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Rugby Union

Laporte slams Aussie ref

10/06/2007

France coach Bernard Laporte has criticised referee Stuart Dickinson after his side lost 61-10 to New Zealand yesterday.

The loss was France's biggest ever and Laporte feels the referee was partly to blame for their collapse.

Dickinson also took charge of the first Test between the two sides last week which Les Bleu lost 43-11 and Laporte chose to confront the Australian about his performance in that game.

New Zealand's Sunday Star-Times reports that Laporte found Dickinson in the hotel before yesterday's game and tried to show him what he felt were All Black infringements via his laptop.

Laporte said: "If you are appointed to any French games at the World Cup, the French team will not turn up.

"We have had enough of you. All the time you do this to us."

The French coach could be found guilty of breaching the International Rugby Board's (IRB) code regarding threatening and intimidating match officials.

Dickinson has raised the matter with Australian Rugby Union referees' boss Peter Marshall who is likely to pass it on to the IRB's head of referees, Paddy O'Brien.

Marshall said: "It is disappointing. There are more appropriate channels to go through if coaches feel they haven't been fairly treated.

"Stuart just told me what happened. He was very calm about it - he's had plenty of mud thrown at him before."

Dickinson will now have to file a report on the incident for the IRB before they decide whether to take any action against Laporte.

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