Wayne Barnes rubbishes Antoine Dupont complaints but sidesteps controversial Caelan Doris tackle
Antoine Dupont celebrates Theo Attissogbe's try for France v Wales and former Test referee Wayne Barnes.
Rugby World Cup final referee Wayne Barnes has dismissed complaints that two brilliantly worked tries should have been ruled out in the Six Nations at the weekend.
The biggest debate centred around Theo Attissogbe’s second try after Antoine Dupont had made a superb break through the middle of the Wales defence.
France’s superstar may have got over the line himself but, with a defender bearing down on him, Dupont decided to throw a pass to the unmarked wing.
Social media was duly awash with supporters claiming that it was forward but Barnes disagreed, explaining why he thought the officials were correct to award it.
Barnes’ warning of more stoppages
“This weekend, during the opening round of the men’s Six Nations, there were some questions raised about forward passes and whether two fantastic tries should have been chalked off,” he wrote in his Telegraph column.
“If we start calling those types of passes forward, we better reduce the amount of tries needed for a bonus-point and get ready for a load more whistle!
“In the 33rd minute of the France-Wales game, Antoine Dupont made one of his trademark breaks from the base of a ruck close to the Welsh 10-metre line.
“He skipped through a tackle by Dafydd Jenkins, side-stepped Liam Williams and then threw a lob pass to his team-mate Théo Attissogbé. ‘Unplayable’ screamed Shane Williams before asking whether the pass to Attissogbé was forward.
“It may have been, but it was not clear, so the try was awarded. And we have got a try for the end-of-tournament highlights show banked.”
Barnes also addressed Dan Sheehan’s bonus-point try in Ireland’s 27-22 victory over England where fans once again took to X, formerly Twitter, to complain.
Dan Sheehan try
“The following evening in Dublin, Dan Sheehan’s short pass to Jack Conan cut the English defence apart. Though Conan was eventually cut down by Fin Smith, when the ball was quickly recycled, Sheehan got his hands on the ball again and sent a looping pass to James Lowe, who then powered down the left wing,” Barnes wrote.
“As Sheehan received a ball back inside to finish off a sublime try, his team-mates joined the Irish hooker to celebrate an all-round team try, and the England players trudged back under the posts, knowing that they had been undone by a wonderfully worked play.
“No mention of forward passes on the pitch or in the commentary box. Social media then pipes up explaining that this try should be chalked off.”
Barnes duly referred to the World Rugby lawbook which states that although a ball can appear to travel forward, the direction of the hands is all-important.
“The thing to remember is that it is all in the hands,” he added.
“Remember, the law book says it is the direction that the ball leaves the hands, not whether the ball is caught in front of where it is passed. It is why offloads when the passer is tackled simultaneously often look bad.”
Caelan Doris on Tom Curry
Barnes also delved into the tackle from Caelan Doris on Tom Curry, which saw the Ireland captain connect with the head of the English flanker.
The referee, Ben O’Keeffe, decided not to refer it to the TMO, a decision which has drawn criticism from some quarters, including England great Brian Moore.
Although Barnes did not state whether he reckoned O’Keeffe was right or wrong, he did go through the officials’ potential thought process and that it will be discussed in their post-game review.
“One decision that did catch the commentators’ eye was the Caelan Doris tackle on Tom Curry in the 60th minute as he took a tip pass from Marcus Smith,” he wrote.
“Ben O’Keeffe, the Kiwi referee, said he saw it live, and he didn’t think it was foul play. Therefore, the TMO would have only got involved if he was sure that it was foul play, and was therefore sure that Doris should have lowered his tackle height further.
“It will be one that they will review as a team as part of their wrap-up, however.”
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