0
![Not allowed!](images/buttons/down_dis.png)
![Not allowed!](images/buttons/up_dis.png)
Unless Giteau is now penalised then it means Walsh has been sacked, not moved, from the match.
Controversial referee Steve Walsh has been replaced for Brumbies, Reds clash
By Jim Morton
April 28, 2010
Referee Steve Walsh has been taken off duty for the crucial Super 14 clash between the Brumbies and Queensland Reds due to his "untenable" position.
Following a scathing attack by the Brumbies, Walsh has been replaced by New Zealander Chris Pollock for the Brumbies clash with Queensland but SANZAR referees boss Lyndon Bray insisted he had not been dropped due to his performance in the Brumbies' 19-12 loss to New South Wales Waratahs.
Bray said Sydney-based Walsh had been swapped with Pollock, who in turn gives up control of the Waratahs match against the Chiefs in Hamilton.
Nevertheless, the news will be well received by the Brumbies who called for Walsh's sacking for what they claimed was a one-sided display at ANZ Stadium against the Waratahs.
The ACT franchise was most upset by the referee's handling of the scrums, his running battle with Brumbies captain Stephen Hoiles and a costly disallowed try to winger Adam Ashley-Cooper.
"What we've done is not demote Steve from the game, we've taken Steve off it," Bray told AAP from New Zealand.
"We agree it's not one of Steve greatest game's, likewise neither would either team consider they were particularly good on the night either so there's some real responsibility that needs to be put to some of the players on that process, particularly the scrum.
"Putting the performance aside we have a real issue now in terms of getting to a point where it was quite untenable to leave Steve with the Brumbies this week.
"The hype around the comments made, really made it untenable to leave Steve in that environment - it's certainly not in the interest of the Brumbies and the Reds."
Wallabies playmaker Matt Giteau faces a possible fine and/or suspension for comments, when he said it would be pointless for the sixth-placed Brumbies to turn up at Canberra Stadium if Walsh was in charge.
"We want to ensure this game, which is critical to both teams, is about them and not about the referee,'' Bray continued.
He said Walsh was philosophical about the decision and supported the approach but was aware he needed to improve areas of his game.
"We've talked to Steve from a management perspective and there are a couple of issues he has to work through,'' he said.
"It was unfortunate he and Stephen Hoiles couldn't get it together in that match and in any working relationship there is two sides to that coin.''
Pollock flies to Canberra after originally being assigned as an assistant referee to the Hurricanes-Chiefs match in Wellington, while Walsh has not been reassigned to another match this weekend.
AAP
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
Beware the Committee!!
'God invented beer to prevent Props from taking over the world'
If there is no disciplinary action taken against the Brumbies and Gits then this is a farse. SANZAR, i.e. Lyndon Bray, have been forced to make a change to the referee due to the Brumbies and Gits gobbing off in public and making the referees position untenable. If there is not action taken on this then it sets a very dangerous precedent and I think we should all be very dissapointed as it opens a whole bunch of ugly doors.![]()
Just happy to be here
Who have we got for the Lions game this weekend, If you can make a ref's position untenable with impunity, maybe Sharpie needs to start bagging out some of the assclowns we don't want....keep going until we get a ref we like!
C'mon the![]()
![]()
Get one of the injured players to bag the ref, if they're suspended they're injured anyway and we'll end up with a better ref!
Laugh and the world laughs with you.......
......cry and you'll weaken your beer
Craig Joubert is supposed to be the referee for the force game this weekend.
I really rate Joubert. But I'm reasonably pleased with Pollock for the Reds/Ponies match also.
Joubert is pretty good, but with some of the myopic haters we've seen this season Jonathan Kaplan looks good.
C'mon the![]()
![]()
$5,000 isn't a bad price to get SANZAR to move a referee you don't like shifted
I know where your coming from but no way would I like to see any of our players stooping to the lows of the Brumbies. Sharpie can continue with the dignity he showed when asked about the referee performance against NSW.
Having said that Walsh can be a real prima donna at times and probably had to be dropped. The mistake in the whole unfortunate mess is not coming down a lot heavier on Giteau & Co. Hoiles is their captain; how does he expect to have a working relationship with the officials when is first comment is something like Saturday"s "That's a rubbish call!" ?
"The main difference between playing League and Union is that now I get my hangovers on Monday instead of Sunday - Tom David
I would really really like the Reds to win this week
"rubbish"?![]()
"Bloody oath we did!"
Nathan Sharpe, Legend.
You have money left......
Any coach worth his weight, tells his charges that refs are part of the game and you need to work your one out pretty quickly in the game and play accordingly. We have laws open to interpretation, c'mon Hoiles and Gits grow up, there have been games where the ref has favoured a few of your methods over your opponents. Geez everyone knows Walsh is a show pony, tell him how great he looks at the coin toss and you're on a winner.....