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PARIS - Argentina coach Marcelo Loffreda, keen to ensure his team get the same treatment from referees as the major rugby nations, said on Friday he had taken a grievance to World Cup chief of officials Paddy O'Brien.
Loffreda said the referees' manager had agreed to discuss issues with him ahead of Argentina's decisive Pool D match against Ireland at the Parc des Princes on Sunday, to be refereed by New Zealander Paul Honiss.
"We showed (O'Brien) a video of the match against Georgia where the Welsh referee Nigel Owens did not rule against the teams in the same way in similar situations," Loffreda said.
"And also, that certain issues that had been raised in the chat with coaches before the World Cup, like for example diving into rucks, had not been heeded," he told a news conference after naming his team for Sunday's match. He recognised that we were right.
"We asked that the referee on Sunday be absolutely impartial and O'Brien committed himself personally to (ensuring) that. But, well, he won't be officiating."
Honiss was in charge of the opening match of the last World Cup in which Argentina played hosts Australia. The Pumas were unhappy with some of the New Zealander's decisions that day.
"In 2003, Honiss was the referee of the opening match of the World Cup and we had lots of problems. He did not blow up for Argentina's mistakes the same way as Australia's," Loffreda said.
Loffreda said he did not fear his talk with O'Brien would backfire on Argentina on Sunday.
"I'm not afraid of that. I simply preferred to be prudent and anticipate a situation that is quite uncontrollable," he said.
- REUTERS
