Brian O’Driscoll SLAMS ‘farcical’ French TV while Austin Healey gives ‘robbed’ verdict after controversial Champions Cup semi-final
BOD SLAMS 'farcical' French television director after controversial 'impact' during Champions Cup semi-final
Former Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll has weighed in on the fiery debate surrounding Bath’s semi-final loss to Bordeaux on Sunday.
French television has been slated for its lack of consistency during the match, in which it showed very limited replays of certain events which could have altered the course of the game. A minimum of two dangerous tackles went unpunished during the match, coinciding with a lack of video footage.
The first was when Alfie Barbeary was caught in a head-on-head collision with Adam Coleman. Despite the clear images captured at the time and subsequently shared online, no effective replay was provided to the TMO, and as a result, no action was taken against Bordeaux.
The second involved Barbeary again, this time taking a high hit from the player of the match, Maxime Lucu. Same scenario again, no replays and no penalty.
“It’s becoming a bit of a joke”
With the game set in France, the replays came courtesy of French television, which has long been criticised for its inability to be consistent and balanced.
Former England fly-half Andy Goode told Premier Sports: “It’s becoming a bit of a joke with French [TV] directors.
“[Johann] didn’t mention it [but] some of the refereeing calls, without the TMO coming in, some of the high shots that were missed because of TV directors, it’s just not good enough.”
Goode has gathered plenty of support online since, with O’Driscoll taking to X to add his thoughts, saying: “The boys are right in comms, the lack of replays at times is farcical!”
One fan replied, saying: “This what the French do, if they score a try that looks dodgy, we get no replays… when the opposition score we get 45 angles in super slow motion to see if there is any way in overturning it.”
While Bath failed to take advantage of their overwhelming possession advantage in the first half, former Leicester Tigers star Austin Healey argued, “Bath have been robbed in this game”.
Despite this claim, Bath were the masters of their own destruction. They had many impressive plays during the match, but their final actions in the most vital areas caused their downfall. Simple knock-ons, missed tackles and unforced errors compounded to result in what would eventually become a runaway victory for the hosts.
Fan reaction
Fans have had their say online. Some called on the world governing body to intervene. On Instagram, Simon Campion said: “World Rugby need to sort this out. This is a professional game. You can not jeopardise the outcomes of games/tournaments or player safety because a certain nation’s broadcasters are notoriously known for withholding TV angles which may go against their teams.”
Mark Cruise added: “Why in the name of god have World Rugby not gone after the French and addressed them for their persistent an abysmally biased coverage???”
While Ian Bone concluded: “Being Scottish, I have no skin in the game, but the standard of refereeing was terrible. The TMO and the selective TV replays were blatant. For a game of that importance, simply not good enough. But as ever nothing will be done.”
The final will take place in Bilbao on May 23, as Leinster look to secure their sixth European title, while Bordeaux Begles head to Spain in search of their second title in a row.
