Rassie: It’s now impossible to criticise refs

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has questioned the logic behind World Rugby’s new match officials communication protocols. lebandit.lat

Head coaches can now only meet with the referee before a match if both coaches accept the meeting invitation and attend together. Post-match, coaches are limited to submitting six video clips for clarification, with those submissions visible to every international coach and match official.

Erasmus believes the new process could have unintended consequences.

“You can’t communicate to the match officials directly anymore,” he said. “You can’t always have a meeting with them before the game.

“How it works now is the referee for the day will email you asking if you want a meeting, and if both coaches do not say yes, then you don’t have a meeting; and if both coaches say yes, then you meet together with the referee.

“We haven’t had a meeting with the referee [in the Nations Championship] because one of the coaches hasn’t said yes,” he said.

“I don’t 100% understand the logic behind it, although I am not criticising them because they have communicated it to us.”

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Erasmus also questioned the new limit on post-match feedback.

“A while back I sent a very long video [during the 2021 British & Irish Lions series], but now, if you have a query, you can only load up six comments onto the system, but everyone can see it now – all the other coaches and referees,” he said.

“It is now almost impossible to criticise a referee because if you have 12 things that bother you from your last game or the upcoming game, you either have to sit with the other coach and the referee, or you have to put up comments that everyone can see.”

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Erasmus suggested the new protocols may have contributed to Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada’s public criticism of the officials following his side’s defeat to the All Blacks in Wellington.

“I know Gonzalo really well, and he is a good guy,” Erasmus said. “Italy are on the up, and he was probably frustrated with some calls.

“There has been a protocol change and, to be honest, I’m not sure it is bettering our game.”

Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images

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Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has urged his players to embrace the occasion rather than be overwhelmed by it as they prepare for their World Cup semi-final against France.

La Roja will be aiming to secure their place in the World Cup final when they face France in the semi-finals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

The winner of this match will face the semi-final winner in the match between England and Argentina.

De la Fuente believes La Roja must strike the right balance between handling the responsibility of representing their nation and enjoying the moment as they chase a place in the World Cup final.

“Playing in the World Cup semi-final – after all the World Cups I’ve watched on the telly – now we’re the ones in the spotlight,” De la Fuente told FIFa.

“We’ve never shirked the responsibility that this entails. We’ve always played with that responsibility and we know what we represent, but we’ve also enjoyed something as wonderful and important as playing football on these stages.

“It’s a question of striking a balance, but we mustn’t let the responsibility make us nervous.”

The post De la Fuente: Enjoy the Moment, Don’t Fear the Pressure appeared first on SportsClub.

80e match en Coupe du monde pour la France, ce mardi contre l’Espagne et 8e demi-finale dans l’histoire. Les Bleus vont jouer leur 942e match officiel depuis 1904.

L’équipe de France va disputer, ce lundi soir (19h GMT) à Dallas une nouvelle demi-finale contre l’Espagne en Coupe du monde. Une seule nation fait mieux que les Bleus : l’Allemagne, avec 12 participations. Après les éditions 1958, 1982, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2018, 2022, les Bleus sont à nouveau présents en 2026.

Lors de leurs trois premières présences dans le dernier carré, les Tricolores n’ont pas réussi à se hisser en finale. Puis, en 1998, le groupe d’Aimé Jacquet perce le plafond de verre et élimine la Croatie avant de s’imposer en finale contre le Brésil (3-0) à Saint-Denis. En 2006, les Tricolores écartent le Portugal en demies et s’inclinent contre l’Italie en finale, tandis qu’en 2018, ils s’imposent 1-0 contre la Belgique et remportent une deuxième couronne mondial et un succès 4-2 contre la Croatie en finale en Russie. Au Qatar, il y a quatre ans, la France avait écarté le Maroc avant de s’incliner contre l’Argentine en finale. Contre la Roja, la France va jouer son 80e match dans un Mondial avec un bilan de 45 victoires, 14 nuls et 20 défaites. Dans son histoire, l’équipe de France a marqué 152 buts et encaissé 87.

The post Coupe du monde : 8e demi-finale pour la France dans son histoire avant le duel face à l’Espagne appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

Lionel Messi has done just about everything possible in a glorious career, but the 39-year-old Argentinian great has never taken on England – he will finally get the chance in Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal.

More Messi magic?

Messi won his 200th cap for the Albiceleste in the group stage victory against Algeria and dreams of leading his country to the final once again.

The diminutive playmaker is surely in the final days of a remarkable international career which began when he was a fresh-faced 18-year-old in 2005.

Having broken into the Barcelona team late the previous year, Messi had just starred for Argentina as they won the Under-20 World Cup in the Netherlands.

He was handed his Argentina bow by Jose Pekerman in a friendly against Hungary in Budapest that August, replacing Lisandro Lopez in the 64th minute and joining Hernan Crespo up front.

Ninety seconds later he was sent off for what the referee saw as an elbow. It was quite the ignominious way for his Argentina career to begin.

“An 18-year-old kid who is making his debut for the national team and has so much hope – he can’t be punished like that. The referee needed to be more understanding,” said Crespo.

Messi might look back now and laugh at that incident, which led to him being suspended for a friendly against England in Geneva three months later.

The nations have not met since, and so Messi will play against the Three Lions for the very first time under the roof of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

“I have played against everyone except England and it is special because they are a major nation, a powerhouse, and it is always nice to play against a side like that, especially in a World Cup semifinal,” said Messi after Argentina beat Switzerland in Kansas City in the last eight.

Emulating Maradona

The man who emulated Diego Maradona by inspiring Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar four years ago will now hope to leave a similar mark on England as his legendary predecessor.

Any meeting of these countries evokes memories of the 1986 quarter-final at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, when Maradona punched in to score the ‘Hand of God’ opener and then ran past half the England defence for his team’s second goal – perhaps the greatest World Cup goal of all time.

Messi has not scored one quite like that, but ahead of the semi-finals of the current tournament he had scored more World Cup goals than any other player.

With 21 goals from a tournament record 32 appearances, he led France skipper Kylian Mbappe by one after the quarter-finals.

The Inter Miami player had found the net in nine consecutive World Cup matches before the Switzerland game, when he let others – notably Julian Alvarez – take over the goalscoring duties.

Argentina are now one game away from reaching another World Cup final, as they aim to become the first team to retain the trophy since Brazil in 1962.

It would be a third final in four World Cups, and Messi could follow in the footsteps of Brazil great Cafu. The full-back played in three in a row from 1994 to 2002 – even Maradona only played in two.

“Getting to another semifinal is not a normal, mundane thing, so this is something we should really enjoy because we don’t know if it will happen again,” Messi said.

‘Once-in-a-lifetime’

The England players will hope to enjoy it as well.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Nico O’Reilly, who is likely to come up against Messi if he starts at left-back, told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“He’s coming towards the end of his career. For me personally, he’s the best player to ever touch a football pitch. And yeah, I can’t wait for the challenge.”

The Sharks have beaten the Exeter Chiefs to the signature of a Lions forward.

Lock Darrien Landsberg has joined the Durban-based outfit ahead of the Currie Cup and 2026-27 Vodacom URC season.

The Zimbabwean had been linked with a move to English Premiership club Exeter but will instead remain in South Africa, filling the void at the Sharks left by Marvin Orie.

The 26-year-old made 90 appearances for the Lions across all competitions and also spent time on loan at the Pumas between 2020 and 2022.

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Landsberg recently expressed his desire to wear the green and gold having turned down the opportunity to represent Zimbabwe.

“To be completely honest, until Rassie [Erasmus] tells me that the door is completely closed, I can’t allow myself to believe that it is,” he told Rugby365.

“I’ve played with these guys in the South African system since high school, so it’s not like I’m far off. When I look at myself in the mirror every day, I know that I can be a Springbok and I will be a Springbok.

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“Because of what South African rugby means, I want to give myself the opportunity of saying I believe I’m the best, so why not try to be with the best?

“If that point comes where Rassie tells me the door is closed, then by all means it would be an honour to represent Zimbabwe.”

Photo: Gallo Images

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