Todd Blackadder unsatisfied with match referees during Crusaders vs Reds - Super Rugby News
The Crusaders coach, Todd Blackadder, was left frustrated at the controversial victory of Queensland Reds, on May 29, in Brisbane. The Reds managed to overcome the Crusaders by a narrow margin of 17-16 after a last minute, controversial penalty awarded to
them by referee. Stu Dickinson. Quade Cooper executed the penalty well and ran away with the victory in a tense game.
The match was well in the favour of Crusaders with four minutes to go before the final whistle. Later on, two consecutive penalties conceded at the last moments, turned the game on its head and opened the doors for the Reds to grasp victory.
In a pitch side interview after the match, Todd Blackadder stated that he was disappointed with the refereeing and said that his side had been deprived of a deserved victory. The Australian referee, Dickinson, penalised the Crusaders skipper Richie McCaw
for having hands in ruck. Although the skipper avoided commenting on the ambiguous call made by the match official, his coach could not help himself and was unable to remain silent on the issue.
Talking to the media after the match, Crusaders coach said that, "Those decisions are just influencing outcomes and it's really disappointing to us from our point of view because we played so well, I'm really proud of our players. But to lose like that under
those circumstances was really disappointing."
Blackadder was further outraged by the decision and declared it devastating for his side. He added, “For us being on the road we really targeted this game. You invest so much time and effort into it you want to let the players influence the outcome but these
things can really hurt you when it comes to playoff time. I'm always going to think I was right but the ref saw it a different way.”
Yesterday’s fixture had great significance for both sides other that cementing their places as top sides of the Super Rugby championship. The sides were excited about the toughest match of the current season. Their players challenged each others at certain
positions in the match. The coaches of the both teams made big claims but the match ended in totally awkward way.
Will Genia and Quad Cooper contributed well enough to the victory of their side. Genia scored a try in his teams total and Cooper added six points on two penalty kicks for his team. On the other hand the big guns of Crusaders, like skipper Richie McCaw,
Dan Carter and Sonny Bill Williams remained silent during the match.
The victory has further strengthened the Reds positions on the tables. They have come out as the best team of the season, with eleven consecutive wins in the current championship.
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