Another 'terrible' game by French ref Poite

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Exeter’s thrilling 31-all draw at Scotstoun ended on a high when Stuart Hogg’s 60-metre last gasp penalty kick hit the crossbar, coming so close to snatching an away win.

The match was a great spectacle but had fans infuriated by the standard of refereeing from Romain Poite, who was described as having his ‘worst game ever’.

Fans from both sides were critical of the French ref, but those from Glasgow took exception, calling his performance ‘utter gash’ from an ‘absolute cowboy’.

He was labelled ‘easily the worst ref in rugby’ and a ‘disgrace’.

Poite’s decisions included issuing a yellow card to Callum Gibbons for dangerously flying off-feet with a shoulder into the head an Exeter player at a ruck. The consensus from the commentary was that the incident deserved a red card.

The breakdown was a contentious area of the game that left fans confused as Poite’s leniency allowed questionable acts to commence.

Glasgow received another yellow card in the second half to hooker Fraser Brown, much to the confusion of Glasgow’s captain who couldn’t understand Poite’s explanation.

With 10 minutes remaining with the scores at 31-all Poite sent a referral to the TMO after a try to midfielder Sam Johnson that was called back for a forward pass but refused to look at possible double-movements on Exeter’s tries despite protests.

Poite famously came under fire two years in a clash between the same two sides in a Champions Cup fixture in 2018 for yellow carding Nic White and awarding a penalty try for a deliberate knockdown. White was attempting a tackle on Finn Russell at the time.

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