Cape Town — "This is not soccer". That is probably what Former Test referee Nigel Owens would have said to Australia scrumhalf Nic White after his theatrics in their 25-17 Rugby Championship win over the Springboks.
The Wallabies were leading by seven points in the 39th minute when Bok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk swiped at White’s face while attempting to disrupt a clearance from the base of the scrum.
White saw this as a prime opportunity to show his acting skills as he dropped to the ground clutching at his face after De Klerk's brush of the hand.
The Bok No 9 was shown yellow for the incident, with the Wallabies scoring a try while the South Africans were one man down.
White's dramatic performance had tongues wagging, with Owens — famous for his witty remarks — also weighing in on Twitter as he shared a clip of White's dive with the caption "Dam I retired to soon..."
Dam I retired to soon 😂😂😉😉🏉🏉 https://t.co/a8kVSIUJS7
— Nigel Owens MBE (@Nigelrefowens) August 27, 2022
In 2012, the Welshman was officiating a Pro12 game between Munster and Treviso when Tobias Botes complained about Paul O'Connell not releasing at the ruck.
After consulting the captain of the Italian side, shifted his focus to Botes and told him: "I don't think we've met before, but I'm the referee on this field, not you. Stick to your job and I will do mine. If I hear you shouting for anything again, I am going to be penalising you.
"This is not soccer, is that clear? Back you go and get on with your game."
Owens wasn't the only one from the Rugby community to have a go at White, with Saracens flanker Mike Rhodes calling his act "just plain embarrassing" and "disgraceful" and former England Sevens captain and commentator Rob Vickerman poking fun at his "planto role". Former Bok captain John Smit tweeted: “(White) just killed a little piece of rugby’s soul today.”
Chatting on SuperSport after the game, World Cup-winner Butch James gave his opinion on the matter, saying: “It’s a disgrace to the game of rugby that a player can behave like that.”
IOL Sport