SANZAR's referees' boss Lyndon Bray has defended the last minute penalty which cost the Crusaders victory in last Sunday's thrilling Super Rugby match against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane.
In one of the most talked about decisions of the season, the Australian referee Stuart Dickinson penalised the Crusaders captain Richie McCaw for using his hands in a ruck, allowing Quade Cooper to land a simply penalty from in front of the posts.
McCaw argued he legitimately picked the ball up after Ben Franks had successfully counter-rucked.
But after reviewing the match, Bray felt the penalty was warranted, especially after Dickinson had warned McCaw not to touch the ball.
However Bray was critical of the match official's failure to notice a knock-on by the Reds winger Digby Ioane in the play leading-up to the final penalty.
