KEY POINTS:
Referee Wayne Barnes made at least three serious errors that went against the All Blacks late in the World Cup quarterfinal against France, an International Rugby Board (IRB) panel has found.
France scored the winning try from a forward pass and committed at least two other two offences that could have been penalised, the IRB referees' selection panel found.
The All Blacks lost 18-20, for their worst finish at a World Cup.
IRB referees' manager, New Zealander Paddy O'Brien, said the panel still gave Barnes a pass mark and reiterated he did not cost the All Blacks the game.
O'Brien said a review of Englishman Barnes and touch judges Jonathan Kaplan and Tony Spreadbury, found a series of wrong calls against the All Blacks.
A successful penalty would have been enough to win the match for the All Blacks, but Barnes did not award one penalty against France in the second half.
Barnes' has come under close scrutiny, particularly his performance late in the match in which the All Blacks - desperate for points - retained the ball for more than 25 consecutive phases.
An examination of that period by international media has shown repeated offences by the French which went unnoticed and unpunished by match officials.
The New Zealand Rugby Union has criticised Barnes, describing some of his decisions as "very, very questionable" and saying his performance had a major impact on the outcome.
O'Brien, a former New Zealand policeman and test referee, has consistently supported Barnes, saying while he made mistakes he could not be held responsible for the All Blacks' defeat.
"Wayne's game's been (reviewed) by all four selectors and myself, probably under more scrutiny than any other game due to the interest in it," O'Brien told Radio Sport today.
"There were errors made. There was a scrum turnover not given in the first half that should have been.
"There was clearly the forward pass that was missed by all three officials and, at the end of the day, with Wayne being the referee he must take responsibility for that.
"There were two calls, one with a hand in the ruck and one with offside at a ruck in the last 10 minutes, which the touch judge should have given him.
"We've certainly reviewed the touch judges' performance and that's been reflected in our appointments for the third-fourth playoff and the final. Both of those touch judges have missed out."
O'Brien said he was not prepared to concede that Barnes, a 28-year-old former barrister who has been refereeing test matches for less than a year, was overawed by the quarterfinal appointment.
"I think there were a lot of factors involved in New Zealand not winning that game and one of them was some issues with refereeing and touch judging - and we've always said that - but to blame him for the loss is completely wrong," he said.
O'Brien said Barnes would be considered for appointment to matches in New Zealand, though threats had been made against him by angry All Blacks fans.
"Wayne is going to be on the international scene for some time and he will definitely be in New Zealand within the next couple of years," he said.
"Wayne is a world-class referee and he will be appointed to any match that we think he can referee."
Meanwhile O'Brien said the IRB and Sanzar would discuss using some proposed new laws in next year's Super 14 competition this week.
The laws have been trialed in the Australian championship and in the Heartland Championships in New Zealand, drawing mixed reactions.
"I think there are a lot of advantages under the new laws. We have to think on a global market," O'Brien said.
- NZPA
