Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi launched a scathing attack on the match officials after his side’s 28-26 win against the Wallabies in Sydney.
The Rugby Championship clash was marred by several controversial calls.
A glaring forward pass in the buildup to Filipo Daugunu’s second try was allowed to stand – resulting in two bonus points for the hosts – while an earlier Wallabies attack was halted for a supposed forward pass despite replays suggesting it was flat.
Argentina were also penalised for a high tackle late on, while a similar incident in the first half went unpunished.
REPORT: Carreras boots Argentina to nervy victory
Contepomi said the lack of consistency left him exasperated.
“I’ve got mixed feelings and a bit of frustration. Obviously, we are delighted for the win, but we focus more on process than just the results … things that we don’t control with the team of four [referee team] and so on that we are again in the same situation as last week and it’s frustrating, you know, it’s frustrating. I think we don’t deserve that.
“I’ve got mixed emotions. Very frustrated, very frustrated because it’s not working. Simple as that – it’s not working, the system, whatever they are doing to get it better. There’s no consistency and it’s not working, you know.”
“For me, it’s not about winning, it’s about how you win, how you do things. We are playing against a great team … and you know we need to acknowledge that. But the things that we control, our errors, we take accountability. We made a lot of errors … but my God, there are other things that we don’t control that I’m fed up [with].”
ALSO: Pumas coach blasts match officials
The forward pass incident clearly rankled.
“For the forward pass, I’m not frustrated. I’m frustrated that no one saw that forward pass. The TMO didn’t see it,” he said.
“I’m frustrated that the same penalty he gave in the last two minutes to go for a lineout, it was exactly the same as not even a head knock [earlier], how? There’s no consistency.
“Same action in the first half, it’s play on … here penalty, so it’s hard. It’s hard.”
Photo: Jason McCawley/Getty Images
The post Pumas coach ‘fed up’ with match officials appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.