Ireland captain Sam Monaghan addresses alleged biting incident

Ireland captain Sam Monaghan spoke to the match referee after team-mate Aoife Wafer alleged she was bitten during her side’s heartbreaking World Cup quarter-final defeat to France.

It appeared as though Wafer, who was playing for the first time at the tournament, had been bitten on the arm by French back row Axelle Berthoumieu as Ireland won a penalty turnover in the second half of their last-eight exit.

At the time of the incident, Ireland looked on course to reach the semi-finals for the only the second time in their history, leading 13-0 before France stormed back in the second half to triumph 18-13.

“I spoke to the referee,” said skipper Monaghan. “Aoife told me, I didn’t see it myself, but I spoke to the referee and asked them.”

Scott Bemand’s team looked to be heading for the last four at half-time after Linda Djougang and Stacey Flood went over with tries in the first half.

However, France stunned them with a dramatic comeback after the interval, Joanna Grisez going over with the crucial score with 13 minutes remaining to break Ireland hearts.

However, a sour taste was left following the match after the allegations of biting emerged.

Speaking on BBC Sport, former England World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi said: “I hate seeing that in the game. When it comes to a situation like that it’s very clear, she should be punished for that.

“It’s sad because we’ve been celebrating the women’s game in this World Cup.

“It’s such a shame that the headlines will be dominated by the incident by a player who didn’t need to do that.”

The French back row could be liable to a ban if any retrospective action is taken over the incident.

Ireland head coach Bemand said: “We’ve literally just stepped off the pitch. If there’s any bits to pick up, we’ll pick them up in the next hour.

“I think in terms of process, your on-pitch leadership would mention to the referee. Then it’s up to the team officials to deal with it, should they see fit at that point.

“At the moment, I haven’t seen anything. I’ve literally just stepped in here.

“If there are bits to pursue, we could potentially be disappointed but we’ve followed the process as best we can from our perspective in terms of the on-pitch conversations.”