Defeated Spain confront referee
Spanish rugby team leaders have apologised for a confrontation with a referee after a defeat cost them a Rugby World Cup place but have criticised the appointment of Romanian match officials.
Spain lost an opportunity to make the 2019 Rugby World Cup finals when they slumped to an 18-10 upset loss to Belgium in Brussels yesterday.
Romania will now take the European qualifying group place alongside Georgia.
Irate Spanish players confronted Romanian referee Vlad Iordãchescu at the end of the match with a photograph revealing one Spaniard pushing the match official.
Iordãchescu had to be escorted off the pitch by security staff.
Spain were reportedly dismayed when a Romanian referee and two assistants were appointed to officiate in the vital qualifying group match.
Jamie Nava, Spain’s captain, issued a qualified apology after the fracas.
‘‘I’m the captain and I would like to apologise for what happened with the referee,’’ Nava said.
‘‘The image at the end of the game does not represent the sport nor the values of this team. It must be understood however, we’ve lost part of our dream.
In a comment reported in the
Daily Telegraph, Spain’s coach Santiago Santos also questioned the referee’s performance.
‘‘We weren’t allowed to play, the referee kept stopping the game at every moment,’’ he said. ‘‘The difference between penalties against us and for us was huge.
‘‘When we were trying to come back in the game the play kept on being interrupted. I said to one of the players that Spain didn’t lose today, rugby lost.’’
Spanish rugby federation president Alfonso Feijoo said on Twitter: ‘‘Everyone who has seen the game will judge the referee.
‘‘He gave 10 penalties against us, the result comes from that.’’
Spain, who beat Belgium 30-0 in the first round, can still qualify for the World Cup finals if they beat Portugal in a European playoff and then topple Samoa, home and away.
Romania will join Six Nations champions Ireland, Scotland, Japan and another playoff winner in Pool A.
Romania has played at every Rugby World Cup but never advanced beyond the pool stage. They were expected to have to endure the harder qualifying route after it lost to Spain 22-10 in Madrid last month for the first time in six years.
Spain came to the final round of the Rugby Europe Championship, the tier below the Six Nations, needing to beat lowly Belgium in Brussels for the automatic qualifying spot, but the Belgians raced ahead 15-0 and held on to beat the jittery Spaniards 18-10.