Daylight robbery in Dublin
4 Feb 2006
An appalling display from English referee Dave Pearson let Ireland off the hook against Italy in Dublin on Saturday.
The home side won 26-16, but the match will be remembered more for the inept display of Pearson, who blew his first (and hopefully last) Six Nations match.
Pearson’s decision to award a second-half try to Ireland, when replays showed that winger Tommy Bowe failed to ground the ball, turned the match in the home side’s favour. Several Italian players pleaded with Pearson to check the score with the TV ref, a request which was stubbornly refused.
Up until that point, Italy had dominated the match, and were full value for their 13-10 lead.
The Italians took control of the game from the first kick-off and were five metres out from their opposition’s tryline when an Irish hand knocked the ball out of Italy scrumhalf Paul Griffen’s grasp. The Italians should have had a shot at goal from right in front – instead Pearson gave Ireland a scrum for the ‘knock on’.
Still, Italy dominated possession, disrupted the Irish line-out and took a 3-0 lead when Pez slotted a penalty after 11 minutes.
Ireland went in front against the run of play on the 25-minute mark, when Paul O’Connell stole an Italian line-out inside the visitors’ 22, from which debutant hooker Jerry Flannery was driven over.
If Ireland expected Italian resistance to crumble, as it’s done so often in the past after a good start, they were to be disappointed. With 10 minutes remaining before half-time, Pez broke the line, sold Gordon D’Arcy a dummy and offloaded to centre Mirco Bergamasco, whose momentum carried him over the tryline.
At 10-7, Italy were looking good heading into half-time, before Pearson decided to involve himself again. The referee gave Italian flyhalf Ramiro Pez a yellow card, two minutes before the break, for an alleged late tackle. The TV replay showed the Englishman had been far too harsh and Pez’s reponse (“F**k you”) said it all. O’Gara made no mistake with the penalty and the teams went into the changerooms locked at 10-all.
Playing against 14 men, Bowe ‘scored’ early in the second half to give Ireland an undeserved 17-13 lead, before an O’Gara penalty extended his side’s advantage to seven.
Pez and O’Gara traded penalties to make it 23-16 going into the final 10 minutes. However, the Italian No 10 missed a golden opportunity to reduce the gap to three points, and when O’Gara nailed a penalty three minutes before full-time it was game over.
Italy coach Pierre Berbizier slammed Pearson’s decision to award Bowe’s try.
“Pearson seemed very sure it was a try but he had the opportunity to use the video and should have taken it,” he said. “The Irish try should have been examined on replays and disallowed. At that point the match was changing and it was a big decision. I cannot accept Pearson giving the try.
“We want to play the game with the same rights as other teams. We can’t play with a handicap like this. We are a little team but must be treated the same as other sides.”
Scorers:
Ireland – Tries: Jerry Flannery, Tommy Bowe. Conversions: Ronan O’Gara (2). Penalties: O’Gara (4).
Italy – Try: Mirco Bergamasco. Conversion: Romiro Pez. Penalties: Pez (2), Paul Griffen.
Yellow card: Romiro Pez (38min)
33 Comments
4 Feb 2006, 15:24 pm
Italy have as much chance of winning this game as the Cheetahs do retaining the CC.
lol
4 Feb 2006, 16:20 pm
Jondood LMFAO at half time you still willing to bet? the Cheetahs to go two in a row lol
4 Feb 2006, 16:24 pm
At least we know the Cheetahs would beat Ireland or Italy
4 Feb 2006, 16:36 pm
Ha ha what a joke Irlenad have paid another ref.
4 Feb 2006, 16:46 pm
I put that line down so that fate can step in and beat Ireland.
Time will tell.
4 Feb 2006, 17:31 pm
Jondood,
Still living in the past I see.Typical Blue Bulls mentality!
4 Feb 2006, 18:02 pm
The Italians deserved to walk away with at least 1 point, because of that **** of a ref they dont. It reminds me of when we were screwed on our grand slam tour. Its unacceptable that a ref on that level can do **** like that. Does he realise whats at stake, if I were Italian I would be nuking the mofo.
4 Feb 2006, 18:44 pm
Jondood
It seems the teams in blue always get robbed.
The game should go down as the Win that never was and the try that never was.
4 Feb 2006, 19:35 pm
On their performances today Ireland and Wales could finish below Scotland.
4 Feb 2006, 19:37 pm
Of course we could find that Dave Pearson has taken tips on reffing from Stuart Dickenson … no there is a thought!
4 Feb 2006, 19:45 pm
Anyone else notice that ludicrous call (or am I missing something)when the Italians were attacking downn the right hand side, the winger chipped ahead & while no one gathered, the ref blew the Italians for accidental offside!
Man the Itallians so could have scored there to make the game exciting!
What is up with referees in Dublin?
4 Feb 2006, 19:51 pm
That was accidental offside by italy but prior to that the Irish actually knocked the ball on – Italy unfortunately kicked the ball into his own player …
4 Feb 2006, 20:09 pm
So kicking the ball into your own player is accidental offside? Fair enough, I thought it was running into your own player with ball in hand, but that makes sense.
Well done ref, one decision!
4 Feb 2006, 20:13 pm
What I meant was the ref should have given the knock on as the first offence ie: a scrum to Italy … now that would have made the game interesting!
4 Feb 2006, 23:40 pm
Looks like the ref are rusty – even Paul in the England game missed plenty of England forward passes and then when Wales throw a marginal one he blows it up (in the in goal area too!!) – shocking shocking – this tends to make me think of a match fixing.
4 Feb 2006, 23:49 pm
Why is it that referee’s are untouchables?
It’s double standards at its worst that evryone involved in Rugby union is accountable to the public support base for performances except referees. We are told that referees are evaluated by a FRU panel but it is do secretive that the public are completely shut out. This is absolutely rubbish. Referees are well paid, therefore there performances should be transparent and not hidden in the closet.
5 Feb 2006, 03:49 am
Ya. Wot was with all those forward passes called by the ref..
Inconsistancy…
5 Feb 2006, 07:37 am
It was a farce, it really was.
Flip, i have a new team to Support in the Six nations lol. Italy with a display like that can finish above, ireland, wales and scotland.
5 Feb 2006, 10:39 am
At least we know that the ref’s are consistently inconsistent!
5 Feb 2006, 11:39 am
lol yeah, but it is not on, A side like Italy would have taken huge confidance from a win against Ireland in Ireland, and it would have raised there entire game. When that try was scored you could see there heads go down.
Ireland and Wales look Woefull at the moment they really do.
5 Feb 2006, 11:54 am
i watched the game with my italian buddies, was so angry afterwards.
man they played with composure. they might not have that many gamebreakers, but their basics were excellant. they ran onto the ball, passed well, and always kicked into touch when they had to. man if the boks could play with composure like that we would be brilliant.
the first try looked dodgy to me too, if u look closely the ball dropped to the ground. the ref deserves to get shot.
5 Feb 2006, 12:33 pm
shocking decision, poor game allround, bumbling ref that one.
wih the TV available, the refs should start referring these in-goal decisions even if they have their own opinion.
5 Feb 2006, 12:35 pm
that italian flyhalf is pretty decent, so much for the italians only having a good pack; both half-backs and bergamasco at 12 were outstanding.
5 Feb 2006, 12:39 pm
Just remember that this ref is going become the boks nemisis just like dickenson and honis!
5 Feb 2006, 12:45 pm
yeah cubic, i was thinking yesterday that if it were us rucking like that we woulda been yellowed, no question.
5 Feb 2006, 12:51 pm
And of course Martyn Williams may as well be South African because his ‘jump’ into Lewis Moody was a ‘school boy’ error and one that is usually committed by the boks!
5 Feb 2006, 16:51 pm
As a neutral watching this match, I can only hope that referee Pearson is suspended. Italy have all rights to feel agrieved.
6 Feb 2006, 04:34 am
For refs who make you laugh, try Shaun Veldsman or Tappe Henning!
6 Feb 2006, 07:35 am
JW should be a worried man after this great display from ITALY,who should ahve come away winners. The poor BLUES had to play 16 men.
This was a very spirited display from the “whipping boys” in teh 6 NATIONS & JW must forget any thoughts of playing his second side against them.
6 Feb 2006, 09:00 am
when you see/hear **** reffing like this, and combine that with some other shockers that have happened in the past, then I really think that an investigation into paying refs is long overdue…
6 Feb 2006, 09:34 am
The Irish constantly get away with bullshit like this.
6 Feb 2006, 11:48 am
Unfortunately it is all too typical these days… Italy deserved to win this game and the ref should have gone upstairs for that “try”.
7 Feb 2006, 13:21 pm
Any sane person would have done the same, rather than risk the rath of the ex-raa bookies in the pub after.
Shocking display though, Italy must be commended for their defence all be it against sub standard attack.
That ITie 7 was superb !
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