Sean O’Brien, talking like a back-row.
The Leinster flanker wasn’t particularly pleased with Wayne Barnes’ interpretation of the breakdown on Sunday in Marseille, questioning whether or not Steffon Armitage’s three second half turnovers were as legal as the referee deemed.
“There are three instances where he’s completely illegal, arms, elbows even completely on the ground.
“He is very strong when he gets over the ball, very hard to shift. He’s so low, himself and Chris Masoe. That’s one of those things we have to do, take the referee out of the equation. Myself included, I missed a barrel on him one time, and was just there a half second too late.”
O’Brien said was asked whether he or his side had flagged Armitage’s breakdoen play to referee Wayne Barnes, but O’Brien says past experiences have shown that the referee’s mind isn’t for changing.
“You can’t say anything to that man, there’s no point. He’s not open to any kind of feedback, we’ve learned that from the past.
“Once the game starts he’ll make his own mind up regardless, referees do that. Regardless of what you say to them, he had his mind made up. He knows who’s good at poaching, or who’s not so good at doing that type of stuff as well.
“He sees a picture on the field, as I said, and he mightn’t see the first instance of whether it’s a penalty or not.”
However, O’Brien did point out that he wasn’t singling Barnes out, noting that breakdown ball-winners like himself have a habit of making things difficult for the referees.
“It;s difficult for refs as well, I’m not putting it on him or anything. They’ve a job to do, and we’ve to take the refs out of the equation and make sure we’re not half a yard off and not half a second off.
“That’s just a difficult job he has, and I don’t have answers to that”.
