As large swathes of France tortures itself over the ‘theft’ of two points in a match lost by one, their full back’s anguish will not have been improved over something said by the former Toulouse team-mate responsible for mugging him last Sunday night.
Amidst all his claims that he had acted strictly within the law, Cheslin Kolbe made a comment which has largely gone unnoticed. In retrospect, it could be interpreted as a vague admission of sorts.
“I think I was in a good position behind my goal line when he took off,’’ Kolbe said. “I then ran as fast as I could towards him to try to block him. It worked and it was very nice.”
So far, so good. But then Kolbe also said: “I was hoping they didn’t refer the kick but I was sure I was onside.”
The incident begs an intriguing question: why? Why did the Television Match Official, the New Zealander Brendon Pickerill, not see fit to bring the matter to the attention of his compatriot, the referee Ben O’Keeffe if only to pre-empt the consequent controversy?
Pickerill, a 34-year-old from Christchurch with a degree in civil engineering, had obviously checked the video and found all to be in order. In that event, why not put it on global display to show the world at large that Kolbe did or did not pull a fast one?
This story is from the October 22, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
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This story is from the October 22, 2023 edition of The Rugby Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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