Legendary referee Nigel Owens has shown his support for Mathieu Raynal, following his controversial time-wasting call in the final minute of the All Blacks win over the Wallabies in the Bledisloe Cup.
Owens took to Twitter writing that it was "a fair and strong refereeing call".
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He also said that there was "clear communication and warning to the player to get on with it".
"Learning here is not for the referee, but the players to get on with it when ref asks," Owens said.
The 100-Test referee also responded to comments in his post that suggested that Raynal chose the wrong time to make the call, influencing the final outcome.
He said there were "clear warnings and opportunities" and that it was the correct decision.
Owens went on to say that he believes refs need to be stricter around the time it takes for teams to set up the scrum and to take kicks.
Now retired, Owens is highly regarded as one of the best rugby referees. He notably called the 2015 Rugby World Cup final where the All Blacks defeated the Wallabies.
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