Joe Schmidt cut an extremely frustrated figure after Ireland’s 10-9 loss to France in Paris.
The Ireland coach raised two key issues that he believes cost Ireland their first win of the 2016 Six Nations.
Schmidt was not happy that France avoided sin-binnings for late hits on his backs and he could not understand why play was wrongly called back for what officials believed to be a knock-on. Schmidt said:
“We’re hugely disappointed. When you lead 9-3 for so long… difficulty holding onto slippery ball… We got close… [There was] the Dave Kearney try that ref blew up early and we could not go up early. It obviously bounced off midriff of Robbie Henshaw but we didn’t get a chance to go to TMO.”
Schmidt was clearly fuming at the hits on Johnny Sexton and Dave Kearney in the first half by French enforcers. Asked if he was upset at referee Jaco Peyper and his fellow officials, Schmidt replied:
“Those things are not for me to say. For the referee to look back at. I’d encourage the referee organiser to have a look back [at those incidents]. We had a very clear meeting before the Six Nations about what would be tolerated and what would not.”
Schmidt’s implication was that Peyper and his colleagues tolerated far too much from a fired up Les Bleus.
