Alain Rolland sends Sam Warburton off back in 2011
Wales captain Sam Warburton says he has no issue with the appointment of Alain Rolland as referee for Saturday’s match with South Africa.
Irishman Rolland controversially sent off Warburton for a dangerous tackle on France’s Vincent Clerc during the 2011 World Cup semi-final in Auckland.
Wales played for an hour with 14 men and only just lost 9-8.
Rolland, who was subsequently vilified by sections of the Welsh public, and has not refereed a Wales Test match involving Warburton in Cardiff since that tournament.
“I have barely spoken to Alain since the incident and have certainly never spoken to him about it,” Warburton, who captain the British Irish Lions in Australia this summer, said.
“I joke about it now saying it was a PR stunt because nobody knew about me then. I only realised he was refereeing yesterday. I don’t think it will have any bearing on how I work with the referee.
“I met him in the Italy match in the last Six Nations and we said hello. It feels like such a long time ago, I’ve forgotten about it until somebody brings it up.
“I look back at the tackle and think my head was on the wrong side. I used to go in a bit higher, but my tackle technique has changed now and I go in much lower, so that will never happen again.
“It (red card) still comes up in conversation with me. I might be shopping around Sainsbury’s, but two years later people will shout from another aisle ‘it was never a red card’.
“Whether I am doing a question and answer session when I’m 60, somebody will ask me about it.”
Ospreys wing Eli Walker will make his Wales debut on Saturday and Warburton is expecting big things from the 21-year-old.
“I am really excited for Eli,” Warburton added. “For the last few seasons he has been immense. Give him a bit of space and he will score.
“We threw George North and Leigh Halfpenny in at the deep end (for their Test debuts) and they reacted to it really well.”
Wales have only beaten one of the southern hemisphere giants – South Africa, New Zealand or Australia – since Gatland took charge, and that Wallabies scalp was claimed five years ago.
Warburton knows they have to improve that record if they want to be serious challengers for the 2015 World Cup.
“When England beat New Zealand last season and Australia a few days ago, I was delighted,” he said.
“We have a good record against England and a poor one against the other teams. Even though we don’t want to admit it, it might be psychological.
“If we do win (on Saturday), there won’t be massive celebrations because we feel that is the level we are at now.
“We want a scalp in a Welsh shirt now. To win the series for the Lions was immense. We will take massive confidence from that, but until we beat one of these (southern hemisphere) sides we can’t call ourselves contenders for the World Cup.”
Article source: http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/Gloucester-Rugby-Jonny-Bentley-set-Munster/story-19958539-detail/story.html
Sam Warburton: No issues with Alain Rolland
No comments:
Post a Comment