There is an argument to be made that none of the Rugby World Cup events were more significant than Cheslin Kolbe’s charge down in the quarter-final.
The South African winger stopped Thomas Ramos from adding two points after a France try in the first half, as the Springboks won by a single point at the Stade de France. They won the World Cup less than two weeks later.
A month later, this is naturally still a sensitive subject for the France fullback, especially as he continues to dispute the legitimacy of Kolbe’s run.
The legitimacy of attempting to charge down a conversion came into question after South Africa’s win, with some doubting whether a player was onside when making the attempt. One individual skeptical of his former Toulouse teammate’s positioning is Ramos, who spoke to Midi Olympique about the controversial charge down. Ramos expressed his initial surprise at the incident, reflecting on the match and stating that he felt he had not altered his routine.
Ramos shared his perspective on the rule, indicating that, according to the exact regulations, the player’s feet must be behind the line when leaving. He pointed out that, in this instance, the player had his foot on the line when departing. While acknowledging potential blame on the match referee Ben O’Keeffe, Ramos emphasized that the video referee had the responsibility to review and intervene if a fault was identified. He believes these aspects could have influenced the outcome of the game in favor of his team.
However, the controversial charge down was not the only source of regret for Ramos. He went on to list various areas where Les Bleus fell short in their 29-28 loss to South Africa in Paris. Ramos highlighted missed opportunities with high balls, attributing 14 points to these lapses. Additionally, he expressed a desire for more ambition in certain situations, particularly when trailing by four points. Despite the team’s strength upfront, Ramos mentioned instances where they could have capitalized on actions, such as a missed opportunity involving Etzebeth. These unfulfilled opportunities left Ramos and his team frustrated after the match.
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