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Mary Hannigan: South Africa get the rub of the green - or the rub of a knee at least

Ben O’Keeffe’s big call in the Rugby World Cup semi-final is a major point of debate; Jamie Finn on her World Cup heartache; John Doyle on his parish joy

Referee Ben O’Keeffe speaks with England's Owen Farrell (left) and South Africa's Siya Kolisi during the Rugby World Cup semi-final. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA

Mary Hannigan's face
Mary Hannigan
Tue Oct 24 2023 - 10:27

We’re guessing that after there’s been a debatable and hugely consequential refereeing decision in a televised rugby game, Owen Doyle’s phone starts hopping with calls from folk eager to hear his expert take on the incident. So, after Ben O’Keeffe awarded South Africa that scrum penalty in the dying moments of Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against England? Ring, ring. “Was that a knee on the ground, or a knee brushing the grass?”

The knee in question belonged to Ellis Genge, referee Ben O’Keeffe deciding that it had made enough contact with the ground for him to be penalised. Up stepped Handre Pollard, “ice in his veins”, South Africa were in the World Cup final and England were left packing up their chariots and heading for home.

Had O’Keeffe made the right call? “That will be hotly debated,” writes Owen. “Another reset scrum with a warning to everybody involved would have been the equitable outcome.” And to add to England’s pain, Owen noted the illegal activities of South Africa’s Vincent Koch and Pieter-Steph du Toit in the scrum before the penalty was given. “England will likely be spitting blood, and they have a case,” he concludes.

Gerry Thornley also analyses the critical decision, quoting former England and Lions loosehead Alex Corbisiero as saying “it was technically the correct call”. Who’d be a referee? But, Gerry asks, “does rugby really want World Cup semi-finals to be decided by slightly subjective interpretations of complicated scrums?”

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Springbok Jean Kleyn won’t give a jot about that particular debate, the Munster lock and former Irish international busy pinching himself now that he’s preparing for a World Cup final. “I’ll probably wake up when it’s all said and done and think: ‘was that a dream or did that actually happen?’”

Last summer’s football World Cup turned in to a nightmare for Jamie Finn after she was unexpectedly left out of the Republic of Ireland’s squad by Vera Pauw having played a major role in the qualifying campaign. Gavin Cummiskey spoke to the Dubliner ahead of Ireland’s Nations League double-header against Albania. “I was heartbroken,” she said, “a really difficult situation to be in, to be honest.”

In Gaelic games, the Leinster Council is awaiting referee Barry Tiernan’s report on the incident at the end of Sunday’s match between Tullamore and Summerhill when he was pushed to the ground, the culprit – a player who was not involved in the game – could now be facing a two-year ban.

And Gordon Manning talks to two men who had memorable weekends with their clubs, Shane Walsh helping Kilmacud Crokes win their third Dublin football title in a row and 45-year-old Johnny Doyle earning the man of the match award for his performance in Allenwood’s Kildare intermediate football final triumph. He has some engine, that man.

TV watch: There’s a mountain of Champions League action on your screens today, Galatasaray v Bayern Munich among the 5.45pm kick-offs (TNT Sports 1), while at 8pm you have your pick of Manchester United v FC Copenhagen (RTÉ 2 & TNT Sports 2), Sevilla v Arsenal (TNT Sports 1) and Sporting Braga v Real Madrid (TNT Sports 3).