World Rugby dismisses claims referee helped Boks beat France

Joel Jutge, the head of referees at World Rugby, has dismissed any suggestion that referee Ben O'Keeffe was to blame for France losing to the Springboks at the World Cup.

Les Blues captain Antoine Dupont was one of the first to point the finger at O'Keeffe following his side's one-point loss to the Boks in a nailbiting quarter-final, while many in France joined in, with some even singling out the New Zealand official for abuse.

In an interview with the French publication Midi Olympique, Jutge was quick to acknowledge that Dupont was a great champion but made it clear he could not condone the French captain's comments, as World Rugby was "convinced" after an investigation that O'Keeffe was not to blame for the host nations' defeat.

"As the person responsible for the referees, I cannot condone what Antoine Dupont said, because it gave rise to a movement of abuse and terrible hatred online towards Ben," Jutge told Midi Olympique.

"But I know the man, and I have no doubt about his moral values and the way he perceives exchanges between referees and players. He is a huge champion and a good person that we respect, but I repeat, I do not condone what he said that day, even if we all know that he was under enormous pressure to return following his injury.

"We analysed his performance, and after this match, the selectors and I were convinced that the defeat of the France team was not linked to his refereeing."

The Springboks went on to advance to the semi-finals with a 29-28 win, while similar one-point victories over England and the All Blacks would hand their fourth William Webb Ellis trophy.

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