Noves questions Owens’ final appointment

WHY Guy Noves waited until after Saturday’s game to stress his annoyance at the ERC’s decision to appoint Nigel Owens as match referee is bizarre.

If an objection needed to be made to the Heineken Cup organisers, the Toulouse head coach had three weeks to file his complaint to the competition’s decision-makers.

Instead, the Toulouse head coach waited until the post-match press conference to register his point, but it wasn’t made with any hint of bitterness or bad sportsmanship. He balanced his annoyance with Owens by praising a more streetwise Munster, who closed out the game with sustained possession and a collective will-power.