World Rugby has contacted Rugby Europe after Spain complained bitterly about the refereeing during their defeat by Belgium on Sunday which meant they missed a chance to qualify for the 2019 World Cup. Spanish players were left fuming over the performance of Romanian official Vlad Iordachescu after an 18-10 defeat in Brussels gave Romania second spot behind Georgia in the Rugby Europe Championship standings. World Rugby, however, said it was not its place to interfere with the selection of officials by Rugby Europe. “While World Rugby does not appoint match officials for the Rugby Europe Championship, it is in contact with Rugby Europe to understand the context of events relating to the Belgium v Spain match in Brussels on Sunday, which doubled as an important RWC 2019 qualifier,” World Rugby said on Twitter. “While we appreciate that this is a subject of high-emotion, it would be inappropriate to comment on match official performance before the usual full review has been undertaken,” the organisation said.

Source: The Irish Times March 19, 2018 14:27 UTC