Pro D2 – “I am a coach, I do not allow myself to question the referee’s decision”: the class of Mauricio Reggiardo despite the defeat in Biarritz

It was in the shoes of the leader of Pro D2 that Provence Rugby went to Biarritz last night. In the Basque Country, the Provençals, not really in their mood, bowed quite widely (25-0) and at the final whistle, Mauricio Reggiardo explained: “This evening, I am not disappointed, the result is logical. We didn’t capitalize on our chances. We never gave up, we always tried and this evening, I would also like to point out that there was very good refereeing. It’s not because we lost, 25-0, that we shouldn’t say it. We were lucky to have had an international referee. We are not used to Pro D2.”

I am not lucky enough to have an international referee on the field every week.

Asked, a little later, about the action which led to the second Biarrot tryvalidated after video arbitration on an action where Jimmy Gopperth felt embarrassed by Mr. Brousset, Reggiardo wanted to cut short any controversy: “There was this action, but it is a question of interpretation. I respect the referee’s interpretation. I am not lucky enough to have an international referee on the field every week. We had the number one in France on the pitch today. I’m not a referee, I’m a coach. I do not allow myself to question the referee’s decision. I went into the locker room to shake his hand, we talked, there was no problem. I congratulated him on his refereeing. The referee is there to make decisions. If it had been different (on this action, Editor’s note), there would have been a group who would not have been happy. Frankly, I have nothing to say about it. I just thank the referee who was of a different level. It was very good.”