The Roar with Jones-Goddard Scoop
Riled referee blows whistle on Eddie
David Sygall
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Referee Matt Goddard has angrily fired back at Reds coach Eddie Jones, claiming he attacked his officiating to divert attention from Queensland's poor showing in a Super 14 match.
On an internet web forum, Goddard also claimed the game in February, in which the Brumbies beat the Reds 6-3, was "the worst game of professional rugby that I have been involved in".
Jones later described some of Goddard's decisions as outrageous, ludicrous and not up to Super 14 standard. He was fined $10,000 and told to write the referee an apology.
Goddard, who is one of only two Australians on the IRB's referees list, said the criticism was Jones's way to keep his players out of the spotlight after their disappointing effort.
"As a referee, it was mind-boggling that after the worst game of professional rugby that I have been involved in, in terms of skill and execution, the only press the week after focused on Eddie Jones and Matt Goddard - no mention of the standard of play in the game," the Sydney referee said in a chat forum on the sports blog website http://www.theroar.com.au.
"Perhaps Eddie did his job well, with no mention of any of his players that week in the press."
Referees have virtually no way to respond to criticism from coaches, players or the public, but Goddard chose to break his silence in an online web forum two months after Jones made his comments.
Goddard, 32, is controlling a Super 14 match in Cape Town this weekend. ARU referees manager Peter Marshall confirmed to The Sun-Herald that Goddard had written the response on the website.
At the centre of the Jones-Goddard row was the adjudication of scrum infringements by the Reds in the second half. Jones was livid that penalties were awarded against his side when they were in dominant field positions. They were pinged several times for collapsing the scrum.
Goddard said that neither Jones nor anyone else had asked him why he had made the calls.
"Further to the irony of the week was that not once was I asked by any coach, press or anyone what my interpretation was for - when it was all so simple," he said. "One thing that did come out of the week was that in both New Zealand and Australia the referees did some 'scrum schooling', as Eddie suggested.
"You may be interested to know that the height of the tight-head prop was considered paramount - 'to pack with his head and shoulders above his hips' as the law states - and that the decisions made in the Reds v Brumbies games were fine."
Jones, knowing he risked being fined, lashed out after the match on February 17.
"That refereeing is just outrageous," he said. "I can't understand the [penalties] when our scrum was the dominant scrum. That poor refereeing is not up to the standard of Super 14.
"We were definitely the stronger scrum in the first half, and we get penalised for collapsing the scrum. Work that one out. It is disgraceful.
"Whatever fine I have to pay [for criticising the referee] I am prepared to pay twice . . . it's not good enough. It's not good enough for rugby. The stronger scrum is getting penalised . . . well, that doesn't make sense."
The former Wallabies coach had been angry that Goddard did not talk to hooker Sean Hardman, but had been telling tight-head prop Rodney Blake he was packing too low.
"Props are supposed to pack low," Jones said. "This is ludicrous."
Goddard stood by his decisions but admitted the laws of rugby were too complex.
"Rugby does have a problem with law complexities which hopefully can be rectified in the near future with massive law changes aimed at taking the referee out of the equation," he said. But he added that smart coaches such as Jones would probably find other ways to "play just outside the scope of the law".
