ENGLAND icon Lawrence Dallaglio claims referee Ben O’Keeffe “won” South Africa the Rugby World Cup semi-final on Saturday.
The Springboks came from behind to defeat to Steve Borthwick’s side 16-15 at the Stade de France.
PALawrence Dallaglio argued that the referee won the match for South Africa[/caption]
ITV1Some fans noticed that Vincent Koch was not perpendicular to the rest of the scrum[/caption]
A RG Snyman try sparked the comeback with just minutes left to play after England led for the majority of the match.
South Africa were then awarded a penalty after Ellis Genge went down in a scrum.
Handre Pollard converted the kick from long range and ultimately sealed the win for the Springboks.
However, former England star Dallaglio berated referee O’Keeffe for awarding the penalty after the game.
Speaking on ITV, he said: “I just think in the final analysis we couldn’t build scoreboard pressure.
“We had a couple of opportunities in the 22, one scrum, one line out that went missing.
“The bomb squad came on, four penalties given away in the last 10 minutes. I’ve got to say, not as a sore loser but independently, that’s a questionable penalty that wins the game.
“Ellis Genge goes down on one knee. Ben O’Keeffe is going to be the talking point because he’s won them the game, rather than South Africa.
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“So I think England can feel heartbroken but South Africa deserved because, a bit like France, the quality in depth on the bench was enough to get them over the line.”
However, former England flanker Maggie Alphonsi disagreed, arguing: “It’s hard, I’m listening to Lawrence but I have to say I thought it was a penalty. It’s really difficult because of the big before that really.
“England took the punches and at no point did they look like they were going to score in that last bit.
“South Africa for me, talk about being resilient and showing the character, they did that against France.
“It was the same situation in the sense they really had their backs against the wall and they knew how to close out that game. They went back to that emotional mentality and that’s what got them through this game.”
Fans on social media were quick to point out that the wrong call was made, highlighting that South Africa’s Vincent Koch was not perpendicular to the rest of the scrum.
One person tweeted: “The difference between #ENG and the final was Ben O’Keefe. That penalty decision at the scrum was disgusting.”
Another added: “That last scrum. Koch clearly coming in at an angle from the put in. Heartbreaking to lose by one point when a penalty is given in error. #ENGvSA O’Keefe was pretty good the rest of the game but on this one he just went in vibes, not the evidence.”
A third said: “For the second week Ben O’Keefe decided the result of a knock out game. For those not used to a rugby scrum, is the green player driving across the scrum or the white player?
“A game should never be decided on referee guesswork. Try explaining that decision to the casual fan.”
While a fourth fan wrote: “Ben O’Keefe repeatedly gets the big calls wrong.”
South Africa are now set to face New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final next weekend.
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