IF IRELAND have been overdoing the persecution complex thing recently, they now have ample reason to feel the refereeing community is on their case. The quality of their performance — and the team selection and tactics of Declan Kidney — are matters that need serious consideration but in the aftermath of yesterday’s 19-13 defeat at the Millennium Stadium, there was only one topic of conversation — that lineout.
It’s an embarrassment for the tournament — as well as for Scottish touch judge Peter Allan — that Wales should be able to get away with Mike Phillips’s try, and of course, a big black mark goes against Jonathan Kaplan for not sorting out the mess as soon as it happened.
The vehemence of the complaints by Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell made it pretty obvious there was an issue. When a quick throw is taken, there are two things for the referee to sort out — was the correct ball used, and was the throw taken from where the ball went out, or behind that mark? In this instance, Matthew Rees used a new ball and he threw it ahead of the mark. And he got away with it. The Ireland captain said afterwards: “When you have half your team telling you that someone had touched the ball and it shouldn’t have been a try, you believe them. I tried to relay that to Jonathan Kaplan but he was having none of it. It is extremely frustrating when a simple error like that, can have such a huge bearing on the game.”
O’Driscoll wasn’t the only Irish captain to be incensed. Keith Wood, speaking on the BBC, said: “The Irish forwards saw where the ball had gone and knew that a quick throw could not be taken — you could see them moving into position for the lineout. And then you saw the anger on their faces when the try was awarded. Is it asking too much that the ref should check with the television match official that everything was okay?”
Strictly speaking, you don’t ‘go upstairs’ for a touchline call but Wales coach Warren Gatland was with Wood on this. At least Gatland and his players were willing to admit that they had got away with robbery. “I’m not going to complain about the decision or the result, we have had plenty of decisions go against us in the past,” said Gatland. “Having said that, I can understand that they are pretty frustrated by what happened. That's obvious.”
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Wales fly-half James Hook reflected on the incident: “I was calling a move to the backs and looked up and Phillsy was running down the wing,” said . “I didn’t see it, they’ve maybe got a point but we'll take it.”
Asked how he would pick his side up for Saturday’s game against England after such a disappointing loss, coach Declan Kidney said: “You just have to be a man about it. Sport is like life, it throws different things at you and you have to move on. We celebrated here when we won two years ago but we didn’t get carried away and we won’t do that now.”
If Ireland were annoyed, then France had been humiliated in Rome earlier in the day, after squandering a 18-6 lead midway through the second half. Italy clawed their way back into the game with an Andrea Masi try and some accurate place-kicking by Mirco Bergamasco, whose final kick five minutes from time ensured his country’s first championship victory over France.