Barnes earns ire of France and Wales

PARIS: Referee Wayne Barnes was the focus of criticism after France’s astonishing 20-18 victory over Wales on Saturday, which ended with 20 minutes added time, a disputed substitution and fierce debate about the official’s failure to award a penalty try.

The clock showed 99 minutes and 55 seconds when France’s replacement flanker Damien Chouly touched the ball down after nine penalty scrums and Camille Lopez slotted over the conversion to seal victory for the hosts.

France felt the game should have been brought to a close sooner with a penalty try as Wales were repeatedly penalised at the scrum, while the visitors focussed their ire on a substitution they said damaged the game’s integrity.

In failing to award a penalty try, France coach Guy Noves claimed the English referee fell into a trap of his own making, while lock Yoann Maestri lashed out at the official.

“We were refereed like a small team and it’s very painful. Barnes told me that we were not dominant enough in the scrum. But the Welsh were rigging every scrum,” Maestri said.

“They were letting themselves get turned. It’s down to the referee to spot it.”

Maestri added that Barnes’ failure to award a penalty try showed he had lost control.

“It was verging on nuclear warfare on the sidelines and the referee didn’t react,” he said. – Reuters