The Boks edged the hosts 29-28 in Paris in one of the greatest matches ever played, but several key decisions by O’Keeffe sparked outrage in France.
Among the flashpoints were Eben Etzebeth’s slap-back near his tryline, Cheslin Kolbe’s chargedown of a Thomas Ramos conversion and a crucial late turnover penalty won by Kwagga Smith.
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Speaking on the DSPN podcast, O’Keeffe described the match as unforgettable.
“Having a quarter-final where you have the host nation versus South Africa, and probably one of the best first halves of rugby I have ever been involved in – I loved being a part of it,” he said. “But then you get a game which is 28-29, and a team loses by one point.”
France captain Antoine Dupont publicly questioned the officiating after the match, which intensified the criticism directed at O’Keeffe.
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“What I found difficult in the days following was the trial by media that happened afterwards,” the referee admitted.
“I remember being in public and just walking to the gym with my referee colleagues, and people were videoing me.
“My sister came through customs, and she was asked if she was related to me. She didn’t know anything about what was going on; she was just there to support me. So she said yes and wondered why she got a bit of a funny look.”
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Despite the scrutiny, O’Keeffe said he still believes he handled the occasion well.
“We get a lot of decisions right in the game, but we also make errors,” he said. “I’m still proud of how I refereed that game, especially with some of the decisions that we had to make, and believe I was the right person to referee it.”
O’Keeffe added that World Rugby’s decision to appoint him to the semi-final between the Springboks and England the following week helped reinforce his confidence.
“I loved being able to get onto that field,” he said. “I went out there and refereed England versus South Africa, and did a really good job.”
Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
