After the final whistle I was a little embarrassed by the lack of acknowledgment shown towards the French for their effort put into the match by our Captain & Management in the post-match interviews. To lose a tight one is extremely hard to take so I've always felt the winner should be humble & ensure such acknowledgements are made as a sign of respect. The following article has been confirmed by a close source as only one of a number of incidents that took place. Thank goodness that the vitriol shown by French keyboard warriors, particularly on sites like the BBC has not yet invaded not606. Surely this is a sign of Richie McCawâs stature that he hasnât publically commented on ANY incidents that occurred during the match, rather he chooses to play hard & âWhat happens on the pitch, stays on the pitchâ To all out there, MOST All Black supporters, more than acknowledge the fine effort France put in & know just how it feels to be piped at the post. To any who visited during the cup, I trust you were accorded the finest of hospitality by all. Roll on 2015! Eye-gouging claim levelled against French A French player tried to eye-gouge All Black captain Richie McCaw towards the end of the Rugby World Cup final, says veteran commentator Keith Quinn. Quinn, citing information from "within the New Zealand camp", says the incident was why the sides did not embrace at the end of the match and the All Blacks made "little or no mention" of the French team in post-match speeches. "It was clearly seen on TV. McCaw needed attention from medical staff," he told Radio New Zealand. Quinn said French captain Thierry Dusautoir - who was on Monday night named International Rugby Board Player of the Year - was close to the ruck incident, although the footage did not show clearly who may have allegedly been trying to eye-gouge McCaw. Dusautoir made no attempt to offer consolation to McCaw. "I think more needs to be investigated about the incident as, of course, the illustrious award of player of the year surely involves elements of fair play." All Black team management were not available to immediately comment on the claims. http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/rugby/wo...lled-against-french/1/date/asc/282422/#thread
Our Australian TV coverage of the match finished a few seconds after the final whistle so did not see any post match scenes and cup presentation.A complete letdown for viewers wanting to witness the competition finale. There are now calls for the TV Network concerned to be prevented from tendering for the next Union World Cup and similar sporting competitions.
Gouging is a detestable offence. It has nothing to do with Rugby, or sport in general, it's just cheap-shot thuggery, usually commited against a player who's in no position to defend himself. I'm surprised that, IF this happened, that the Blacks didn't react a little more physically at the time. That sort of thing would have sparked a mass brawl in my day!
I have watched the footage a few time's and I can't see Dusautoir doing anything wrong. However I did see Rougerie coming in headbutting McCaw and then gouging him, I think the wrong man has been accused on this one.
I saw Mccaw making a meal out of it. If it did happen it probably came about because the all blacks had 16 men on the field. Neutral country and France would have deservedly won.
Well spotted. This is the only one that they've been able to catch on film. As mentioned in my op ths is "only one of a number of incidents that took place" ! [video=youtube;-FQkwYfqDnU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FQkwYfqDnU[/video]
Do you remember rugby, people? It was a sport where 15 people played against another 15. Because the nature of the game involved lots of loose rucks with people rolling around or trapped on the ground, the ref. often had to make unpopular and perhaps wrong decisions. You got up, retreated the 10 yards, took your penalty or packed down in a tight scrum. Afterwards you had a drink with your teammates and opponents and the referee. You didn't whinge or whine cos you knew somehow that it DIDN'T MATTER who won or lost, you'd had a good afternoon out with people who didn't care either if they won or lost. Remember rugby?
