Frenchman Patrice Lagisquet has slammed the standard of Southern Hemisphere referees and warned that another Six Nations championship weekend could be affected.
Lagisquet, coach of French champions Biarritz Olympique, was highly critical of New Zealander Kelvin Deaker for allowing Ireland to continually to kill the loose ball againstWales last Sunday.
It ended Welsh hopes of the rapidly re-cycled second phase possession from the breakdown.
Deaker plainly saw the offences. He penalised Ireland several times and at one stage appeared to speak to lock Donncha O'Callaghan.
But the words were never followed by action.
This reminded Northern Hemisphere observers of Steve Walsh's endless patience during a Super 14 match last season in New Zealand, when one side was penalised four or five times in its own 22.
Walsh intimated the offences could not continue but almost immediately, when there was another, he simply awarded another penalty.
For some reason, New Zealand referees seem unwilling to use yellow cards. Deaker's poor performance came 24 hours after what Lagisquet called the "ridiculous" refereeing on the opening weekend of the Super 14.
With Steve Walsh taking charge of Ireland's match against France on Monday, Lagisquet fears more of the same.
"Maybe the problem for France will be the fight for the ball on the ground.
"But what referees from the Southern Hemisphere are authorising on the ground is incredible.
"I saw one of the games in the Super 14 last weekend and everybody was just diving in on top of the ball, it was ridiculous.
"But if you kill the ball so much it is impossible to play well because defences are so well organised in the modern game.
"Referees have to enforce this strictly but they are not doing that. But if that is what happens, the only solution is to have very powerful players in the set pieces.
"Ireland are strong at the lineouts but the French team is not."
* Peter Bills is a rugby writer for Independent News & Media in London
