LOCAL refereeing views are split on the incident that cost Wales the chance to compete in rugby’s showpiece event.
Skipper Sam Warburton was sent off inside 20 minutes of Saturday’s Rugby World Cup semi-final between Wales and France at Auckland’s Eden Park and the red card was the pivotal moment as brave Wales were agonisingly edged out 9-8.
The man in the middle who made the decision was Irishman Alain Rolland, who reacted to Warburton’s tackle on French winger Vincent Clerc.
Warburton will now miss Wales' World Cup third-place play-off against Australia on Friday after receiving a three-week ban for his "dangerous tip tackle".
The Wales captain will be free to play again on November 7 and he will be available for the start of the Heineken Cup.
Level two referee Rob Jones, of Ruthin, said: “In that situation, I would have given a yellow card, based on there was no malice in it.
“He has lost his grip and he has realised.
“I think, personally, with the body weight, he’s taken it up.”
As for Rolland’s thinking, Jones added: “I think he was probably put under pressure by his governing body to stamp down, because during the tournament, there was some tackles that had been given yellow cards and some that went unpunished.”
Jones, a long-distance lorry driver, was working on the morning of the match, but he found a parking spot to watch the first half.
“When it first happened, I thought that’s a yellow card straight away.
“I was gob-smacked when I saw the red card and I turned the telly off.
“In the last five minutes I turned the radio back on and found out it was 9-8!”
As for Wales’ performances as a whole over the past month-or-so, Jones said: “I am very proud.
“But I don’t think I will be watching the final, because France don’t deserve to be there.
“A fitting end to the tournament would have been Wales against New Zealand.”
Bala Rugby Club chairman Tony Parry is a level one referee and can see both sides of the red card / yellow card incident.
“Well, I thought he (Rolland) was a bit rash but it was 50-50,” said Parry.
“It could have gone either way.
“The fact he is an Irish-French referee didn’t help the situation.
“He could have gone to one of his touch-judges and made the decision.
“He took him off his feet, but he didn’t spear him.
“It’s just his body weight went back and France milked it.
“They made the most of it.
“He (Rolland) might have made the same decision after consulting.”
Parry was adamant that the red card changed the whole course of the game, coming at the end of an opening spell which saw Wales dominating the game.
“Most definitely, we would have won the game if he (Warburton) had stayed on the pitch.
“It was just disappointing.
“Losing Adam Jones made a difference, but we missed our chances.
“It’s a poor France side and it’s a pity for the final at the end of the day, because you want the best two teams there.
“I think everybody felt and people were saying that this was one of the best chances we have ever had and a lot can change in four years.
“This was our chance.”