The referee who will take charge of the England v Wales match in the Six Nations in February is under heavy fire after his "shocking" handling of a big European tie.
Scotsman Mike Adamson made a number of controversial calls during Harlequins’ 36-33 Heineken Champions Cup win over Castres, culminating in the contentious awarding of a try to home back-rower Alex Dombrandt late on which proved decisive.
Adamson's display fuelled concerns that he may be found wanting when England host Wales on February 26.
Castres were eliminated from the Champions Cup after their defeat on Friday evening and flak came in from far and wide over the officiating, with former England fly-half Andy Goode leading the way, saying on Twitter: "Got to feel for Castres there, some horrific decisions have gone against them."
Ex-Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan posted: "Keep in mind the shocking forward pass in the lead up to the 1st Pen. People wonder why coaches get so upset with referees. Most frustrating part is there are zero consequences for Mike Adamson. He is promoted to the 6 Nations despite his performance.”
Adamson’s most eye-popping call came in the dying seconds at The Stoop as Dombrandt went over. The official at first gave an on-pitch decision of no try before eventually awarding the score despite the video evidence not being totally conclusive.
There were further claims of mistakes in the minutes building up to the score, one of which saw Adamson penalise Castres after they seemed to have won a fair breakdown turnover.
Other areas of concern included an apparent forward pass being missed.
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