Pivac blast at ref in row over Wales ‘penalty try'

Alun Wyn: There was case for penalty try

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WALES boss Wayne Pivac slammed the refereeing of Matthew Carley after his team’s Six Nations title hopes came to an end with a 27-23 defeat by France.

In the build-up to the Cardiff clash, Wales had expressed their frustration at how the scrum had been officiated in their opening two games with Italy and Ireland.

Prop Wyn Jones claimed France “cheat” at the setpiece and, after their first home Six Nations reversal since 2017, Wales again hit out at the officials.

Pivac felt his team should have had a penalty try when Paul Willemse slapped down a Ken Owens pass. He also criticised Carley’s decision at a scrum late on when he felt France replacement prop Demba Bamba failed to scrummage straight.

Pivac said: “After halftime there was a momentum shift and we got back into the game. The slap down in the tackle close to the try line was obviously a key moment.