Rugby Australia has reportedly lodged a formal complaint with World Rugby about the controversial finish to last week's Bledisloe Cup Test against the All Blacks.
The Wallabies were seething after being denied a famous win in Melbourne last Thursday thanks in part to a hotly-debated call by referee Mathieu Raynal in the dying moments of the match.
After the Wallabies won a penalty on their own try line with less than two minutes left in the contest, Raynal handed possession back to the All Blacks with a free kick because he ruled Australian first-five Bernard Foley was wasting too much time with his kick.
The free kick turned into a scrum for the All Blacks five metres from the Wallabies line and eventually a try for Jordie Barrett in the right corner, sealing a 39-37 win after the hooter for New Zealand.
While plenty has been said about Raynal's decision, The Australian reported yesterday that Rugby Australia has now gone one step further with a letter to global governing body World Rugby detailing their concerns over the call.
It comes after several Wallabies, including coach Dave Rennie, sounded off about the final moments after the match.
"The ref told him to play, but at no stage was he told, or did he believe, he was going to call a scrum from that. In most situations the clock is off and stays off," Rennie said.
"It sounds like the clock went off, and then he started it again. But as we know a team scores a try late and you take your time getting back to halfway, you just stop the clock, and wait till the kick-off.
"The disappointing thing from our point of view is it was a fantastic game of footy and we should be celebrating the game, as opposed to talking about a referee’s decision in the last minute."
In new footage released over the weekend from the match, veteran halfback Nic White also blasted Raynal on the field as he believed the Frenchman had "cost us the Rugby Championship".
The Wallabies first-five believes the All Blacks had a role in the penalty being reversed. (Source: 1News)
The man at the centre of the saga, Bernard Foley, told 1News exclusively last week he also felt the All Blacks had a role in the moment.
"They were casting a big shadow," Foley said.
"They're in their rights to do that ... but I think the disappointing thing is we're talking about a referee call after 80 minutes of a great game of rugby.
"Both teams played their hearts out."
The trans-Tasman rivals meet again this Saturday at Eden Park for the final round of the Rugby Championship with the All Blacks needing a win to stay ahead of the Springboks.
SHARE ME