WALLABIES OUT-HALF Bernard Foley has denied trying to deliberately waste time in the dying seconds of Australia’s thrilling clash with New Zealand that saw French referee Mathieu Raynal make a controversial call that cost the Wallabies victory.
The home team were on the verge of a stunning come-from-behind win, leading 37-34 in the final minute in Melbourne on Thursday when Foley was penalised.
Raynal reversed a penalty awarded to the Australians in the remaining seconds for time-wasting as Foley — in his first game for three years — delayed his kick, believing the clock was off.
But it was a monumental error, with the All Blacks instead awarded a scrum five metres out, and Jordie Barrett crossed in the corner for a sensational 39-37 win.
“I wasn’t trying to slow it down, but I was just trying to get really clear and concise about what we were trying to do at that next line-out,” Foley told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“At the end it was very loud in the stadium, but there was no sense there was going to be a call like that.”
Incredulous Australia coach Dave Rennie said he had never seen a call like it, although the All Blacks’ Ian Foster insisted it was “clear cut”.
Raynal’s decision cost Australia any chance of claiming the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 2002 and put a huge dent in their Rugby Championship title hopes.
They trail the All Blacks by four points with one game to play in Auckland next week.
“I’ve never seen a call like that, at any level,” fumed Rennie. “Let the teams decide the outcome, (it was) just a real lack of feel for the occasion.
“The disappointing thing from our point of view is it was a fantastic game of footy and we should be celebrating the game, as opposed to talking about a referee’s decision in the last minute.”
While Rennie was exasperated, Foster insisted Foley had been given sufficient warning.
“They were delaying the kick,” he told reporters. “He (Raynal) said ‘time off’. He warned him then he said ‘time off’ and then he said to speed up, then he said ‘time on’. Then he asked him twice to kick it.
“I understand there is a contentious nature about it but it was very clear cut from the opposition.
“Part of your game management is to listen to the referee,” he added. “So when the referee says ‘time on’ you have to play it. I saw it out there. I heard very clearly what the ref said. So I think we’ve just got to be careful.”
Foster, though, appeared to be in the minority with many in the media and online bewildered, including Australian World Cup winner Tim Horan, who was commentating.
“I’ve been commentating for over 20 years and I thought it was a disgraceful decision by the referee, he cracked under pressure,” he said.
New Zealand’s victory, on the back of their 53-3 hammering of Argentina, further eased pressure on Foster, and kept them top of the Rugby Championship on 14 points.
The Springboks and Argentina, both on nine points, face each other on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Wallabies lock Darcy Swain has been cited for his illegal clearout on Quinn Tupaea in Thursday’s game.
Swain was sin-binned by Raynal for the lower-limb clearout which left Tupaea with a serious knee injury.
SANZAAR has confirmed that Swain has now been cited under Law 9.11: “Players must not do anything that is reckless and dangerous to others.”
The citing commissioner felt that Swain’s actions were worthy of a red card, so the incident will be examined by the SANZAAR Foul Play Review Committee on Monday.
The Foul Play Review Committee allow players to speed up the judicial process by pleading guilty and accepting the penalty offered by the committee.
