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IRB: Poite was wrong

The IRB has confessed that French referee Romain Poite has wrong in giving Springbok hooker Bismark du Plessis a card for his tackle on All Black flyhalf Dan Carter.
“Following an initial review, the IRB confirms that it was incorrect for referee Romain Poite to issue a yellow card to Bismarck du Plessis in the 17th minute of The Rugby Championship match between New Zealand and South Africa in Auckland on Saturday,” the IRB said in a statement.
Poite was harshly criticised for not making use of the TMO and opportunity to review the tackle on the big screen before making a call.
“Just as players and coaches make mistakes, the decision was an unfortunate case of human error by the match officials, who, having reviewed the match, fully recognise and accept that they made a mistake in the application of law.”
Poite has been further scrutinised for numerous other calls he made throughout the game.
Check out the tackle below:
James N-Y
September 16, 2013 at 14:44
It’s a complete disgrace how human error can lead to such a disappointment. What’s worse is that neither the TMO or the linesmen didn’t step in to say that the ref was wrong.
It’s just a complete and utter let down of what was this year’s most anticipated game. The score line does not depict what happened in the game at all.
This is the second time that this has happened to South Africa in an important game. Hugely disappointing!
Jeremy Proome
September 16, 2013 at 15:43
There’s no excuse of “human error” – maybe small things may go unseen in the background, but such a monumental call should not be made without clarity. There is so much technology in place to cut out a huge degree of human error. The IRB must implement this and referees who fail to utilise the resources should be moved away from professional rugby.
James N-Y
September 16, 2013 at 15:59
Agreed! We have the technology, we must use it! If the ref has to make a call as serious as a yellow card, he should consider it as serious as a try decision. Also by using this new technology the ref saves himself from embarrassment!
Also… Northern hemisphere officials should stick to reffing northern hemisphere rugby! ha ha
Jeremy Proome
September 16, 2013 at 16:02
Totally – refs who excelled in Super Rugby and other internationals should be given the go-ahead for Southern Hemisphere tournaments. It also makes for a better competition if the players are familiar with the styles and demands of the ref. Bringing in someone who is making different scrum calls (which Poite did) makes players uneasy.
James N-Y
September 18, 2013 at 08:35
I must say, i didnt really like P.Divvy but he would say what was on his mind when it came to these issues.