Should Paolo Garbisi's penalty have been retaken? | Whistle Watch

After a thrilling weekend of Six Nations matches, Nigel Owens is on hand to give his take on the big decisions in the latest episode of Whistle Watch, presented by Emirates.
Nigel takes a look at France's clash with Italy and the red card to Jonathan Danty, as well as Italy's final minute penalty drama and the Calcutta Cup clash.
To see even more insight into referees at the pinnacle of the game, catch Whistleblowers for free and exclusive on RugbyPassTV: rugbypass.tv/video/578207
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[@zworm2]

There was a whole lot of gamesmanship going on at the end of the Italy game. The old fella hobbling around with water with no time on the clock. The two french players charging the penalty kick. The french players not standing still for the kick. The saddest part is how important to Italian rugby this result was. All the pressure to kick them out of the six nations could have been silenced. Mostly the young ref did fine but he was certainly overwhelmed at the end, TMO talking, game on the line, ball falling, players misbehaving...

[@Jimmythefish577]

Same as the Scotland match, the TMO said the ball was down, as soon as the ref said he was changing his decision and was going to award the try all of a sudden the TMO changed his mind and decided he needed one more look? That’s two wins France don’t deserve. The gamesmanship from France as an Italy were taking their kick is unforgivable, as is the ref doing nothing about it.

[@darragho6358]

​@@Jimmythefish577no the tmo said he felt the ball was down but the ref butted on before he could finish. I thought Scotland were super unlucky there but to me as an NFL fan that wouldn't be my long held criteria of clear and obvious. I'd need to have a legit picture of the ball on the line like in NFL they need an obvious picture of the ball breaking the plane without a knee down

[@creekyknee]

France and good manners has rarely been used in the same sentence.

[@colharris5283]

Referee in the Italy game should never get another international, club level at best.

[@charlottescott7150]

@@colharris5283 he was good the rest of the game. Give him a chance!

[@simongrogan]

So if the penalty could and should have been retaken, then why, with all officials in radio contact, did one of them not state that to the ref. It seems unambiguous from the law and the multiple encroaching.

[@supersonic00]

Cos it's France...

[@PeerAdder]

@@supersonic00 correlation isn't causation, but it is a conclusion that a lot of people are reaching, rightly or wrongly. There is no doubt that farcical decisions like this bring the game into disrepute, and there is *no excuse* for it.

[@jimofthenorth8090]

This is what gets me about it. This isn't an "interepretation" situation, it's a very clear, black and white decision situation. Yes, it's a new ref, but with 2 touch judges and the TMO they have to be able to get this correct.

[@Zanaze_banane]

Indeed, the officials should issue an apology to Italy.

[@croulantroulant3082]

at no point does he say it should have been retaken. Owens says "the sensible thing would have been to reset the clock". Then he slips in "BUT if you FELT the players were encroaching, the kick should have been retaken". Not black and white at all.

[@garywagner2466]

Hmm. Why would the TMO not be screaming into the ref’s ear “YOU HAVE TO LET HIM RETAKE THE FECKING KICK!” instead of just allowing stupidity to reign. They often take five minutes to review head contact or a close try, why not review the failed kick? Nigel has been openly critical of his former colleagues many, many times. But not in this case. The Italians were robbed. That’s the bottom line. There is far too much incompetence in World Rugby.

[@David-ud9ju]

The TMO isn't in charge - the ref is. It isn't the TMO's place to be telling the referee what to do. In fact, the TMO can only chime in for foul play reviews.

[@gordon1545]

You're right, Italy were robbed, but the rules don't allow a TMO review for something like this. The TMO is there for tries and foul play. Maybe it would have been common sense, if they were aware of the rules regarding the incident, to talk to the ref but an actual TMO review just wasn't allowed. And if TMOs start getting involved in other matters than teams and unions will start to look for biases.

[@mauriceleach7721]

But there was foul play, French player charging the kicker @@David-ud9ju

[@NoelKerr]

Excuse my ignorance but isn't charging the kick foul play? Perhaps a penalty, penalty should be awarded @@gordon1545

[@johndenverfan]

Not So Good For Italy Should Have Been Retaken

[@martmeister]

Amazing how easily Nigel explains everything. Makes it look so easy!

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

He makes it seem easy because he is well versed in the laws.

[@hanoitripper1809]

@@neiloflongbeck5705not the offside laws by black jumpers tho

[@Driver2616]

Well he’s had lots of time to consider what he’s going to say…..

[@DanA-fk6tl]

@@Driver2616 Aint that the truth! We can all sound calm and authoritative with 24 hours preparation, and speaking uninterrupted on our home turf.

[@nicolaandria522]

Italian guy here: Unfortunately the referee can make errors like anyone else, it is part of the game and everyone must deal with it, the TMO should keep those errors to the minimum on top level matches but this is not always the case evidently. At the end of the match the referee was clearly overwhelmed by a non-standard situation and I blame ALL THE OTHERS on his team that should have supported him by flagging what was wrong (and there was plenty of it) and instead kept their peace... I admit I didn't know that the "dummy run" from the base of the scrum was not allowed, but it was very funny to watch 😄

[@jeremyblackburn5740]

See this is the problem. Referee errors shouldn't be an acceptable part of the game. Just another reason why rugby union and other great sports are suffering from over refereeing or poor refereeing.

[@johndean4998]

(Safety tip unconnected to rugby, Nigel, from a fellow farmer: lower the front-end loader when parking the tractor - if you're standing underneath and the hydraulics fail it might kill you).

[@user-cv2xf9mc8x]

just a little correction Nigel, Italy defeated France in France once in 1997 (it was not yet the six nations, but basically that win gained Italy the invitation to it)

[@yurkshirelad]

But what about the French water carrier on the pitch during the kick, Nigel?

[@zworm2]

That wasn't just any water boy either. Did you see him hobbling around the pitch? Never came on before!

[@brucewilliams4588]

It would seem to me that by failing to impose the correct application of the Laws, and allowing the French to cynically disrupt the kick - why was a “ water boy” on the field when rehydration was irrelevant- it simply encourages cheating.

[@kevinsheehan4565]

Ah but we miss you nigel

[@HenriqueTavares]

2:10 As last week, the TMO could have been more helpful and advised the referee if it wasn't for ancient rules and restrictions currently applied. The technology available is more significant than the usage by World Rugby regarding TMO.

[@zacksit5776]

Even if we ignore the illegal charging - twice by two different French players - are the water guy and the French players allowed to loiter in the kicker's line of sight?

[@zworm2]

I am sure the 'WaterBoy' was a ruse initiated by the french coaching staff. Absolutely not needed. Meant to cause chaos. The players can stand still hands down and in line with the kick. Some always take the posts. That kick was so important the Ref should have stopped everything, got water off the field. Spoken to the french captain and settled himself. The allowed the kick to continue. The Ref has the ultimate say at all times on the field.

[@whattiler5102]

Why would you ignore the charging?

[@Seanc74]

Italy were so so unlucky. Yes the time limit to take the shot is fine but because the ball fell from the tee you should restart the clock IMO…

[@eyericht]

An advance as the ball fell off the tee and also another when Gabrisi was retaking the kick Let alone their waterman-who should NOT have been on the pitch and literally MOVING around between the front pod of French players-sorry Nigel,yes,a young new ref to the scene,but this was very poor by any standard

[@PeerAdder]

No, the Law regarding the shot clock is quite clear on this point - the ball falling off the tee is not a reason to stop the clock. However, the French players charging, and definitely when they encroached within 10m, is an offence for which the sanction would be (as a minimum) resetting the shot clock to 60 seconds, or advancing the penalty 10m as well, or even, as Nige suggests, ordering the kick to be re-taken in the event it was missed, as indeed it was. The rule book is clear on this, so there is *no excuse* for the four match officials all getting this one wrong.

[@Seanc74]

@@PeerAdder incompetent for all 4. Not saying the rule isn’t clear, just saying it seems unfair.

[@piccio89]

Italy were so mugged not unlucky, there's also the first (no) try by Ollivon

[@Seanc74]

@@piccio89 very good team/squad

[@deeplearning7097]

Thank you, Nigel.

[@agj1969]

So everyone shrugs and moves on? Couldn’t the TJ’s who presumably were more experienced have had a word in the refs ear? Disappointing that now two 6n games have been decided by incorrect officials calls.

[@thenayancat8802]

Yes, what's the point of having other match officials there if nobody will speak up?

[@Jimmythefish577]

Exactly, and Nigel has the audacity to congratulate the ref on his first 6N match?! He missed an absolute howler with Italy’s kick, but he’s to be congratulated? That’s two matches France have won that they definitely shouldn’t have, both hinged on poor officiating. These guys are professional referees, they should not be making these mistakes at this level.

[@CptQuakers]

Nigel never said the ref got it wrong, he said "IF you feel the reason the kicker missed he can retake it" that IF makes a difference

[@thenayancat8802]

@@CptQuakers incorrect, he said that the clock should have been stopped and the kick reset, rather than forcing garbisi to rush the kick

[@paulM-gs7jz]

as much as a farce as it was - garbisi should have slotted it over. also should have tee'd it up properly. He also could have known the rules to remind the ref. Yes, the ref made a balls of it but garbisi missed a simple penalty because he fluffed the Tee up and fluffed the kick.

[@benjicool2808]

the non-criticizing the ref mentality is showing its limits

[@profbucko]

It's always been a double sided sword

[@bobsimpson4298]

The referee's duty is to apply the Laws of the game. In this case, it's clear from the Laws that a "new" penalty should have been awarded 10m forward of the original mark. Some are saying that applying the Law would have been a "Big Call!" In my view it was a much bigger call not to apply them! The referee can hardly be criticised for upholding the letter of the Law, but should be held to account for the failure to do so!

[@Pamax515]

Thank you very much for this video. 👍

[@WaynePena-fj8wu]

Awesome ref, But.........Italy have beaten France before...in France, 1997 Grenoble.😁

[@KieranHannon1]

Top class Nigel. Love these videos

[@johnshields3658]

Congratulations to the TMO and Law adjustments/discussions for being the real winners of this year's Six Nations. I was worried for a moment that the teams themselves might get a look in. Thankfully all us spectators are really turning up just for the big screen replays and cards; that's where the true action is.

[@anso8064]

I am an italian guy and really I didn’t see why it seems so abvious that the ref is to blame for what happened. A french player starts running when the ball fell but he goes back to his place before the kicker is ready to kick again. Then some players move but they remain at the legal distance and they are not encroaching. I don’t see why retake it. For the clock maybe we should stop it but is there a rule ? Is there a rule to retake the penalty when the ball falls ? I support my team and I was just so sad for Italy, but it just felt like bad luck for us, way too much luck for france.

[@piatpiatkiewicz6772]

Dont we miss Nigel Owen;s clarity and application of the laws!! He may not miss refereeing but we miss him!!

[@adogonasidecar1262]

I was extremely impressed with Andrea Piardi who refereed Ireland Wales. He is a fantastic talent. Congratulations The other first timer on the other hand....

[@rosannamorena6913]

Thanks Nigel for the explanation, what a tragic ending for Italy, anyhow FORZA ITALIA 🇮🇹

[@johngarveyire]

Thanks Nigel! We miss you on the field!

[@johngarveyire]

Heart breaking for Italy - you won in my book.

[@davemoss6976]

Why not invite Garbisi to a rugby pitch with some officials and let him have a kick for goal from a similar position, if he scores change the result?

[@Cheuhba]

To me the worst part of it all, is the absolute impunity refs get despite all these no so tiny mistakes. "We have a young ref, refering his first 6N games, congrats to him ! Blablabla". How is that an excuse ? If any player does something out of the rule book that has important consequences, he gets to go in front of the disciplinary board and gets potentially suspended for a few games. What happens to refs who make very poor decisions that have important consequences ? What happens here for this disgrace at the end of FR-IT ? (and I'm French !) What happens to Ben O'Keefe for ruining a quarter and a semi final during the WC ? Nothing !! At least, be men, and say "Yeah sorry ! My bad ! Bad call !". But no... Not even that ! "Refs are human, they can make bad decisions, please understand." I'll understand when you'll say sorry, or when you'll have a board or any other type of commission to answer to ! NO MORE IMPUNITY ! You're ruining the game of rugby !

[@robhughes645]

100% agree!

[@croulantroulant3082]

Impressive mental gymnastics from Owens! On the one hand, he cannot disavow an important decision by a ref, as usual. So he simply says "the sensible thing would have been to reset the clock". On the other hand, he cannot stand the French team as always, so he slips in "BUT if you FELT the players were encroaching, the kick should have been retaken". Nice doublespeak, Nigel!

[@adogonasidecar1262]

Entirely correct. Such a politician

[@BrianDeParma]

Wonderful to get a glimpse of Nigel Owens' farm life! It's nice imagining him refereeing local games! Thanks for this!

[@grantmcinnes1176]

I don't know if you could hear it on other feeds, but on the Peacock fees in the US it was clear the ref (or kicker) couldn't even see the shot clock. Meaning even greater pressure on both

[@bmccarthy9]

The thought I had with Tadhg Beirne's penalty and yellow card was that the initial call was that the ball was held up over the line... by Tadhg Beirne. He did a penalty offense in the maul and then held up the ball, so without his actions there's nobody to hold up the ball, the ball carrier is probably grounding that ball, thus penalty try.

[@rogerpl88]

I agree with some of the earlier comments. The TMO’s are quick to stop the game when there is a infringement especially head contact but not in this. I suspect that they did not know the law in this case.

[@tomoconnor6235]

Thanks Nigel

[@darrenbyrne5465]

"Red sauce" I love it.

[@bengratwicke4818]

Great as ever Nigel - clear and concise as always, obviously in a much more relaxed environment !

[@mrwallace1059]

Wow, we saw the TMO affect World Cup games, and are silent on this

[@McConnachy]

As a Scot, my favourite anthem by far, is the Welsh, land of my fathers, but sung in Welsh. I can understand some Welsh words, from Gaelic, many are relatable

[@LeoBMXrider]

Yess

[@willemp6432]

Nigel. What a man.!

[@grumben123]

Two games in a row where France benefitted from poor refereeing at full time. The non grounding call against Scotland and the charged penalty kick from Italy.

[@stephengallagher2209]

Nigel, I don't recall you offering an opinion on the England conversion legitimately charged down after a movement of the kicker. Could it be you skipped that incident, because you made the career call in 2013 to give New Zealand a last- gasp BS penalty and two conversions to avoid a first defeat to Ireland, with Cruden including a mini step before kicking the ball to entice a charge, which counted as beginning his movement towards the ball? You couldn't comment on that England conversion for that reason, right?

[@LL-vk9zc]

Or the scrum penalty against Ireland for 'wheeling' in Hamilton when Irl were ahead and the ABs almost down and out with the clock just short of the 80.00? Should have been a reset with green put-in.

[@marioo2565]

When referees can make the difference (in a close game), it's always the underdog who gets damaged.

[@sueyourself5413]

K, I'm still waiting for his actual opinion on the robbery end decision of the Scotland v France game. Seems like WR has banned it.

[@Cheuhba]

Complete solidarity from France mate ! Refs are ruining rugby at the moment.

[@josephmills7353]

Type mistake. Short aswer, YES

[@sd5712]

I had a little doubt in my head about the the dummy run, i dont want rugby turning into the NFL with dummy runs etc. Thanks Nige 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@lyndawkswks853]

Nigel…. I would be very grateful to hear your opinion on what you think about the referees’ coaching of the players’ actions to prevent penalties during the six nations matches, cheers and keep up the good work Lynda

[@tomasflatharta]

Flashbacks to the charged down kick of Ireland vs NZ and the rekick.

[@zworm2]

Christophe Ridley was born in- Paris France! How was he allowed to ref this match?

[@x-latetv-x6816]

I know thats crazy

[@jlatirl4316]

You mean how Aaron Cruden addressed the ball in Dublin Nigel? You must have forgotten the laws that day

[@brianmsahin]

As an Irish fan I'm glad Wales got a try. They deserved it, those young lads played very well and probably, despite the score, gave Ireland their toughest test in this 6 Nations. Plus I would have not liked to see Wales on zero points at the end. They didn't deserve that. As for Italy, France gave Italy every opportunity to beat them before that penalty kick and they didn't take it. Italy are not capable of beating any other 6 Nations team unless the opposition is going through a very difficult period and that's not even happening. Italy will have the spoon again and go back to winning a game once every 6 years.

[@chrisnisbet2904]

I know this will be lost, but I have a question around lineouts... Why do referees and assistant referees not enforce the thrower to stand behind the line? Law 18.22 Every lineout should result in scrum or lineout to the opposition!

[@baconcheeseburger4504]

I'd assume that most often hookers have part of their feet outside the field of play. That technically regards them as 'outside the field of play' as if they were carrying like that they would be in touch. In regards to your suggestion it becomes a debate of keeping the spectacle of rugby alive. If scrums were implemented even further then the spectacle of international rugby is digging it's grave even deeper than before. I agree that work needs to be put in to combat minor cheating but at the same time a team isn't going to gain a clear advantage from a hooker standing on the line of touch as opposed to past the line.

[@SAnd-pd1ou]

Ha ha every anthem mentioned except the dirge that's GSTQ

[@finlaymorrison1838]

love that

[@PeerAdder]

I think you'll find it's GSTK now ...

[@ronster500]

He didn't mention Amhrán na bhFiann either (only Ireland's Call)

[@SAnd-pd1ou]

@@PeerAdder not when he was reffing it wasn't

[@SAnd-pd1ou]

@ronster500 Unfortunately it's not the official anthem of the 32 county rugby team

[@aldobonaso3481]

Italy beat France in France in 1997...32-40. A quite famous win.

[@paulwfranklin1323]

Poor Italy. Refs are normally so meticulous, so disappointing they didn’t get it right this time.

[@IrlBandit]

Nigel the man, as always

[@WillievanZyl]

Can you imagine Nigel reffing your (very) local game😂

[@Forkygolach1]

WR should employ Nigel Owens to adjudicate / oversee all of these controversial decisions. Head TMO? With technology today he could easily do ALL 6 nations games (yes, even those involving Wales). Refs need to be taught and helped to make the correct decisions at times - Nigel is the best to do this.

[@andrewlowry2142]

Perhaps the linesmen ... I beg your pardon, ASSISTANT REFEREES could earn their keep/designation in such circumstances?

[@creekyknee]

Nigel, you are killing me with your pronunciation of Tadgh. Its TH...IGHE

[@LL-vk9zc]

Like Tiger without the r

[@MatthewMakesAU]

Tad-guh

[@creekyknee]

Nearly perfect. But with a TH sound instead of T. @@LL-vk9zc

[@gavancorrigan8813]

Tadgh is pronounced Tie’g. FYI

[@yodaking8764]

Yes

[@lazios]

Everyone about France-Italy match talks about the last kick or about the red card (that's obvious decision given the last few years matches). What I don't understand is why, on try scored by France, no one talks: the player is stopped, even on his back, before and to score (assuming he does, it's not clear even that) does a double move, it was clearly to be annulled. The TMO said nothing (what's the point of using it if everything depends by the referee question?) and the wrong decision made on the field remained; I know I've too much "football mentality" for rugby, but why nobody says this?

[@lo060888]

Unfortunately, if I recollect well, the ref asked the TMO whether there was a knock-on previously. He already decided on field that there was a try. Therefore, the TMO could only answer as to the eventual knock-on. Just my two cents.

[@CityXVII]

law 22 says "If the kicker indicates to the referee the intent to kick at goal, the opposing team must stand still with their hands by their sides from the time the kicker starts to approach to kick until the ball is kicked" by this wording France didn't infringe? seems more like a failure of the laws rather than a failure of the officials.

[@forestranger312]

Is very sad for rugby, we’ve had two French games where they lost both and were beaten yet the referee stopped illegally the correct result from being awarded and ensured they won the Scotland game and drew the Italy game. It’s an increasing trend happening in many sports that illegal action by officials have determined the out come. Go back to the F1 championship which was won by Hamilton for Mercedes in 2021 after a brilliant end to his season. Then sadly an official broke the rules acted illegally and prevented the legal result, shocking and shameful. With no retrospective procedure to overturn the illegal result the games and sports fall into disrepute and the public loose interest in their credibility.

[@louisbullock5672]

imagine playing for your local club and Nigel is the ref

[@mellilore]

1:29 1997 Grenoble (France): France 32 - 40 Italy (FIRA Trophy).

[@x-latetv-x6816]

How did they miss that🤔

[@nicholasfallowfield4379]

Nigel...keep on giving us your clear thoughts please. I appreciate you never want to criticise a referee, but us fans need some clarity on all these decisions. It is all done and over with anyway and us fans appreciate that, but the never ending debate is not helpful. The gospel according to Nigel is needed!

[@just-dl]

For the anthems, SA has one of my favorites. Scotland and Ireland have great options. Oz has a good one. Wales has the best one. Slightly biased, but I feel better having Nigel back me up n

[@MrSpleenboy]

For me, the Italian one is the best, at the very least in the 6N. I'm Scottish BTW

[@just-dl]

@@MrSpleenboy this may sound disrespectful but the Italian anthem reminds me of carnival music! Having said that, it may not be my imagination: the most famous (in the US) bit if carnival music is called “March of the Gladiators” so while in my ear, the anthem reminds me of a carnival, in reality, carnivals probably adopted Italian tunes. I don’t mean to be disrespectful but that’s the association I have. As an American, I have a love/hate relationship with my own anthem. As a song, it’s a solid “meh.” As a symbol of my country, I love it. For sporting events, I’d rather use “American the Beautiful.” (And feel free to to drop in “sisterhood” for women’s events…)

[@kevinbaxter7390]

Well that’s my first instinct why didn’t he replace the ball ! He didn’t make any moves towards taking the kick ,so reset ball re set time clock = Historic Italians Win 🏆

[@jeanmas4197]

What I don't get is how a head to head contact ends up being just a yellow card. Like Tonio face getting smashed by Elzebeth in 1/4 final and everyone says it's just yellow cause Tonio wasn't fully standing up. Well same can be said about almost all head to head contacts. Dupont wasn't fully standing up when he got his head smashed by a Namibian player so why did the Namibian player got a red card? No sorry, I don't think this head to head thing has been figured out yet and it's basically a throw of the dice at this point. You can explode someone's head and get a yellow or you can barely touch someone's head and get a red card, no way to know what's gonna happen.

[@patrickthomas8101]

The referee i wouldnt blame too much is it his first 6 nations game and he wouldn't remember everything in the heat of the moment. but that's where i thought the TMO should have stepped in as soon as the ball was taken by France. Say to the referee just want to bring to your attention that the french player was approaching the Kicker during the penalty so we can go back the incident, Italy are allowed to retake the kick, As France were interfering Italy can gain another 10 meters as well. That what i think should have happened the communication should have been better.

[@solinvictus1234]

Is the job of others refrees on the field, also the TMO, to lead into the correct decision a refree at his first match. They didn't it.

[@MasterPeibol]

There it is, al least stop the clock!

[@davidsilve5943]

I think they need a new card for these head on head collisions. They aren’t as bad or malicious as a full on shoulder or straight arm. Maybe 20mins off and players needs subbing and he’s banned for the game. It’s a bit nuts to think a punch is as punishable as accidents. Even if the accident is dangerous through neglect and can be avoided

[@lickybombie7778]

This was absolutely absurd the tmo had to come in... What kind of BS was that they intervene in every other decision

[@ihavegymnastics]

The cattle in the background are the best.....

[@josephmills7353]

Short answer, TES

[@APT4Tech]

Captains need to scrub up on their rule books.

[@alain2nanteuil]

Forza Italia!

[@zacharydwyer896]

Nigel, what do you think should be the penalty for weak refereeing? As the inexperience of the young ref certainly meant he wasn’t confident enough to call to have the kick reset (this will come with time but will certainly mean teams will think they can walk all over him) but also for the touchline judges and TMO for not stepping in…. Weak refereeing cost Italy the game, I don’t think that’s in question, so what should be their punishment?

[@roryjamieson8439]

So why didnt Italy get to retake the kick?

[@Anarchy4Angels]

1896 was when Nigel made his debut as an international referee! 😁

[@fabiomichelini2022]

Italy beated France in Grenoble in 1997

[@jonathanwilsonnz]

If that’s a red card - & the sanction is 14v15 rugby is broken

[@mikegray8776]

Disappointing cop-out on the Italian last minute penalty, Nigel. 1) morally when the ball falls off the tee thru no fault of anyone, the clock should be AT LEAST stopped - and ideally re-set. 2) every French player would be aware that they can neither charge a penalty or crowd the kicker. They were permitted to do both with impunity. 3) why was a water boy NOT ONLY on the pitch AT ALL, with the clock in the red! - but also directly in front of the kicker, FACING HIM DOWN, and not attempting to distribute water at all ?? Pure gamesmanship - and utterly unpenalised. Cowardly and weak conduct by an otherwise good ref - and rather disappointing that you had nothing to say about it. I suspect we now have a CLEAR PRECEDENT for all future game-critical late penalties. Shameful, and desperately unnecessary.

[@MrSamafia]

DEAR WORLD RUGBY: I'M TIRED OF THE TALK ABOUT OFFICIATING ISSUES AFTER SO MANY GAMES. AS AN ITALIAN FAN, THE FINAL RESULT OF THIS GAME WAS SO IMPORTANT TO US AFTER YEARS OF CRITICISM. AND YET, WE WERE SCREWED OVER AT A CRUCIAL MOMENT. I THOUGHT THE REF HAD A GOOD GAME, BUT WHERE WAS THE TMO AT THE END? EVEN AT THE WORLD CUP, SO MUCH TALK WAS ABOUT REFEREEING ISSUES. SO MANY PEOPLE ARE FED UP AND IT'S TARNISHING THE SPORT'S REPUTATION. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. P.S. love Nigel Owens

[@mikecaseyoshea3594]

Local games.. Imagine Nigel Owens appearing to ref an u12s game!

[@alepian79]

Sorry Nigel, one point I feel like correcting you :) : it is not perfectly accurate that "Italy had never defeated France in France". In fact, back in 1997 Italy defeated then 5N Grand Slam winners France in Grenoble in an official test match (no A team whatsoever, just a proper test match); that has been possibly the most important test match in Italian rugby history as it provided the final evidence that Italy was appropriate to join the 5N and thus was admitted to it a few months later.

[@offbrandsoup2579]

Imagine being a lower league semi pro or amateur having Neil Owen’s reffing 😂

[@simonwilkey7280]

I was expecting you to deliver this from a tractor outside the Welsh parliament.

[@alanthomson306]

Should there not have been some sort of sanction against the Irish forward who very unsportingly threw away the Welsh player’s boot to prevent him from reaching it to put it on. I thought it was very poor and felt he should have been penalised.

[@PeerAdder]

Yes, it was definitely at least a penalty under Law 9 (Foul Play) para 27 (Misconduct): "A player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship." Being Foul Play the TMO not only could have intervened but *should* have done so since the incident was *clearly* visible in the TV coverage.

[@bernieob9577]

What irish player did that

[@alanthomson306]

@@bernieob9577 I think it was Andrew Porter.

[@danieljones7139]

It's cheeky but by no means a penalty. The player is not going to put that boot back on until the next break in play so throwing it out of the way is sensible

[@alanthomson306]

@@danieljones7139 That’s a very poor argument. Whether it’s a penalty or not is not determined by when or if the player would replace his boot. And your description of ‘cheeky’ is something of an understatement for conduct that is not within the spirit of how rugby should be played. As such, a penalty should be the least sanction and possibly a yellow card. But maybe there are some people who are happy for such cheating to go unpunished.

[@PagyBio]

A Itália foi moralmente vencedora dessa partida. Mais vergonhoso que os erros de arbitragem no final é, para a França, sustentar um empate por conta de erros crassos do jovem árbitro. Que temporada, Rugby Itália, que temporada!

[@oliveryoung2260]

So basically Italy should have won that game. For a sport that relies on the referee as much as it does, that’s absolutely insane France got away with that.

[@jeromeh7985]

Rugby Refereeing is a joke. I am convinced of that since the legendary gold watch performance by Bevan in 1995 SF. Since that time I can't take it seriously.

[@StarryNightGazing]

Nigel, what you said is not true! Italy beat France in Grenoble in 1997!

[@richiekay6719]

He clearly said in the 6nations, in france...

[@StarryNightGazing]

​@@richiekay6719when did he say that?

[@x-latetv-x6816]

​@@StarryNightGazingat 9:32

[@albertofanti4346]

Grande persona Lei sig Owens, il King degli arbitri, molto rispetto di Lei , w il 6 nation, sport grinta e amicizia

[@russell10]

It’s a shame Nigel protects the referee community every single time and doesn’t unequivocally state what should have been determined. - last week there was a huge error to advise a no try decision on field to the TMO (is it a try yes or no would have got to the correct decision of try from the TMO) - this week it’s an utterly catastrophic error by the referee in how he let that unfold. It was clearly encroachment, there is no debate on this point and it cost Italy the win Still Nigel congratulates the referee for his first game. It’s all a bit pathetic.

[@J0shua2326]

It is absolutely mental that World Rugby endorse an ex referee to pick apart the clearly wrong and unlawful decisions made by officials during games at the highest level and yet seemingly do nothing to rectify it. And we’re just supposed to shrug and move on when the officiating standard is so inconsistent of late. Just think about that for a second. Games gone mad