Australian Broadcasters Slammed For ‘Pathetic’ Attack On International Referee

Australian Broadcasters Stan Sports have come under fire for a recent skit they produced with Wallaby stars Nic White and Ned Hanigan.

The game in question saw the two stars hitting tennis balls at a target with French referee Matthieu Raynal’s face on it.

Raynal was of course the referee in Australia’s controversial last-minute loss to the All Blacks during the 2022 Rugby Championship.

Leading with little time left on the clock, Wallabies flyhalf Bernard Foley was penalised for delaying the game.

Raynal had repeatedly warned the Wallabies playmaker to kick the ball and stop wasting time.

Ignoring Raynal’s instructions, Foley conceded the penalty right on the Wallabies line. From here the All Blacks launched a strong scrum which eventually led to the ball going out wide for a try.

Pourquoi Matthieu Raynal ?

Il avait été au cœur d’une polémique lors du dernier Australie-Nouvelle-Zélande, en sept. 2022, après avoir sifflé un coup franc contre Bernard Foley pour gain de temps. Les Kiwis avaient marqué un essai gagnant dans la foulée.pic.twitter.com/NIsqjRyJyN

— Gauthier Baudin (@GauthierBaudin) January 28, 2023

In the aftermath, Nic White approached Raynal saying ‘You’ve just cost us the Rugby Championship’.

Opinions have been divided to say the least on the incident but clearly Raynal remains a less than popular figure down under.

Dans le cadre d’un jeu de tennis pour la chaîne australienne Stan Sport, Nic White et Ned Hanigan, internationaux australiens, ont « pris pour cible » l’arbitre français Matthieu Raynal.

Le tweet de Stan Sport a été supprimé après de nombreuses critiques. pic.twitter.com/k3VfMEcki1

— Gauthier Baudin (@GauthierBaudin) January 28, 2023