agree there were calls that could have gone differently for both teams, as in most matches, but I thought O’Keefe managed the match extremely well and communicated clearly, including a couple of instances where he let players know while the ball was in play that the TMO had already reviewed an incident and deemed it no foul play, so he let the game flow. Given the level of intensity and physicality in the game, I thought it was more than an acceptable performance; I thought he was excellent. And it does sound like the translations of some of what was being said might have been off, though in this feed I couldn’t hear much at all of the original. Pity that the line of questioning focused too much on the officiating when there was so much more to ask Galthier and Dupont about. It was a tremendous match between two outstanding sides.

[@Laurentus]

You are a class act.

[@Laurentus]

@@seanfitz76Both sides got away with a lot, and no, we weren't off-side, our line speed is just that insane. Cope, boyo, cope.

[@leonnortje8330]

As a South African hats of to France, they are an amazing team. Dupont is just on another level.

[@tonysa2337]

Ufortunately Du Pont's poor sportmabship and vile whinging at the post match press conference was also on "another level".

[@Truthseeker-iz3dj]

@@tonysa2337 The translator was off, read the top comment.

[@okuhlephambiliokuhlephambi2287]

Yes also a cry baby

[@nexis1293]

France do what France do best and thats bottle it when it really matters.

[@sanelen_]

Pity he cant take defeat. No sportsmanship whatsoever. He's behaving like a spoilt brat rn. These things happen all the time. Get over it

[@hermanvanzyl1485]

I have been an SA rugby fan for my entire life, but this has been the best game I have ever watched. Not because we won, but because of what this French team brought into the game. I salute the French team, the coaching staff and their fans.

[@johanneslotz3239]

I fully agree

[@dhirshg]

Fastest game of rugga you will ever see.

[@NatureWonders709]

SA 4 tries and won bonus point😊❤ France 3😂😂

[@frankbunce]

It was quite error ridden when you compare the Ireland v NZ 1/4 final. NZ didn’t make one handling error. Still two hugely intense test matches. A great weekend of RWC rugby. Probably the greatest 1/4 final run in history.

[@debbiemortinson]

Win or lose, this game and last night's game raised the bar for international rugby.

[@vidyawickramasinghe9052]

Not really, the same old teams won.

[@HemiJB91]

​@@vidyawickramasinghe9052games could have went either way

[@cornelcarelse7613]

very true and increased the GAP between Tier 1 and 2 even further, something needs to change for the smaller nations

[@liloupumpkin5278]

​@@cornelcarelse7613Thanks for saying it. I love Rugby. But the gab between Tier 1 and Tier 2 keeps growing. And the same old teams will win the world cup. Fair to them they're excellent and deserve it. But it's not good for rugby's development.

[@fomofud9479]

As a Saffa I am so appreciative to have shared the field with this great French side. My oh my, what a game. Thank you France and the French people for one of the best games I've ever witnessed. It could easily have been a French win. Thank you ❤

[@Trueblue222]

I don’t recall seeing you on the field !

[@willboa5365]

At the end Kitsoff put his hands on the grass before grabbing the ball thats a penalty to France - Kick game won to France - drop the mic .

[@armandpotgieter]

​@@willboa5365go roll yourself into a cacoon and go cry there please. Grow up.

[@ninagericke6406]

Massive respect for the French. Well done to our South African team made us proud.

[@cleros4973]

As a french fan despite the disappointement I want to underligned the solidarity of Irish people 🇮🇪 Even after their loss the day before I saw a lot of Irish people supporting the French team yesterday night and it was really beautiful 💪 Thank you for your support guys ! 🇮🇪🇨🇵 Let's the better team win this competition ! 🇿🇦🇳🇿🇬🇧🇦🇷

[@aaronthe747fan]

A person from Ireland I have to thank you you guys tried so hard to get by its just a shame it didn't happens this time hopefully we can see each other in the final for Australia 2027

[@patrickfarrell5092]

Nice comment, thank you. I can also assure you that most of Ireland were supporting our French brethren. Congratulations on hosting a wonderful tournament, I love the Bayonne Anthem 💚. We share your sadness but will look forward to seeing you in the 6 Nations.

[@stiofain88]

Ye were way better than we were. Couldn't believe the speed of the game and the quality of the Rugby on display. I'm actually more disappointed for you guys than us. Keep the chins up no matter what negativity is getting thrown at ye. You have a class team. 🇮🇪🇲🇫

[@braddaynes6885]

I'm sure it's heartbreaking to go out by one point at home, but the French can hold their heads up high. That was rugby of the highest calibre and truly could have gone either way. That game will echo throughout history as one of the greatest ever played. I know that I speak for all South Africans when I say that the French have earned our respect. Vive la France!

[@annger8163]

@@stiofain88 Wow more disappointed by French loss, unbelievable 😢

[@CaseyKCRichards]

What an amazing game…. The intensity.. i am so appreciative of seeing such a World Cup final type game. Ireland vs AB was an amazing entertainment

[@kaboomblueskies]

This was a classic game of rugby probably one of the best I have ever seen in my 50 years of viewing rugby. The referee made some mistakes but he is human and we all make mistakes. His mistakes affected eachr team almost equally. France lost the game when they changed their forwards as the replacements did not have the same power as the first set of French forwards. They were on the back foot most of the time in the second half in the set pieces of scrum and line out. Losing or winning by one point shows the difference between the teams was paper thin. Congratulations to both teams for providing us neutrals with a feast of rugby that will be very difficult to better in this World Cup. The final will be between SA and ABs. The other semifinals were incidental, and those teams, in a proper draw should not have been in semi finals.

[@yann664]

No he didn't. France should have had two penalty tries. One was clearly obstruction, the other the ball was slapped down. I can't remember any lost tries like that for the South Africans so how could it have been equally on both sides. Both instances France would clearly have scored. Two tries to France in the opening 15 minutes of the game would have made a huge difference.

[@richardmatatahi4563]

As a kiwi I wouldn't go there & say the AB's are in the final we have a game against Argentina 1st to get pass we have been here before and 4 teams are left don't want to disrespect our SH bro's will say good luck to them all. This is it. two games to sort out before we know who's playing for 3rd & 4th and who makes the final. Getting out of pool A & B has been one tense battle we knew it would be, now all to play for.

[@Funkybassuk]

I agree that the front row changes were awful for France. Can we ditch this unspoken rule that front rowers can only play 60 minutes? Why take off players who are playing well?

[@Funkybassuk]

@@yann664The slap down was clever. It went backwards. I was angry when I saw it but the ref was right. If Ramos’ conversion hadn’t been charged down, France would have won the game by 1 point. South Africa used a bit of rugby intelligence to defeat the better side. I wanted France to win but they did the same thing as Wales and Ireland and played the last 10 minutes in the wrong part of the pitch. England won in 2003 because they knew how to score 3 points as needed: kick, chase, ruck, drop goal. They learnt that from South Africa in 1999 who knocked us out with 5 drop goals.

[@jasonsmith3573]

you should watch the AB vs IRE game that everyone is saying is the best world cup game ever.

[@glitch113]

Well played France and thankyou for an amazing quarter final.

[@billrichardson1619]

Wow! What a test match. Well done SA - probably one of the best tests I have seen. Gutted for France.

[@jlewis3013]

Welsh observer here. Utterly superb game and all players should reflect on the fact that they played in one of the best World Cup games - possibly - of all time. On a side note, as France lost, can we have Shaun back - please ;)

[@Mo-yd8xc]

Don't you agree that The Guinness 6 Nations is NOT "ruby's greatest championship?" There is only 1 team left while 75% of The Rugby Championship is in the final 4.

[@iwazhere7077]

​@@Mo-yd8xcthis is why they call us arrogant. Give it a rest mate. It's a rhetorical question anyway

[@Funkybassuk]

@@Mo-yd8xcAnd the only undefeated team in the tournament is my England 😂

[@hervouinmatthieu4304]

​@@Funkybassukdef best european team then if we follow the last call 👌😂

[@spud7823]

@@Mo-yd8xc 🤡they won all their groups.

[@KekeHimona]

I can understand why teams like France and Ireland are gutted. The real problem isn’t the referees…it’s the crazy way this entire RWC was drawn so early. To see 2 both FRA and IRE out at quarters speaks volumes Gratz Boks and commiserations to France

[@film_game1010]

Hors sujet 😊

[@yoshi-bg7hs]

Yeah. Was a bad draw for the abs and s.a. was good for Ireland and France. But the abs. And s.a showed why they dominated rugby. And why Ireland are qf beasts and France the best checkers. Nz had everything against them and came out ontop. You have to learn to stop making excuses and get the job done. Let's go ALL BLACKS

[@Nic0909]

At the end of the day they were going home anyway, weather it was quarter or semi

[@Badmansband]

The Irish and the French were quite happy with the draw before kick off.

[@Emjaygee1950]

the draw is based on the last World Cup positions , get over it.

[@donovansurbanlinkwc]

Amazing match, a real pity France 🇫🇷 had to exit at QF stage. Boks clearly played for something beyond rugby. Tom Brady’s message to the Boks said it all

[@bennetndevu3400]

Boks Technical team are superb in game management , congratulations and good luck going forward. Bayibuye Mabokoboko❤😂👏👏👏👏👍👍

[@Rundu1987]

Ben O'Keefe was brilliant. Sour grapes...

[@buchlingwpj]

Well done to the REF, we can highlight misses both ways. It has to be noted, the TMO is also active and REFs are a lot more calculated and thorough nowadays. France played a very good game, and the BOKKE played a very good game. It was the slimmest of margins, it could have gone either way. Today it was not France's time. Well done France. Go Bokke!

[@FundiCrypto]

A great future ahead for French Rugby, hats off to them and their team - from a Saffa

[@elpass8388]

Next time we might as well leave the Anglo-Saxons to themselves and things will go faster... You're tired of being systematically robbed by the refereeing at each World Cup. Courage blues 💪🇨🇵🐓

[@johannmaritz5354]

Dupont is one hell off a player,keep your heads up high, what a game.

[@Christian_1980]

He's good, but he's not Fourie du Preez.

[@Ngutu441]

A Referee is part of the game. Singling out a referee with fewer mistakes especially in a game of such a high tempo is unfair. France made few mistakes which cost them a game. However, the score shows that both this Team are extremely good.

[@hervouinmatthieu4304]

This is a good way to talk about the first half. I must say it's false in the second half, We have zéro quick ball bcz there is always a sa player in the ruck. Of course I am biaised as a french but the rucks really outplayed us and there were lots of faults

[@brandewijnvancoke9267]

French cleared plenty of rucks coming in from an angle(side).. so plenty of calls missed both ways.

[@brandewijnvancoke9267]

Really dont think the french can blame the ref. Their game management under preasure in last 10min lost them the game. A 22 dropout directly into touch, a penalty for touch going backward etc etc. A recommend the french stop looking for excuses and learn from this.

[@Laurentus]

@@hervouinmatthieu4304 Literally every single team cheats. You did it in the first half too. The ref let us both get away with it. You just couldn't adapt.

[@antonellaluque4532]

He fked up penelty, grow up

[@IgshaanBarnes-pk5uo]

What a game , as has been all 4 quarter finals. Rugby has been played at a very high level.

[@millbaymoll2420]

Let’s all face it, there are two reasons that this was a game for the ages: two superb teams meeting with a talented and minimally interfering officiating team. Hats off to all concerned, I say.

[@reynardstreicher666]

From a Springbok fan - The French were excellent! Wow, they gave the Boks one hell of a game. Easily could have won it on another day. Pity this great game was only a quarter-final. Glad Galthie has a contract until 2028, they need someone like him to continue building.

[@Ballymayock]

As a neutral, I thought the ref did OK. My impression was that France thought a loose frenetic game would play into their hands, but it didn't. I think a bit more control was needed by France. SA adapted very very well.

[@willboa5365]

At the end Kitsoff put his hands on the grass before grabbing the ball thats a penalty to France - Kick game won to France - drop the mic .

[@justmebeingme1412]

@@willboa5365 Nah mate, drop the buyllshit. Kitshoff was not even on the field at the end, the props were Koch and Nche. Stop making bullshit up to help you cope

[@jerka7]

@@willboa5365the law is hands “can be used if the player is using the ground briefly to maintain their own balance and stability.” Tough to decide even if ref saw it. And if he did and decided it was not a penalty, fair enough. We can also find ones that didn’t go Boks way.

[@mariusferreira]

​@@willboa5365faf passes the ball into a offside French player in the 75th minute which is a penalty regardless of where the pass was going. ( thats the law) we kick the penalty and still win? Boom mic drop

[@Jan-jx6ne]

​@@willboa5365Sure and the head contact on Pieter-Steph du Toit with no yellow card.

[@leopard7425]

There were incidents that South Africa can complain about as well. Take it on the chin. Great game from both teams. If you won, the Ref would've probably been "great"

[@hanoamorete179]

As a neutral fan - I thought the ref did quite good. Game was played at a hectic speed similar to Ireland VS ABs. Surprised French are having a go at his performance

[@tcoomllo9358]

4 of sa did really played good ? And just a question where are u from

[@yoshi-bg7hs]

Yeah if your a French fan right your going to be mad. That's why you don't rely on the referee to help you win. Play rugby and don't milk penalties.

[@paulbismuth10]

It's a question of translation, if you speak french or translate it accurately they dont blame the ref at all. i won't translate it myself because somebody else did it before me but for instance they even say that when there are errors in a game it tends to goes both ways hence it doesn't impact the teams. Galthié or one of his players never did that so far when they lost so it would have been something deeply out of character.

[@coatknight]

From their responses they seemed fair and tried not to criticize the refereeing. Was rather the way the question was asked.

[@MrAhuapai]

Great games require great Refs to participate. A poor Ref can ruin a match between two good side. A good Ref cant save a game between two poor sides.

[@Natedawg38]

Commiserations from the Irish. You are definitely an emerging rugby superpower, no doubt about it. Looking forward to the next cycle, great things in store for both nations. This is just the beginning.

[@kelvinripia1196]

Great Discussion from both the Coach and Captain of the French Team. Your Heart and Effort were on Display for the World to see. You were Awesome and may you have many more games in your Future. It is truly Sad that there had to be a Loser. In my eyes you were both Winners. God bless you and Stay Strong.

[@jankoekemoer6034]

It is sour grapes. That's what it was. Nothing less.

[@petercleaver8035]

If the ball travels back it cannot be called a knock on.

[@jankoekemoer6034]

Exactly you can clearly see him intentionally directing it backwards.

[@jasonsmith3573]

This is similar to what happened after the IRE vs AB game where Ire coach Farrell said they would ask World Rugby questions over the officiating but they didn’t want to take anything away from the All Blacks’ superb win nor be considered sore losers. A contradiction and sour grapes.

[@kampalakid63]

The dignity and composure of this press conference at one of their lowest moments is the highest tribute to the French squad. I share their pain, respect their privacy and deeply wish they continue to challenge and be one of the best rugby teams in the world. Chapeaux to the French.

[@benayrampurtab7406]

France failed to score against 14 man South Africa in the opening of the second half. Crucial error on the part of the French.

[@SpartanHighKing14]

The referee was equally lenient for both sides. I was very impressed at how he never allowed the crowd to dictate his decision.

[@RLopezSports]

South Africa did get all the notable 50/50 calls though didnt they, everything in clear sight. Etzebeth knockdown, Kolbe leaving before Ramos started his run, Looked like there was about 4 high forearm/elbows to the head from SA players.

[@Laurentus]

@@RLopezSports Yes, obviously. I must have imagined Etzebeth being sent off for what was a fucking rugby incident. And you couldn't score a single point while we were down to 14. Cope harder, baby.

[@mthunziphakathi4215]

​@@RLopezSportsdon't talk nonsense

[@RLopezSports]

@@mthunziphakathi4215 give me a logical response as to why i am talking nonsense then. I just named about 4-5 calls that didnt go frances way, not to mention the Kwagga Smith penalty at the end.

[@SarielZA]

​@@RLopezSportswell, for one, Etsebeth knocked the ball down backwards, which is legal. It's only a deliberate knock if it is knocked forwards.

[@DT7w8]

The scary thing is this SA team if full of young players that will peak in 2027. Another great tournament to look forward to and even harder to predict.

[@kobuslouw9533]

Most of the players are actually quite old. Most won't see 2027 world cup

[@Truthseeker-iz3dj]

Yeah I see a lot of the SA team will be in the 30s by next world cup.

[@Christian_1980]

But rasnaber won't be there. Probably be replaced by a chop like snorre.

[@niezniezgov]

@@kobuslouw9533 Yes it was a unique opportunity for the french to beat this particular lineup in a world cup in france. 2027 will probably feature a far weaker SA team, Rassie and Nienaber, by calling up the "old squad" chose to sacrifice the future generation and not prepare anything or anyone new beyond their tenure, in the hopes of winning 2023.

[@sweetkiwipie1569]

As a kiwi im backing my fellow kiwi the ref done awsome france you were just not good enough and thats ok SA are just that much better chin up

[@maylisdubois8166]

Lol of course you prefer to play against Sa😅😅😅 You lost against France remember ?😊

[@ashleysoudah]

that play when dupont made a break down the touch line, chipped the ball, tackled the player and got a turnover...unbelievable

[@seanmcdonald7211]

Felt like the French were waiting for the ref to help them win, rather than trying to grab the game themselves

[@siyasox4244]

Watching the game I felt France players were really tired towards the end. ZA.

[@Innerlight320]

Irish also

[@markwinter7511]

I agree french forwards were visibly out on their feet last 8 mins

[@russell3426]

That was a true summation of the last ten minutes, the french substitutions were not effective and the others were clearly spent.@@markwinter7511

[@Justin-gm2fi]

Other nations can never say its only the bok supporters that blame the reff again after this world cup

[@ajm6464]

Thankyou France captain and coach for not taking the bait coming from this sub zero quality reporter trying to call out foul play baiting. Much respect from South Africa!!!!!!!!!💪

[@mikezog1030]

With 10 minutes to go I thought France had it, and I was resigning myself to this. France on any other day would have won and can hold their head high. Two amazing teams and the winner was rugby.

[@paulcavanagh9370]

Great game.I thought the ref did well under difficult circumstances and at great pace.

[@user-eg3xf7sl4x]

Firstly heart goes out to France ..gowever they say they dont want to talk about the ref.. but they have. ..lose graciously rayher . As SA supporter heavens knows we have been on the end of some rough decisions . Eg previous SA FRA game at the end relating to double novement/crawling incident.. but yeah its hard but goes round comes round. Much respect to Antoine and his side Cheers

[@user-mb7wg6ul5g]

If all , that last pass from Faf that went straight into an offside french player, Handre was in the pocket for another 3 points. Ref blew and said it’s a French scrum. So don’t complain about the ref. If it wasn’t for him you would’ve lost even further.

[@wattytipene1333]

Don't blame the ref media! Your spoiling a great game could of gone either way. Gosh we had 2 players sin binned for minor infringements carried on. France you were magnificent and have put on a tremendous competition thank you

[@charltheron2769]

Stop blaming or alluding to blame the ref. France failed to score a single point against a 14-man Springbok team during 10 minutes of the match. 'Nuff said.

[@barendvanderlinde2530]

Maybe the translation was wrong, but the French coach indicated that they had to opportunity during the week to work with the ref, Ben O'Keefe. That only should be a concern to World Rugby.

[@marazaanlaguma1697]

I was very impressed with the ref and yes he did make some mistakes out of over authority but like I said, very impressed that may have been one of the best games ever played. ever guys. which would make it one of the best reffed games ever

[@YallNotWhite_YourPINK]

Here we go with france and ireland blaming the refs 😂😂

[@carbonnieferrous2689]

Referee will be judged by the appropriate governing body, not by any member of the coaching or playing team. Fair enough? Apart from that that was possibly the finest game of international rugby ever seen.

[@loki_of_earth]

Oh contraire, fair or unfair, the ref will be judged far and wide by anyone who saw the game and probably some who did not. I didn't think the officiating was top draw but c'est la vie. One thing I couldn't understand was how Kolbe was able to charge down the conversion. One camera angle show's how he did it. Why wasn't this camera used in realtime I don't know.

[@jankoekemoer6034]

Stop being a panzy. The charged down was in the laws. Your like your hone crowd. Bad losers.

[@siyasox4244]

This is the saddest press-conference I have ever seen in rugby. These guys are really sad, they are not okay. ZA.

[@yoshi-bg7hs]

😢😢 cry me a river. All those big headed French got a wake up call

[@maximilianogabriel9982]

2011 was 👈

[@sakabula2357]

Wouldn't you be?Can you imagine the mood in SA if we lost yesterday...I would have been gutted

[@tonysa2337]

Sad and bitter. Would feel sorry for them if they were not such ungracious losers.

[@tloutlou2655]

They will heal they knew they were not playing push overs , so it was 50/50 from the 1st whistle.

[@denzilfrieslaar5666]

Leading questions from the press. The host is out after they have done everything to secure the tournament, really sad. No politics can win you the cup only play the game on the field. French are bad at lossing. Well done Boks

[@ten54]

there were a few bad calls from the ref that didnt go south africa's way either

[@iangordon-brown5407]

The ref was fine. Really bad questions from the press. Instead of talking about the magnificent game, they want to point fingers of blame.

[@tcoomllo9358]

Did u watch the game ?

[@KekeHimona]

Sorry but no point going on about ref calls….the kiwis learned that in 2007 RWC with France getting away with doing forward pass a blind person could see.

[@niconix90]

He was not. Point blank.

[@KekeHimona]

@@niconix90 Even your sporting pros and commentators and Wayne Barnes himself confirm after that pass was definitely forward….but feel free to live in delusion land

[@christiancatley4120]

@@tcoomllo9358 Did you moan all game? lol

[@waltbarratt200]

To the French team, management, supporters, you put on a superb match one of the best I have ever seen, heads up chest out, looking forward to playing this team In six nations English fan

[@denverarendse8511]

France is complaining about a ref, but they could'nt score any points whilst Springboks were 1 man down. There are many times that the ref did not blow against France. The ref was literally blowing in favour of the French side.

[@alexitselentis7904]

I get it HEART BREAK as hosts, look at Ireland also, but don't blame the ref, France you lost .. That kick that was charged down and blocked, is what lost the game for you, not the ref .. Refs are no Robots they are human, I think the ref was pretty good, don't be sore losers France it's been an amazing tournament 👏

[@EnglishVeteran]

Appalling journalism!

[@christiancatley4120]

The Journalist is looking for clicks Typical

[@spinningdragontao]

As a Neutral viewer of this game I have to say there were some glaring mistakes by the ref that was disappointing. Further to this the TMO failed to point out some obvious foul play, forward passes etc that I have seen pointed out to the ref in other games. I think what is desired by all teams and fans is - Consistency. To be pulled up, yellow carded, red carded in some games and ignored in others is pants. As for the charge down of the conversion - I have to say that I seriously doubt it was legal but no one is talking about it so - shrugs.

[@jankoekemoer6034]

If you were truly neatral, you would have mentioned the bad calls against the Springboks too. The rulebook say the deliberate knock down must be downward or forward. Clearly it was directed backwards. Please watch the replay again. Why don't you mention the accidental offside in front of the poles by a French player.

[@spinningdragontao]

@@jankoekemoer6034 That's absolutely fair enough. I agree 100% all calls need to be fair, even and unbiased.

[@keepslee737]

Don't feel bad France. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. You already have a young, excellent team, full of great promises in the future. Vive la France!

[@user-cg6vb1fl9g]

@user-cg6vb1fl9g il y a 1 seconde Thank you. But it is too late. World rugby loose its credibility . there is a problem somewhere. No way for a french team to win a world cup. Let them (NZ, SA and Australia) to play the future world cups between them. Better to do something else that to watch rubgy on the TV.

[@adifferentopinion]

These journalists are more salty than the players. But O'keefe definitely did a good job imo. They make like there were missed calls only one way it went both and he let it flow

[@PowerOfFem]

Such a great game to watch as a neutral viewer and one reason why was I wasn't thinking about the Ref, which means to me the Ref had a good game.

[@indricotherium4802]

France stood on the edge of greatness but that second half performance let them down. I don't remember them getting very far into the SA 22 at all (though I'd need to watch it again to be sure). Galthié must be a bit confused how his attack failed to score at least one try in the second half.

[@BenKingsley-zr3nn]

I thought the referee was quite kind to France on many occasions where he could have easily given the Springboks penalty time and again but allowed the play to go on.

[@andrewcoffey437]

Great spectacle and free flowing game that the ref and his team were part of. I think the French media and public will need to find a villain in the short term non the long term I hope they reflect on the game and concede that they lost. Simple as that!

[@cruiznnz]

Imagine what the game would have looked like if the Ref and TMO didnt allow the game to flow, we would have missed a spectacular game which wouldnt have happened.

[@johanneslaas2296]

I dont think a ref will go out of its way to blow against the home crowd

[@user-of8kj7xe1p]

As a South African I salute France their game was great ,they didn't win but what a great game 🔥

[@willieexplore]

Huge respect to the French, from a Bok fan. I remember the heartbreak we felt in 2015 losing to Japan and then to the All Blacks in the semi-final, by a mere two points. It was extremely sad. However, we lifted ourselves up and won the 2019 tournament. This French team is still very young and can learn and grow from this. I expect big things from Les Bleus in 2027!

[@LZAK123]

Imo, i thought that the ref was consistent, missed somethings caught somethings. And thats all you can ask for. If anything, imo, overall the reffing favored France

[@nickdejong6693]

I agree with you here (but I am a Bok supporter). The ref made some dubious calls for France, and I think missed a few French mistakes. But that happens! The thing is, in the end, in these tightly contested matches, we over inflate the impact that the referee has by remembering only the bad calls that would've given "our" side the win. It has happened to the Boks in the past too.

[@caseyburton9928]

Well done France, you guys did your fellow countrymen proud! 👌🏼 and I bet us All black fanatics will be watching you closely in the on coming years! Well done and hold your heads up high.

[@petelosuaniu]

Referee was fine. Both teams played a great game and unfortunately there is a winner & a loser.

[@ailleurd]

As usual, and one is crying, the other exploding of joy... And I 'am crying... I wish you the best...now win the Cup. From a sad and french bad looser fan.🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🤝🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷

[@jasonmather3382]

I’m convinced France will win a World Cup one day, just wasn’t to be today, generally speaking we have to take our hats off to the six nations teams for being more competitive, I think the draw was just too silly, you can’t just pile the best teams on top of each other like that

[@yoshi-bg7hs]

It was a good draw. It really shows who's the best when you put them all together. No sugar coating. Just the best will come out on top. I loved the draw. Was great. Perfect. Showed the world how s.a and nz really playbrugby. Dupont was all talk too

[@anfg7376]

​@@yoshi-bg7hs?

[@macianmiguel5379]

france will never win, nor Ireland or Scotland. It is written

[@jasonmather3382]

@@yoshi-bg7hs Dupont is a great player, France are very different without him, what separated the 2 hemisphere’s is ultimately IP, SA n NZ know how to deal with the do or die pressure of knockout rugby, this is accumulated knowledge dating back to when the 2 sides formed back in 1905 and 1906, it’s something that the north will have to learn the hard way and it’s gonna be hard for them with the hubris that exists in their media that always filters into their teams, NZ lost that that ability just like the northern teams but because NZ are who they are they figured it out, they dug deep and got it right and I personally believe that even if the north gets it right only England and France can win a World Cup, rest of the six nations teams don’t have the metal for it

[@revertnicolas5977]

Im not convinced that we will win a world cup one day. We are not a Commonwealth nations. We didnt win in 2011, so i think that we are doomed to fail at the World Cup. We should stick to the 6 nations.

[@Everythingjacob64]

The ref was fair and reasonable unless if players and coaches expect a one-sided Ref.

[@npellegrin]

You can’t say that kolbe’s charge ain’t legit he starts running before any move from Ramos

[@Everythingjacob64]

@@npellegrin I watched a balanced fair game called evenly both sides did not get all the calls they wanted. If France had won they wouldn't be complaining and if SA had lost they too would have had the right to complain about certain calls.

[@hennies9509]

Maybe someone else can feel what it feels like when the referee is against you. I have always liked France and cheered for them as a South African, so do not change it now.

[@craigvoortman3917]

What a game of rugby 🏉 🤩🤩👋👋Could have gone either way, either to the French 🇫🇷 or South Africa 🇿🇦

[@johanbreytenbach3137]

I had respect for the French up to this point. Springboks also had numerous questionable calls that went against them. O’Keefe obstruction, French obstruction from Faf, French knock-ons (3) that werent called…but for them and the media to clearly blame this on the ref is an absolute disgrace

[@jankoekemoer6034]

Spot on. And also their crowd was terrible. How do you keep on booing the opposition.

[@willboa5365]

At the end Kitsoff put his hands on the grass before grabbing the ball thats a penalty to France - Kick game won to France - drop the mic .

[@johanbreytenbach3137]

@@willboa5365 When your kicker gets his conversion charged down and you lose 10m on a penalty kick....then the referee is the last of your problems. but keep whining, maybe it will magically make France the winners

[@SolvedNC]

@@johanbreytenbach3137 the translation is off they did not blame the ref in the conference, check the pinned comment.

[@oliverkirsten9208]

Hi Johan, (SA fan here), I think France were mostly just gutted at losing but any concerns they raised about the ref from their side were quite restrained. Nothing in their actions or words can or should be called disgraceful.

[@adrianboulter1906]

the ref was fair, if anything he gave a bit more to france

[@open-debate]

The French can be very proud of themselves they have just played the hardest game they will EVER play ... and to think this was their first knockout game .... As a Sprringbok supporter I wish them all the best they have a brilliant future ahead of them .... they might not have won a medal BUT they ahve gained the best experience money can buy and this will make them win many more cups in the future !! The were brilliant !!

[@user-cg6vb1fl9g]

Thank you. But it is too late. World rugby loose its credibility . There is a problem somewhere. No way for a french team to win a world cup. Let them (NZ, SA and Australia) to play the future worl cups beetween them

[@open-debate]

No now that SA has won the cup and I'm very proud of the Boks I can tell you look at the opposition SA had to face to get to the final ... we played ALL the big teams ... where there is a MAJOR issue with word rugby is the grouping of the teams .... it was a shambles ... a total mess ... how is ti possible tha the French and the Irish did not at least play in the Bronze medal BUT Argintina and england that walked into the semi finals after playing no real opposition played for the Bronze medal ?? it makes no sense .... World Rugby need a new president not the english one they ahve now .... @@user-cg6vb1fl9g

[@WimPrins13]

It was any ones game well done both teams ... it was one hell of a game!

[@steve1234544]

There will always be those who will blame the referee. It's all part of the game. And let's face it it was a great game from both teams. I certainly understand feeling frustrated it happens to all teams. And when we all accept that we can forgive sour grapes. I'm sure we could call out mistakes mistakes on both sides. Better luck next time France. And yes you can feel sad for now

[@RazorMouth]

It was the fact that it was the winning score that should have been a penalty to France and not to SA. They really need to get it right especially in times like that, in really close games. TMO must have seen it.

[@leonrobinson2053]

@@RazorMouth When England complained after the world cup final everyone called us sour and said we were bad losers, now it has happened to the French as well so can we now call bs on the sour grapes. Tom Curry gets a red card for an accidently face collision, Etzebeth gets yellow. Every breakdown SA are putting a foot over the ball to slow it down or are on the wrong side or put hands on the floor. The TMO sees all of it and just says nothing

[@RazorMouth]

@@leonrobinson2053 this was a final score to win a game and knock the other out of the championship though. You'd think they'd make sure and get it right. It was shown on the big screen I believe and the crowd went mad but the ref stuck to his decision. It's fkin ridiculous. If they are unable to enforce some rules for all teams then they need to get rid of those rules to make it fair.

[@mitch2924]

⁠@@RazorMouthand Faf’s pass into the French player on the 77 mins should have been a penalty to SA which would have closed out the game. A lot of calls went against SA, pipe down. Go cry somewhere else

[@thomasrohan4620]

​@@mitch2924 as

[@killerangel4613]

France suffered as did Ireland from pressure of expectation to beat S. Africa and NZ respectively and panicked at crucial times. ABs and BOKS are used to the pressure of expectation from their fans and have the best record at world cups.

[@anthonybamford8823]

In both quarters I noticed alot of talking to the ref from Northern Hemisphere team players. Let your captain play that role

[@TheoOosthuizen-xs2nq]

I wonder why he doesn't mention how the referee let him get away with incorrectly feeding the ball in numerous scrums.

[@KrnSMLS]

Bok fan. We all understand your frustration, you put yourself in a position to win the game and it came down to a flip of a coin at the end, either team could have won. IMO O’Keefe can hold his head high. I believe he ref’d from a true unbiased position and surprisingly didn’t let the French fans alter his decisions. I would have loved if DuPont stood up for the match officials instead of fuel the journalists need to cause drama.

[@alistairdavidson3471]

Great that the French do not go full on criticizing the referee but there were at least 3 very questionable moments : the Ebenez intervention, the conversion block and the half way penalty. I hope we get to see these moments again. It was a great game with two incredible teams but the refereeing was not at the same level as pointed out. And of course the draw being made 3 years ago has spoiled the RWC big time

[@joeritchie2]

What is your issue with charging down the conversion? It was a brilliant effort and certainly not illegal.

[@jankoekemoer6034]

What does the rulebook say. You can clearly see Etzebeth intensionally directing the ball backwards. Deliberate knockdown is exactly what the rulebook say. Downwards or forward. What does the rulebook say about the so called accidental offside of a French player in front of their poles as the springboks wanted to dropkick.

[@willboa5365]

At the end Kitsoff put his hands on the grass before grabbing the ball thats a penalty to France - Kick game won to France - drop the mic .

[@joeritchie2]

@@willboa5365 Nigel Owens has just posted on X (Twitter) that this is a mistaken idea. It’s not illegal to put your hand on the grounds in that situation. What’s illegal is not supporting your body weight. If you can support your body weight with your hand on the ground it’s play on.

[@jankoekemoer6034]

@@willboa5365 you can put that mic where the sun don't shine. Nobody cares.

[@mountainman9145]

I think what everyone is missing is that France is going to be the future powerhouse of world rugby. Similar to their efforts in the round ball FIFA world cup France will always be claiming or hovering near the final.

[@jakhaughton1800]

Bad losers usually blame someone else. The game was brilliant and tight as it could be.

[@andilesibawu2711]

Ireland and France are top sides who played the best rugby at the moments I can imagine and understand their frustration, but the referee was good, Ben is a top referee, in my opinion what cost these 2 countries Ireland and France is a complacency and the pressure they received from the media, however I still respect them🌈🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🏉🏉🇿🇦

[@shankarkrishnan7215]

The first thing that I learnt as a rugby player is that you NEVER blame the ref. Good or bad - the game is played for 80 mins and there is one winner and one loser (even if it is a draw on the score)

[@mikezog1030]

Except for the QF 2011. That one you can blame the ref...

[@MrAhuapai]

@@mikezog1030 Let it go!!!

[@mikezog1030]

@@MrAhuapai Never.

[@mikezog1030]

@@MrAhuapai I am all for sportsmanship and letting it go - but not where there is blatant cheating. Bookies got to somebody that day...

[@russell3426]

Well said, these refs are the best in the world, they are human but remember Rule 1 in the law book, the ref is the sole judge of fact, the players have to work around the individual style of any game.

[@vahorgan]

Even with the scummy reporting, Galthie showed why he is a class act.

[@rodneymcdonald7016]

Wow. To see such professional people drawn into such amature questions perhaps suggests that they are not yet the team they think they are.

[@fohunter12345]

Harsh comments about the refereeing. I thought Ben O'Keefe did alright and he was very kind to France in quite a few aspects

[@steve1234544]

I gotta agree. O'Keefe has done well in my opinion. Great refereeing!

[@meatlemaniac]

Harsh but fair imo. Non refereeing in key moments. World rugby need to get their s* right.

[@aboumawiyah]

Too many elbows by SA in 1st half

[@gillessturbois8914]

Apparently we did not watch the same game

[@fohunter12345]

@@aboumawiyah really? I'll have to go and watch that again. I didn't see any and neither did the referees. If you're game plan is to win by way of opposition cards then you're game plan isn't very good though

[@nosiphosobekwa9316]

Excuses about referring goes a long way. All teams experience bad referring. Both teams were good especially French. South Africa was not much in their game. Experience determined their success. French did a good job. 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦. Either team was supposed to have won. Springbok also experienced a lot of bad referring in this World Cup. Such complaints must be presented to the higher level of Rugby, if any. Well done France. We also have a lot of criticisms to our team.

[@justarelaxednerd3520]

All the world cups won by South Africa were political. France lost one of them because of politics, and New Zealand couldn't lose at home in 2011. Like would say Balotelli, why always us

[@loki_of_earth]

10 replacements also helped SA.

[@vickyRoyalHistory]

As far as Referee Ben O'Keefe is concerned, he perhaps isn't in the greatest in the Referee's Pool, but I would say he is not known as a Ref who has favourites or tends to favour one side over another. I've seen a lot of him being a NZer myself & I would say he does make mistakes frequently & his interpretations are sometimes strange but he is consistent & uses the same mistakes & rule interpretations to both sides. If he was to referee any teams that would mean the winner would meet the ABs, I daresay there would be comments made that he would favour the easier side to give the ABs a better chance of winning, but there has never been any hint of that at all. He has policed even his mistakes equally to both teams. As far as this game goes, a lot of the Rugby Pundits from around the World, wrote off the Springboks, as well as the ABs, for losing a number of Games in the lead up to the World Cup. That's incredibly dangerous to do, both the Springboks & the ABs think the same way, in fact the 2 are so similar in their preparations for any International Test Series, you could be mistaken for thinking they had the same Coach. I have maintained right from the start of RWC2023, that you have not seen the best possible team either of them could field, until the Quarter Finals. They don't care about losing the warm up matches, they are more interested to try different combinations & giving all the reserves, especially the young & inexperienced players, game time to experience the atmosphere surrounding the World Cup. If those players are needed to replace an injury, that is not the time for those young players to be stage struck or rusty when they get on the field. The Northern Hemisphere Pundits, can never understand the reasoning & are always very quick to write off the Southern Hemisphere Teams. Those Coaches & players that believe them & plan accordingly, do so at their own Peril. Commiserations France, you certainly left it all on the field & couldn't have tried any harder. Congratulations to the Boks, you played a blinder. See you in the Final.

[@Henniesmennie]

Looking at the amazing acting that Atonio did to milk Etzebeth yellow card... Was Rassie right in saying before the match that France does that a lot?

[@clinthay5222]

Ref was fair

[@paulmcmenamin205]

There were a few areas where the French played some obstructive rugby, i.e., lying on the ground while playing the ball. Scrumming in, etc.. I think as supporters we must understand the pressure a ref endures at games like this. On French soil as the hosts and a hostile crowd as well, but the ref need to remain neutral. This is very hard to do. So for me the ref did good.

[@francoiscoetzer9920]

The game changed to the Boks’ favor when the Boks stepped onto the field.

[@deonramesar9854]

What a game du Pont is best no9 I have seen in years and what a game from cheslin kobe

[@martintyler6494]

There were some calls made that may not be 100% but this went both ways. France were outscored on tries and outplayed in the second half, particularly considering Bokke went a man down. Springboks were the better side on the day and France should not be blaming the ref.

[@fomofud9479]

They didn't blame the ref, the translator got it wrong

[@armandpotgieter]

​@@fomofud9479maybe true yes, but wow, the French fans are being pathetic.

[@fomofud9479]

@@armandpotgieter only some of them, the majority are gracious in defeat. Let's not forget how brilliant our own bok rugby fans are a being victim's

[@armandpotgieter]

Well, good luck on finding that 1 French fan saying "well done, well deserved win by Springboks, ref was great"

[@fomofud9479]

@@armandpotgieter I've literally read 100's of posts with French people congratulating Bok fans.