Another explanation: Laporte won the mind games

[Ab]

http://www.rugbyheaven.co.nz/4232718a22363.html

When the IRB appointed Barnes to this game, I immediately thought: "Bernard Laporte has got what he wanted".

Cast your mind back to Laporte's deliberate attack on Australian ref Stu Dickenson in Wellington a few months ago.

Is it possible that Laporte has had a long-term plan to ensure that any referee who controlled a France-New Zealand match at the World Cup could be more easily manipulated or intimidated by him?

If so Paddy O'Brien - the same Paddy who assured us there would be no whitewash of the Laporte attack on Dickinson and then promptly allowed exactly that to happen - has played right into the Frenchman's hands.

Thanks for that Paddy.

Dickenson may have his critics but he's controlled almost 40 tests - and what's more he's not easily conned by the likes of Laporte, as he showed by standing up to him in that Wellington hotel foyer.

But Laporte won the final battle.

By a combination of histrionics and using his influence at IRB level, he ensured Graham Henry ended up with exactly what he feared most - and inexperienced European-based referee out of his depth.

Laporte ensured no Sanzar referee was anywhere near being in the middle of this quarter final.

[Ard Righ]

Sound entirely plausible. The fact that this game, rated the top out of all the quarter-final match-ups, was given the most inexperience referee, considering the other referees available.

[Rince]

I heard that at the end of game, Richie found a cellphone on the pitch - he looked at and then handed it over to Barnes..... Barnes asked Richie how he did know it was his? Richie replied ....

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"Easy - it's got it on it... '15 missed calls'"

[Heresy]

I don't know what to think of Laporte, whether to love him or hate him.

Kiwis are best in world - Laporte