2023 World Cup – “I cannot endorse what Antoine Dupont said” explains Joël Jutge (head of World Rugby referees)

After the 2023 World Cup in France and the debates around refereeing, the head of World Rugby referees Joël Jutge spoke, in the Olympic South, on the comments of Antoine Dupont post-quarter-final. By first specifying that he does not condone them, the former international referee aims above all to counter the various “movements of abuse and threats” against match officials caused by these declarations.

“There are clear and obvious situations which have not been whistled but I don’t want to get angry… I’m not sure that the refereeing was up to the level of the challenge”. It is with these words that the captain of the French team Antoine Dupont had evaluated and judged the arbitration, on the evening of October 15, a few minutes after the logical but huge disappointment caused by the defeat against South Africa (29-28).

A hot reaction therefore, which the head of referees at World Rugby does not share at all Joel Judge. In an interview granted exclusively to Midi Olympique, the boss of the men with the whistle explains why the content of the Toulouse player’s comments could have a negative impact: “As the person responsible for the referees, I cannot endorse what was said Antoine Dupont, because it gave rise to a terrible movement of abuse and hatred online towards Ben (O’Keeffe). But I know the man, and I have no doubt about his moral values ​​and the way he perceives exchanges between referees and players. He is a huge champion and a good person that we respect, but I repeat, I do not condone what he said that day, even if we all know that he was under enormous pressure to return following his injury.” An understandable opinion given his status, his current position but also his past, he is the former international referee (1999-2009).

Concern over referee safety

As boss of referees, he calls for protecting the profession from the different but numerous abuses that can impact match officials. So much so that he reveals that he was worried about the physical safety of those he represents. “I had anticipated that if France were eliminated in the quarter-finals, it would be difficult for us, because of the emotion it would arouse. To be honest, I had thought that it would perhaps be necessary to to be able to physically protect our referees, because I felt a drift coming, with this very strong enthusiasm behind the XV of France. […] It was not necessary because security at the Stade de France works very well. But we must not hide that the days following the quarter-final were difficult.”

During the interview in the “Yellow” and on your site, the boss of world arbitration also discusses the “mistakes” which sparked the debates, the use of the bunker or the role of the media in education and the referee-public link. So many interesting subjects to understand current rugby and its issues to which Joel Jutge responds directly.

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