Brian O’Driscoll fumes at French director and officials after Champions Cup controversy as fascinating clarification issued on infamous James Lowe incident

Brian O’Driscoll believes that the blame lies with both the officials and French TV director after Bordeaux-Begles escaped sanction in Sunday’s Investec Champions Cup semi-final.

The Ireland legend fumed at two incidents, for differing reasons, as number eight Alfie Barbeary was potentially hit high by UBB players.

Barbeary was the victim on both occasions as Adam Coleman and Maxime Lucu both appeared to connect with the head of the Bath star.

It was less clear where Coleman connected, given that so few angles were provided by French TV, but O’Driscoll was convinced that it was at least a yellow card.

O’Driscoll’s ‘frustration’ with two high shots

“I watched them back, I looked up to see what the three [incidents] where [Bath boss] Johann [van Graan] said there was kind of contentiousness around the collision,” he told Off The Ball.

“The first one, I couldn’t see. The second one, I think it’s definitely a yellow card from Coleman. I think potentially it could have been a 20-minute red card if we can see another angle because I think he makes contact [with the head].

“His arm is down by his side so he’s always illegal, so there’s no mitigation there, and he hits him with force. To not get a replay of that is very frustrating.

“The Lucu one, we got two replays, it’s not like the French director decided, ‘no, that didn’t work’.”

O’Driscoll thinks the director can be absolved of blame in regards to Lucu, but he claims there is a problem with them manipulating matters in order to stop the TMO from seeing the relevant angles when it comes to a French team.

“I do think there is previous with that,” the Ireland legend said.

“French people are quick to defend and point fingers at Ireland directors, remember that James Lowe incident against France where the angle came up right after the try had been awarded and the game had been restarted? That was an English director and I know him, and he was absolutely filthy that the angle came so late.

“In truth, there have been multiple occasions where there have been directors, with French TV as hosts, where there haven’t been the relevant replays that you would have anticipated.

“That can’t be said for the Lucu incident.”

Andy Goode doubles down on French TV director criticism: ‘It was clear as day’

O’Driscoll therefore believes the fault lies with the officials, referee Nika Amashukeli and television match official Ben Whitehouse, for not picking up on Lucu’s head-on-head contact with Barbeary.

“There are two replays shown, it’s head-on-head, I don’t know what the TMO was doing, I don’t know what the referee is doing. We’re trying to get referees to see it in real time; pay attention,” he said.

While everyone agrees that Bordeaux were the better team on the day in the Champions Cup clash, O’Driscoll doesn’t buy the narrative that the result would have remained the same if those incidents had been picked up.

’14 on 15 changes it’

“I’d be so frustrated if I was a Bath supporter. Bordeaux were the better team 15 on 15, no doubt, but 14 on 15 changes it,” he added.

“When your nine, the worst player to lose to the bin, goes for 10 minutes, Coleman will definitely be gone for 10 minutes, maybe for 20 minutes, that changes a complexion of the game.

“A team gets ahead of steam and another team contracts a little bit and plays defensively, that’s the nip and tuck of sport.

“We’re able to go, ‘actually, Bordeaux deserved it overall’. Yeah, they did 15 on 15 because they scored more tries, created more opportunities, but that mightn’t necessarily have been afforded to them if they had one or probably two players [off the field].

“I don’t how many camera angles [they have], it depends broadcaster to broadcaster, but in an awful lot of cases, minimum there’s probably 24 cameras there. It’s from every angle so to not get any form or replay.

“The thing now is that players have to go down and you don’t want feigning injuries. Alfie Barbeary after the Lucu incident got treatment and I don’t think he was looking for the referee, genuinely his cheekbone was kind of in trouble and he was talking to the physios.

“I thought Johann dealt with it very well in his press conference and he was very magnanimous around the result and he’s right, all you ask for is consistency and that is unacceptable what happened with that Lucu incident from a referee and TMO point of view.”

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