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The tears running down Joe Tekori's cheeks as Samoa's national anthem reverberated round the Parc des Princes today will be one of the enduring emotional images of the World Cup.
But the former Auckland lock's big day out would have been even more special had he been awarded
what the Samoans insist was a fair try early in the second half.
It wouldn't have changed the outcome, as the South Africans eased away on the back of four-try winger Bryan Habana and fullback Percy Montgomery's 29 points to a 57-7 win.
But Samoan coach Michael Jones and captain Semo Setiti were adamant the flow of the match, not to mention the final scoreline, would have been significantly different had New Zealand's top referee Paul Honiss raised his arm straight up instead of at an angle signalling a penalty to South Africa.
Samoa maintain Tekori got across the line in the right corner, but Honiss penalised him, on what seemed to be touch judge advice, for offside. That would have made the score 21-12 with a tough conversion to follow 2min after halftime.
Mild-mannered flanker Setiti gave Honiss some free advice during a game in which Samoa felt they got the raw end of the whistle.
"I told him two teams are playing, not one," Setiti said after the match.
"We were very disappointed in the referee. Our spirit went down when those decisions went against us."
Jones, the former All Black great, described the non-try as "the crucial point for us".
"At 21-14 we would have been one try off the pace, it would have lifted our boys. I'm not saying we would have won, but it would have been a totally different outcome."
Samoa became dispirited and South Africa were not in a mood for generousity.
Jones said his players need to learn to overcome their disappointment, "but that's part of growing up as a team."
Jones was at a loss to explain how the Samoan lineout went so awry.
Admittedly, Springbok leapers Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha and Juan Smith near the tail, are among the best in the game, but Jones was confident Samoa had enough options to be competitive, at least on their own throw.
The Samoans got some support for their contention that Tekori had scored from Springbok coach Jake White.
"It was a tough call. He could have given that try; it may have looked like a try," White said, but he and South African skipper John Smit had a measure of sympathy for Honiss - although the mischevious might have wondered if a tongue was lodged in the cheek.
"Not only the 30 players were nervous, and that's only natural. Everyone is trying to get into the last eight, the last four and the last two - and that includes the referees."
Smit felt Honiss "did everything in his power to make it a competitive game".pe"We knew exactly where we stood, there was no humming and haaing."
Smit had a good line to describe a ferocious opening 25min, during which players clashed repeatedly off the ball with the game frequently threatened to get out of hand.
"It was almost cage fighting at every tackled ball," Smit said.
"There was a lot of rucking and plucking, but that's part and parcel of it."
