It’s not what he said, it’s the way he said it.
After Ireland’s defeat to Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, much of the focus since has been on the performance of referee Wayne Barnes, who made a number of debated calls during the game in Cardiff.
Ireland have a poor history with the English official, in the 13 times he’s taken the whistle in an Ireland match, they’ve won just four.
Irish full-back Rob Kearney remained coy when asked about Barnes’ officiating this afternoon in Carton House, but did hint that some of his decisions failed to go down too well with management.
“Thankfully I don’t have to write a referee’s assessment. That will be up to Joe (Schmidt). I’ll leave that to him,” he said.
“At the start of the game, referees are very quick to lay down a marker and give some penalties away. It happens in every single game and unfortunately I think in this game we just got caught on the wrong side of three or four very kickable penalties, particularly with Leigh Halfpenny.”
However, Kearney was defiant that the Welsh deserved the victory on the day, saying the Ireland failed to deliver at crucial stages in Cardiff.
“I think the start had a huge play in it. In huge Test matches like that, when you go 12-0 down, it’s very difficult to claw your way back into it. From their perspective, I think they played exceptionally well. I think our discipline was poor, we got beaten in the air and we lost a few key lineouts. I think they were probably the three big areas that changed the force of the game.
“But listen, in these games when the margins are so small you get a couple of opportunities. When you win games, you talk about ‘we were very clinical in those areas and clinical on the day.’ We lacked a bit of that clinical edge once we did get into their 22 and we were building phase after phase and not getting any reward for it.”
The focus now turns to Murrayfield, and the challenge posed by a Scotland side out for blood, looking to avoid another bottom placed finish after four defeats so far.
“It’s probably not ideal that they will have a huge amount of motivation to avoid picking up that wooden spoon. It is never a nice accolade for a team to get. Without a doubt, it is extra motivation and something we will be aware of. Every single game has different meanings and values behind it, but that will be a huge one for them.”
Hat-tip to @killeroc quotes
