Wallabies: Bernard Foley pleads innocence in controversial ending to Bledisloe I

Wallabies fly-half Bernard Foley is adamant that he was not trying to slow the game down in the moments that led to a controversial ending to the first Bledisloe Test.

In the game’s final stages, the Wallabies won a penalty on their try-line and, holding a slender lead, just needed to kick for touch and secure the lineout.

Bold call

However, referee Mathieu Raynal penalised Foley for wasting time kicking for touch. The All Blacks scored off the resulting scrum to retain the Bledisloe Cup with a narrow 39-37 victory in Melbourne.

Speaking to the Herald and The Age, Foley pleaded his innocence and claimed he did not expect a call like that to come about.

“There was a lot of confusion throughout the game,” Foley said. “I wasn’t trying to slow it down, but I was just trying to get really clear and concise about what we were trying to do at that next lineout.

“At the end it was very loud in the stadium, but there was no sense there was going to be a call like that.”

Wallabies centre Lalakai Foketi was urging Foley to kick, and the pivot suspects that could have pushed the referee to make the decision.

“I think Lalakai maybe got a reaction from the ref,” Foley said. “In my dealings with [Raynal], he asked [me] to hurry up but had turned the clock off. He never told me he turned it back on or there would be other repercussions.

“It was pretty loud in the stadium there with 55,000 people. [I am still] trying to digest the whole situation.”

All Blacks head coach Ian Foster claimed the decision was “clear-cut” and Foley believes it is “disappointing” for the coach to speak on it.

“I did see [his] comment,” Foley said. “If you get away with one, you probably would have a no comment. But for him to speak about it in that regard was a bit disappointing.”

Referees taking away from the game

Foley admitted it is sad that the ending has taken away from the spectacle while also commending Nic White for nailing a 48-metre penalty that could have given the Wallabies the victory.

“The problem is we’re talking about that,” Foley said. “Two sides both played a great game and we’re talking about a referee decision. That’s become a little too frequent in Test match rugby these days.

“It’s funny, I roomed with Nic this week. He stepped up there, wanted that kick and absolutely nailed it. Even after the last couple of weeks he’s had, to show the resilience to step up in that big moment is a sign of what he does for this team.

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“For the lads to stay in the fight and come back from that deficit, and a couple of men in the bin … to have a chance to win it at the end was pretty incredible.”

The pivot believes there are many positives for his side to take home from their performance, and the squad will reload and prepare to head to Eden Park next weekend.

“There’s still a lot to play for,” Foley said. “It’s a bit disappointing and bittersweet that we’re not playing for trophies and championships. To go over there and win at Eden Park is a massive carrot for us as a team.

“It’s also a chance to build on what we laid down yesterday. The guys will recover, take a few days to get the bodies right and then we’ll rip into the preparation.”