"You can grant the try.
The little phrase of Joy Neville destroyed the dream of the XV of France to bring down Twickenham in the 77th minute of Crunch on Saturday.
The English, led 16 to 20, dominate this second period and have just sent their massive second line Maro Itoje in the in-goal of the Blues.
But Andrew Brace, the Irish referee who had already officiated in the final of the Nations Cup of Nations between the two formations in December, can not determine if the player of the Saracens has flattened well or if the arm of the third Cameron Woki's tricolor line prevented him from doing so.
He then turns to video assistance, which his compatriot is responsible for.
"Joy, can you hear me?
I have a decision, there is no try, the player is held in the air.
You confirm me?
», Launches the central referee, more inclined not to grant the test.
But Joy Neville sees all possible plans of action.
And ends up determining that the test is, in his eyes, very valid.
"The ball hits the ground," said the video referee.
Cruel !
Maro Itoje gives the English advantage in the last five minutes!
Thanks to the transformation of Owen Farrell, the XV of the Rose leads (23-20)!
▶ Follow the end of the match live: https://t.co/kVwQAH8rYe#ENGvFRA #SixNations pic.twitter.com/vuS4mohrK2
- France tv sport (@francetvsport) March 13, 2021
A decision that allows England, whose captain Owen Farrell transformed the test, to take the advantage and win (23-20).
But that aroused the anger of many French supporters, who were upset against Joy Neville's decision.
Targeted by sexist attacks
Some have even used sexist attacks on social networks.
"You have to say to this good woman behind the video that she has nothing to do in this sport", launches one Internet user, while another encourages her to "return to her kitchen".
If she did not respond to these attacks, the Irish woman has already been a victim.
"I think the moral of this story is that you learn from your own experiences and that's when I said to myself: I will never let this go again", she explained in an interview with at World Rugby in 2018, recalling a meeting where a frontline player spent the game laughing at his decisions.
Former captain of the XV of Clover, Joy Neville began her conversion as referee in 2013, the year she won the Grand Slam in the Six Nations Tournament.
Nominated to lead the final of the Women's World Cup in 2017, the year in which she was voted "referee of the year" by World rugby, Joy Neville is also making her mark in men's rugby.
Touch judge of the friendly match between the Blues and Japan at the end of 2017, a few weeks later she became the first female referee to lead a European Cup meeting, that between the Union Bordeaux-Bègles and the Russians of Enisei .
First woman in charge of video refereeing of a men's international match
This fall, Joy Neville was also appointed in charge of video refereeing for the Wales-Georgia Fall Cup game.
Again, another first for a woman.
"Very excited by this new challenge", explained on Twitter the one who openly expressed her homosexuality and who married her partner Simona Coppola in 2015.
Saturday, his decision changed the meeting.
In the tricolor camp, no one wanted to openly criticize her.
“I admit that, on the video, I could not necessarily see but there is a video referee who granted the test, it must be there.
The referee is always right, ”slipped the opener Matthieu Jalibert.
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"It's a brilliant decision," greeted former Ireland opening half Ronan O'Gara at the microphone of Virgin Media.
On the English side, Maro Itoje obviously considers having flattened.
"Without a shadow of a doubt," he said.