Scotland rage at 'most unfair decision I've ever seen'.
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Former Scotland international John Barclay has described the decision to not award his former side a late match-winning try against France as the "most unfair I've ever seen," claiming it denied them a potential first ever Six Nations title.
Gregor Townsend's side suffered heartbreak in the 80th minute at Murrayfield, having seemingly claimed a famous victory at the death after forcing their way over the line. However, after a lengthy TMO review, it was deemed there was no conclusive evidence that the ball had been grounded, with referee Nic Berry therefore going with his original decision of no try.
The decision drew loud jeers from the home crowd, while Scotland captain Finn Russell shook his head in disbelief as the French players celebrated their 20-16 win. Their victory means that Ireland and England are the only sides still unbeaten in this year's tournament, with Barclay claiming that the late controversy at Murrayfield means "it may very well be a title procession" for Andy Farrell's men now.
"I have never seen anything quite like it," he wrote. "I played in games where a try was given and you knew you had been under the ball, but I never experienced anything that felt so gratuitously inequitable as what we all witnessed with the final play of the match at Murrayfield on Saturday.
"I just don’t know how, as a sport, we can get it so wrong when the footage exists to show ball meeting grass with Sam Skinner’s hand planted on top. That ball is on the floor, and if it is not, it’s defying the laws of physics. For me, that’s the only way it couldn’t have been a try."
Barclay went on to share the opinion of Nigel Owens who "agreed that it looked for all the world like a try" and Sam Warburton who "reckoned he could see 95 per cent of the ball on the ground". The fuming Scot added: "As we know, it only needs some part of it to be in contact with the ground for the score to stand."
Claiming that he would have been equally angry if France had been denied a try in the same fashion, Barclay argued it was a "terrible look for the game" as he asked: "Where on earth are we as a sport if we’re not giving scores that we’re 95 per cent confident about?”
His anger follows similar sentiments from Townsend, with many rugby fans and pundits also calling for change. La Rochelle coach Ronan O'Gara summed it up in the immediate aftermath of the Scottish match, saying: "Is there any other sport where the officials have such an impact ? Too many rules/ laws... too complicated."