VIDEO: Wallabies take shots at French ref in tasteless tennis skit
WATCH as Wallabies duo Nic White and Ned Hanigan take part in bizarre scenes at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
The players were given the chance to release some pent-up anger by whacking tennis balls against a target.
That target just happened to be French referee Mathieu Raynal’s face, which was bouncing around a screen.
See below for background
Nic White and Ned Hanigan targeting Mathieu Raynal at the Aussie Open.
Stan deleted the clip. pic.twitter.com/HpAl5ZPr0T
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) January 28, 2023
Probably the most controversial decision in all of rugby in 2022 was the Wallabies being punished for time wasting by Raynal in the final seconds of a Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship Test in September against the All Blacks, which ultimately gave the All Blacks a scrum five metres out to secure a 39-37 win.
Even though months have passed since then, it is clearly still a painful subject in Australia, so much so that the scrumhalf was given the chance to exact revenge on the Frenchman.
Moments after the final whistle was blown in Melbourne, the No.9 could be heard shouting: “That just cost us the Rugby Championship!”
Raynal went on to explain his decision, saying: “That’s not fair what you did at the end, you just ran the time and if you think that I’m not capable of giving a scrum, you made a mistake.”
Additional source: @RugbyOnslaught