RUGBY : Wales coach Warren Gatland was critical of several decisions made by referee Craig Joubert as his side’s New Zealand hoodoo continued with a 19-12 defeat at the Millennium Stadium.
Wales coach Warren Gatland was critical of several decisions made by referee Craig Joubert as his side’s New Zealand hoodoo continued with a 19-12 defeat at the Millennium Stadium.
Gatland was particularly critical of the South African’s failure to penalise All Blacks fly-half Daniel Carter for a high tackle on replacement scrum-half Martin Roberts as the hosts pushed for a try late in an absorbing Test match in Cardiff.
“It was a head high tackle,” he said. “A guy makes a break in the 22 and if that had happened at the other end then it would have been a penalty and a yellow card and all the officials missed it, so we are pretty disappointed with that.”
Assistant coach Shaun Edwards was even more forthright in his views on Carter’s tackle saying, “They should have played the last 10 minutes of the game with 14 men.
“It was a high tackle and you see players get yellow carded for that, you see players red carded for that.”
Fly-half Carter, who overcame a calf muscle injury to play, booted 14 points for the All Blacks while hooker Andrew Hore scored a 56th-minute try.
Wales relied on four penalties from Carter’s opposite number Stephen Jones, and despite putting the visitors under severe pressure late on they are now without a win in this fixture since 1953.
Gatland was also less than pleased by the decision to award a first-half penalty against flanker Martyn Williams for a deliberate knock-on.
He explained: “The deliberate knock-on against Martyn Williams was harsh and that cost three points. You look at that and it means we lost three points there and with the high tackle.”
