Former Test ref: Garces got crucial Louw penalty WRONG!

Cape Town - Rob Debney, a former Test referee from England, says a late call went incorrectly against Wales in Sunday's Rugby World Cup semi-final defeat to South Africa in Yokohama.

Via a column for The Times, Debney said French referee Jerome Garces erred in not awarding Wales a penalty on the Springboks' 10m line.

With the scores level at 16-all, the Welsh were on the attack when Garces awarded South Africa a penalty at a ruck with Bok replacement flank Francois Louw doing good work on the ground.

But Debney has suggested that the penalty should have gone Wales' way as Springbok lock Franco Mostert prevented a Welsh player from clearing out Louw.

Debney wrote: "He (Garces) penalised Wales with 10 minutes to go. They were on the 10m line and generating some good momentum and he incorrectly penalised Alun Wyn Jones for holding on.

"Garces should have penalised South Africa as Franco Mostert did not move away and prevented Elliot Dee from clearing out Francois Louw. Wales should have had a kickable penalty that would have put them 19-16 up."

Moments later, South Africa won a penalty off a powerful driving maul which flyhalf Handre Pollard coolly slotted to give the Boks a 19-16 victory.

Debney also questioned that penalty, writing: "Just a few minutes later, he penalised Wales either for coming in from the side at a maul or collapsing it, but he had been letting this sort of thing go all game. Why give it at that stage of the game?

"He changed the way he refereed in the final 10 minutes and contributed to South Africa winning it, which is not what a referee should do."

Prior Sunday's match, the Springboks had a torrid 4-14 win-loss record under Garces as referee.

READ the full column on The Times' website

- Compiled by Herman Mostert