In the feverish cauldron of the World Cup semi-final, the match between England and the Springboks was decided not by a try, but a penalty, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of the English players, especially prop Ellis Genge. New Zealand referee Ben O’Keeffe, at the heart of this pivotal moment, awarded a scrum penalty to the Springboks, allowing Handre Pollard to slot the decisive points and carry South Africa into the final.
England, under Steve Borthwick, initially held a promising 12-6 lead at halftime. The intensity only escalated as Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks clawed back, primarily through the boot of Pollard, the replacement fly-half. The critical moment came just as England was nursing a slender two-point lead with less than 10 minutes on the clock. O'Keeffe's decision following several scrum resets tipped the scales, leaving Genge and his team to rue what might have been.
"The feeling after that semi of losing by a point and ultimately a penalty 40 metres out coming from our scrum, whether the decision was right or wrong. It hurts, like thanks for bringing that up. But yeah, so it’s an open wound, and you just got to make sure it don’t open back up,"
Genge expressed in a poignant reflection of the match’s outcome, highlighting the emotional and national significance of the event. His raw sentiments underscore the profound impact such moments can have on a player's psyche and their sense of duty to their country.
"It’s a f–king World Cup. It’s a World Cup semi-final. The penalty for them to go ahead was from a scrum penalty that I was involved in, against me. So, obviously, it’s going to make you feel a certain way, isn’t it? Like you’ve let the f–king nation down."
On the other side of the whistle, O'Keeffe provided his perspective, emphasizing the preparation and mindset required to make such consequential decisions. "I have a thing: a lot of referees do, with 10 minutes to go in a game when it’s tight, I knew what the score was going to be. You have to make the correct decision, which is to blow your whistle. You also have to make the correct decision that you blow as well. So, you don’t want to make an error," he explained on the DSPN podcast with Martin Devlin.
He further clarified his decision-making process: "My understanding is that we had a scrum, we had an infringement by England, we had a few resets, and then you took the clear one. We had a knee on the ground. I made sure it was a really clear picture to give because I think if I didn’t give it, and we go the other way, then obviously there’s a really clear decision that I’ve missed there."
As the dust settles, the incident continues to fuel debates and discussions, reflecting the ever-present tensions and dramas that define rugby at its highest levels. This moment not only defined a match but also set a benchmark for the scrutiny and pressures referees face in the modern game.