Pat Lam will complain to the independent referee commissioner after late calls cost his team last night.
Connacht were 17-11 to the good against Cardiff Blues when it looked like they had done enough to win the game after a turnover and kicked the ball dead. But touch judge Leighton Hodges intervened and instructed the referee to award a penalty to Cardiff.
The Blues eventually scored a converted try and won the game by a point but the Connacht manager blasted Hodges afterwards and claimed that the touch judge had indicated previously that he would cost Lam’s team.
The New Zealand-born coach referred to a game with Edinburgh in Galway back in January when Hodges was late to the game and instructed by the stewards where to park. The touch judge then allegedly told the stewards, “that’s gonna cost your team at least seven points.”
Hodges is due to officiate in Connacht’s clash with Munster on March 28 but Lam stated that he will be following up on the incident with referee commissioner, Ed Morrisson.
“There are serious question marks on the call that was made and the statement that was made,” he said in this interview on KnockOn.ie.
https://soundcloud.com/knockon-ie/pat-lam-after-cardiff-defeat
