Siya Kolisi and Jacques Nienaber say the officiating of Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli did not cost the Springboks victory against Ireland on Saturday.
The world’s No 1-ranked side and the world champions scored two tries each in Dublin, but a late Johnny Sexton penalty gave Ireland a big enough buffer to deny the Boks in a tense 19-16 victory at the Aviva Stadium.
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The buildup to both of Ireland’s tries featured what looked like a forward pass, yet Kolisi believes there was no justification for questioning Amashukeli, who also yellow-carded Bok fullback Cheslin Kolbe for a dangerous tackle on left wing Mack Hansen.
“I’ll never blame the ref,” the Bok skipper said post-match.
“Both tries were checked [by the TMO] and then there’s nothing else you can do. I thought he was fair and Ireland played very well.”
Nienaber added: “Ireland deserved this victory. They were good and capitalised on their opportunities. Every one they got, they used.”
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Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images
