Talei Matairakula 
[Source: World Rugby]
There has been a lot of discussion surrounding the referee’s decisions during the Fiji Water Flying Fijians’ Rugby World Cup pool game against Wales.
This topic has quickly spread on social media, with notable figures like former Fiji 7s Olympic gold-medal-winning coach, Ben Ryan, pointing out the referee’s inconsistent calls during the game that took place this morning.
Ryan posted on the social media platform “X”, formerly known as Twitter, and pointed out that Wales had conceded multiple penalties without receiving a single yellow card, while Fiji committed one on their line, resulting in Lekima Tagitagivalu being sent to the sin bin.
Wow! Well played Fiji. Fitter and played so well. Grey officiating killed us. So disappointing. Will beat the Aussies. Toso Viti 🇫🇯
— Ben Ryan (@benjaminryan) September 10, 2023
Flying Fijians coach Simon Raiwalui says as a coach, they expect consistency from officials calling their matches.
“It’s difficult, the referees have a tough job, I respect what they do, as a coach you’re looking for that consistency. We’ll review the game and have a look at what comes up but there were a couple of occasions where we thought things could’ve been different.”
[Source: World Rugby]
Although discussions about what could have been done differently are ongoing, Raiwalui understands the importance of time and is now focused on their next task.
And I’d like to add – I’ve always got a soft spot for wales rugby – none of my comments are about them. The officiating and the time keeping – that’s been so disappointing
— Ben Ryan (@benjaminryan) September 10, 2023
They will be facing Australia in their next pool match on Monday, and winning is imperative.
Monday’s match will kick off at 3.45 a.m.
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