After some dramatic scenes saw Ireland snatching victory from the jaws of defeat at the Stade de France on Saturday, some Irish fans criticized the performance of the highly respected Nigel Owens.
Nigel Owens is widely regarded as the best referee plying his trade in the rugby realm. However, much like all other walks of life, even the best are not infallible and, following Ireland’s last-gasp victory vs France, some have called out the Welsh official for what they felt was a below-par performance in Paris.
Hate giving out about refs in rugby as they are usually consistant.
But Nigel Owens by his own high standards that was your worst performance ive seen. How many pens in the 22 do a team have to concede before a yellow card comes out. #FRAvIRL— Robert o’Riordan (@AArob16) February 3, 2018
One of the worst performances I’ve ever seen from Nigel Owens. Irish bias aside, shocking.
— Andrew Murphy (@JoseMurphino) February 3, 2018
Speaking after the game, Johnny Sexton seemed to call out the Welsh referee stating that the game was made difficult for the Irish by the conditions and ‘the way Nigel ref’d it’.
However, Alan Quinlan was far harsher on Owens after one decision in particular with the former Irish international labelling it as ‘crazy’.
‘That’s a shocking call. Absolutely the wrong call from Nigel Owens.’ – Alan Quinlan speaking on TV 3.
The incident has split fans down the middle since the final whistle with some believing that Owens was absolutely correct in his handling of it while others feel that Quinlan was right to criticize the official’s decision.
Check out the moment in question below and decide for yourself…
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