South Africans dominate the referees' list for next year's Super 14

[blueandblack]

SORRY!! I mean I hate all refs excluding ecky? Just ones who have ref'd the force in a manner that I just... don't like.

That will be the day. I can't wait. I can bash Lote and award Drew a try for nothing and sin-bin anyone who makes a scrum collapse and blow my whistle at Phil Waugh and NO-ON CAN STOP ME! I have the power

and sneak in the use of a Lote-Bashing ASP.

[AndyS]

Not for the first time top referee Steve Walsh of New Zealand could be in hot water - and not for any refereeing decision.

The most recent incident occurred during the SANZAR conference in Sydney in preparation for the 2009 Super 14, according to the New Zealand Herald....

...At the meeting in Sydney the new panel of merit referees for Super 14 matches was drawn up. Walsh was one of the nine referees chosen, but there is now doubt if this will actually happen.

At the meeting referees and their managers are present along with coaches from the 14 sides. On the second morning, at a meeting due to start at 09.30, he was so under the influence of alcohol that his New Zealand boss sent him out to sleep it off. He was told not to be at the next day's meeting which was solely for referees.....

....The matter is now an employment issue between Walsh and the New Zealand Rugby Union who have a policy of not commenting on personnel disputes.

http://www.rugby365.com/tournaments/...ws/1385440.htm

[Burgs]

Whooo hooo!!!
That's the spirit Steve!!!

The bigger question is who was he drinking with, outsiders or one of the other Ref's who has gotten away with it???

[brokendown gunfighter]

Refs have no friends(ask Eckey),must have been drinking with another ref

[Burgs]

Different country, he may have tricked a poor innocent Aussie for a while

[mudskipper]

I went to the Australia A and NZ Maori games at the SFS which was a winner takes all match and this guy who is a ref sat behind me a refereed the match to his mates, for the entire game.

He would broadcast what he would have done after each call...man… it was nauseating...thankfully he didn’t have a whistle…

[jono]

Different country, he may have tricked a poor innocent Aussie for a while

well now we know your joking. an innocent aussie?

[Ecky]

thought Lyndon Bray may have been in the mix,although he had a couple of bloopers last season

Yeah, nah, he retired last season and is now the bloke in charge of the top-end refs in NZ. Kelvin Deaker also retired last season.

[Ecky]

Ecky my biggest problem with the refs NH and SH at the moment is the interpretation of the laws - as a group they need to become more consistent and ping more or less the same things not just the bits they are "hot" on.

I'm all for free flowing rugby and accept that players will attempt to bend the rules to suit themselves - however the reffing of the breakdown has to improve enormously for the refs to regain the credibility they deserve.

Also watching Refs micro manage scrums ticks me off - at that level it should be possible to work out which team is not coming in straight or how they are cheating within 2 scrums and red card them so that it is as safe as possible.

This would also be the problem with players' perception of refs in any 1st grade comp, I imagine. While it is difficult for us lot in Perth to meet regularly to try and ensure the same interpretation of the laws, one would have thought that at the elite level it would be happeneing with regular meetings/tele/video conferences etc. I agree the amount of variation at S14 level and above should be minimal.

Refs might be human after all.........

[GIGS20]

Refs might be human after all.........

well that's just not bloody good enough is it?

[brokendown gunfighter]

Yeah, nah, he retired last season and is now the bloke in charge of the top-end refs in NZ. Kelvin Deaker also retired last season.

strange,he had only recently started getting super 14 gigs

[Ecky]

...and he left refereeing Perth 1st grade rugby in about 1997-ish (before my time)!!!

So the likelihood of me getting S14 games will be greater if I leave Perth....and wait a couple of years

Oh, he'd been doing internationals for quite some years, by the way.

[Thequeerone]

You going to step up Ecky ?

not sure if a TWF awards night will cover a ref but heh who knows

[brokendown gunfighter]

...and he left refereeing Perth 1st grade rugby in about 1997-ish (before my time)!!!

So the likelihood of me getting S14 games will be greater if I leave Perth....and wait a couple of years

Oh, he'd been doing internationals for quite some years, by the way.

I can remember him reffing over here,he was a cut above the others,before he returned to Wellington where he started rising through the ranks

[Ecky]

You going to step up Ecky ?

not sure if a TWF awards night will cover a ref but heh who knows

Nah mate; home is here in WA - family, work, friends etc, plus I'm too old for all that. Not too old for 1st grade here but.