Wallabies acting captain Nic White has been seen unleashing a stunning tirade towards the referee in previously unseen footage following the farcical finish against the All Blacks.
White unleashed on Mathieu Raynal after the All Blacks toppled the Wallabies 39-27 in scenes that rocked the rugby world.
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Raynal shocked everyone in the stadium when he called Bernard Foley for a delayed game, giving the All Blacks a 5m scrum in the final minute of the game.
After holding them out for a few phases, the All Blacks went wide, and fullback Jordie Barrett snatched the win for New Zealand.
It meant New Zealand retained the famous trophy for the 20th straight year.
The backlash to the ending was instantaneous as fans across the globe vented their frustration over the finish.
Now in freshly released footage, White is seen approaching Raynal after the finish to the contest and delivering a verbal lashing.
“Nic I’m sorry, you know exactly what I wanted,” Raynal told White in the post-game footage.
“I told you two times and then you still continue (wasting time).”
White however pointed out to Raynal that Foley was in the middle of his motion when he blew the whistle.
“I understand but he was just about to kick it out and for two seconds … mate, that just cost us the Rugby Championship.”
Raynal wasn’t having it and responded emphatically to the stand-in skipper as he explained why he made the call he did.
“I tell you, you first, because you are the captain then I tell to your 10 (Foley),” Raynal said.
“I’m warning him, I say ‘if you don’t play immediately, I will give a scrum’. So that’s not fair what you did at the end, you just run the time and you know exactly. If you think I’m not capable to give a scrum, you’re making a mistake. So now you know it.”
The referee robbery prompted a flood of reaction on social media from high profile Aussie figures on Thursday night, with suggestions the rules and stagnant contest are continuing to create a divide between the code and sporting fans outside of the sport’s traditional fan base.
Former treasurer and Australian ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey wrote on Twitter: “Rugby will die if we keep refereeing games like the #wallabies and #allblacks game tonight.
“We cannot have the referees as the centre of attention. The rules and referees are not bigger than the game.”
The Australian’s Brent Read posted on Twitter: “Flicked the rugby back on for the last minute. Rugby league types reckon we have refereeing issues. We got nothing on union. That was a debacle.
“Okay, that’s enough. I have changed channel. I’ll see you again in another 10 years. All the best my rugby union friends.”
