@Springboks
Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio claims referee Ben O’Keeffe “won” the World Cup semi-final for the Springboks with a late penalty decision.
Handre Pollard’s 78th-minute penalty gave the Springboks a 16-15 victory over England in the semi-final largely dominated by the Red Roses on Saturday night.
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In wet and rainy conditions at the Stade de France in Paris, England went 15-9 up in the second half thanks to Owen Farrell’s long-range drop-goal, but the game swung in South Africa’s favour after replacement props Ox Nche and Vincent Koch were brought onto the field.
The powerful front rowers won four scrum penalties for the Springboks, including the one for Pollard’s late winner, when England replacement loosehead Ellis Genge was penalised for scrumming in on Koch.
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However, speaking during British broadcaster ITV’s post-match analysis, former England captain Dallaglio fumed over New Zealand referee O’Keeffe’s officiating of the scrums.
“O’Keeffe is going to be the talking point as he’s won them the game – not South Africa,” Dallaglio said on ITV.
“I just think in the final analysis we couldn’t build scoreboard pressure. We had a couple of opportunities in the 22, one scrum, one lineout that went missing
“The bomb squad came on, four penalties given away in the last 10 minutes. I’ve got to say, not as a sore loser but independently, that’s a questionable penalty that wins the game.
“I think England can feel heartbroken but South Africa deserved [the win] because, a bit like France, the quality in depth on the bench was enough to get them over the line.”
