Rugby: Referee low five with Fiji player stokes criticism in Australia

TOKYO: A congratulatory"low five" shared between referee Ben O'Keeffe and a Fiji player during the Pacific islanders' World Cup opener against the Wallabies has been criticised by Australian media and invited further scrutiny on officiating at the tournament.

After Fiji scored a try to move to a 21-12 lead in the second half of the match at Sapporo, video footage posted online shows New Zealander O'Keeffe extending his right hand as Fiji fullback Kini Murimurivalu jogs toward him."Regardless of his intensions or the motivations behind the gesture, it just shouldn’t happen," Australian broadcaster Fox Sports said on its website, describing the low five as a"cardinal sin".

"There is simply no place in top professional sport for a referee to engage in any sort of celebratory actions with a player," he wrote on the Stuff.co.nz website on Monday, describing the incident as a"brain snap". "O'Keeffe should be reminded of his obligations as a referee and the scrutiny he's under at all times on the field."Last Tuesday, the governing body's chief executive Brett Gosper said he felt that match officials were better prepared than at any previous World Cup.

Yet a slew of coaches and players were left bemused by the officiating during the opening weekend's matches.

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