There is no question here of calling into question Tual Trainini's ultimate decision, as it lends itself to multiple interpretations. But simply to regret that the match ended in such confusion.
To tell the truth, it was more the shivers that ran through the bodies when the referee chose to blow the final whistle. And this meeting deserved another conclusion. Not that she reached peaks of pace or touched barely satisfactory artistic notes. But it is indeed the terrible image of a Sam James, lying on the ground and motionless, which will remain the last. While his team had climbed eighty meters and was in a position to win at the wire, his face hit Jan Serfontein's arm as he fell, and the Englishman lost consciousness. Escaping the ball in the process, hence the final move. Mr Trainini considered that it was “a completely accidental act of play.”
When we see the state of our player on the ground, it raises questions
An explanation long contested by Gaël Fickou on the ground. “I don't understand it eithersaid Nolann Le Garrec after the match. I've been watching rugby since I was little and I've rarely seen a match that ends with an action like that. When we see the state of our player on the ground, it raises questions. He was knocked out instantly and the match ended there. It’s a bit weird.” And downright worrying. The most important? Obviously the player, evacuated on a stretcher and transported to hospital, quickly regained consciousness and the news was therefore reassuring. The incomprehension of the Ile-de-France residents, reinforced by the frustration of defeat, is just human. Subjective too. But, if we have to take a long step back before making a judgment for more neutral observers, there still remains a taste of unfinished business.
