Australia coach Dave Rennie has claimed World Rugby conceded the match-deciding officiating call by Mathieu Raynal in last week's Bledisloe Cup match was wrong.
The Wallabies lost a dramatic encounter to the All Blacks after Raynal pinged Australia fly-half Bernard Foley for time-wasting in the final minutes in Melbourne. The decision naturally became a huge talking point given its importance in terms of deciding the result, with New Zealand scoring from the resulting scrum to win the game.
All Black coach Ian Foster called it "very clear cut", but Rennie sought clarification from the sport's governing body while Rugby Australia also wrote to World Rugby to voice its concerns over refereeing. Many pundits and players were also stunned by the bold call so late in the game.
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And now Rennie has lit the touchpaper ahead of the Rugby Championship finale against New Zealand in Auckland by claiming that World Rugby concurred with their complaints.
“They agreed with our concerns,” Rennie said.
“We sought a bit of clarity. We have got that. It’s not going to help us win on the weekend.
“We have decided to take it on the chin and move on.”
A video of Wallabies scrum-half Nic White telling Raynal post-match that the official had cost Australia the Rugby Championship did the rounds in the days following the match, extending the noise around the Frenchman's call. Rennie's comments mean the debate is unlikely to die down just yet.
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