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Morgan Williams: Experiencing some hair-raising moments with match referees
Canada captain Morgan Williams has blasted referee Jonathan Kaplan for allowing four minutes of injury time to be played which resulted in a thrilling 12-12 Rugby World draw with Japan in Bordeaux on Tuesday.
The Canucks' scrum-half claims drastic changes needed to be made in rugby officiating after a late converted try by replacement Koji Taira cost his side victory against the Cherry Blossoms.
Canada are now almost certain to lose their proud record of never having gone away from a World Cup without a win when they face Pool B leaders Australia on Saturday.
Kaplan, who hails from South Africa, allowed play to continue even after fly-half Ryan Smith had sliced a kick into touch on full-time.
Japan were given a throw in at the line-out and after several attacks on the Canadian line - Williams ploughed into the advertising board when he saved a chip kick into his in-goal area.
Kaplan still wasn't finished and asked TMO Joël Jutge to make the final call, who ruled Williams had knocked the ball over the deadball line deliberately.
The end result was a penalty to Japan and the rest, as they say, is history.
"It's unbelievable, the ball went out in the 81st minute and he (Kaplan) played another three minutes," said Williams.
"Every other game we've played, as soon as it hits 80 that's the end of the game - I don't know maybe his watch is broken or he's blind, one of the two."
Williams was also angry about a try he thought he had scored after chasing up and falling on a Dth van der Merwe grubber kick, but the try was ruled out because Kaplan called in the help of Jutge and the video images were unclear.
"I'll say it now because I'm retiring and I don't care, but the referees need to start taking ownership of calls," said Williams.
"I feel a lot of teams are getting screwed on calls. We got screwed for the try in the second half and I don't know how he can't call it.
"I put it on the line and the referee was standing right there. It was clearly a try and it was strange for him to go upstairs (to the video referee)."
Coach Ric Suggitt said the International Rugby Board (IRB) needs to follow the lead of American sports in increasing the number of match officials on the pitch.
"The speed of the game is something that needs to be addressed, not just the playing of the game," said Suggitt.
"You look at the NBA they've got another official, the NHL have got another official.
"Those are professional sports that bring in heaps of money and as games get stronger and faster, you have to have more officials to keep up with the speed of the game.
"It's not just foot speed, it's eye speed and everything else that's going on. You could have a camera above the goal line to give a bird's eye view like in the NHL.
"They're making lots of money, there's a full crowd here."
Suggitt also called on the IRB to abandon plans to reduce the number of teams in the tournament from 16 to 20.
"We had a full house, it was an entertaining game, the fans definitely got their money's worth," he said of their match with Japan.
"Teams like us, Japan, Georgia and the USA, it is truly a global game, you need to look outside the teams like Australia, France and England.
"Teams like Tonga sure scared South Africa, look what Georgia did (to Ireland) and we did it for short period of time against Wales.
"We're on an eight-year and 12-year cycle to revamp rugby in Canada. We know that Rome was not built in a day.
"It is a global game now and growing quickly and we have to move with it and find the resources to compete with the likes of New Zealand, England and France."
