Clive Woodward, the England coach, has dismissed suggestions that he is to lodge an official complaint about the performance of the World Cup final referee, Andre Watson.
Reports yesterday claimed the England camp were unhappy with a number of decisions made by the South African in the second half, especially his penalising of the front row, which ultimately led to Elton Flatley's last-minute penalty equaliser.
Woodward, though, denied he would be making an approach to the International Rugby Board. ''I have only had one brief post-match conversation with Andre, at the IRB awards dinner last Sunday, and we didn't discuss the match in any detail. I can also confirm that I have no plans to write a letter to the IRB in this matter.
''However, I will be attending the IRB coaches and referees' conference in January 2004 and, like a number of other coaches, I will be looking forward to a wide-ranging discussion, which is aimed at improving the understanding and communication between officials and international test teams.''
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