Referee Raynal breaks silence on Bledisloe Cup call

French referee Mathieu Raynal is standing his ground in the face of severe criticism following his game-changing decision in the recent opening Bledisloe Cup clash between the Wallabies and All Blacks in Melbourne. 

After repeated warnings throughout the game to Wallaby flyhalf Bernard Foley to get on with his kicks, Raynal eventually awarded a scrum to New Zealand when Foley took his time with a penalty kick to touch in the dying minutes of the match. The All Blacks subsequently scored from said scrum to win the contest. 

Predictably, a furious backlash ensued from Australian quarters but Raynal has remained measured and steadfast. 

"I take total responsibility for what I did, 100 per cent," the 41-year-old said. 

"I had a necessary reason for making the decision even if it was a strong one which caused people to talk. I try to do what is the most fair. That's at the heart of my job. 

"Sometimes it creates tensions, frustrations, arguments but I take responsibility over what I do.

"I told a player five times to kick the ball to touch," Raynal continued.

"I couldn't do otherwise. It's not me who decided to make the decision, it was the player who forced me to make it."