• Help Support The Rugby Forum :

South Africa vs British and Irish Lions - Test 2

Or water bottles in them.

HIA for Rassie!

Kitson wrote a few days ago in the Guardian that Rassie had come across as a complete prat in this series. God knows what he'll say tomorrow.

Don't respond, Warren. Stay classy, Lions!
Gatland started the ref questioning. Im not saying that justifies Rassie. But Gatland was the first one to appear as unclassy.

I think if at the very least the video by Rassie helps influence the refs or brings balance to the Gatland influence last week then go for the three dimensional mind games. Also please everyone saying it was wrong appointing Jonker after firsly hearing why the call was made but also because o' keefe is a New Zealander like Gatland so the matter has no leg to stand on.
 
Gatland started the ref questioning. Im not saying that justifies Rassie. But Gatland was the first one to appear as unclassy.

I think if at the very least the video by Rassie helps influence the refs or brings balance to the Gatland influence last week then go for the three dimensional mind games. Also please everyone saying it was wrong appointing Jonker after firsly hearing why the call was made but also because o' keefe is a New Zealander like Gatland so the matter has no leg to stand on.
People still read The Guardian?
 
You have to remember in rugby the ref only speaks to the captain, the captain is allowed to ask questions in the match (he won't reverse a decision but will get an explanantion) he can through these interactions point out things the opposition are doing. A good captain will point out what the other side is doing and sometimes he'll get a call later because the ref has spotted it this time. Its a really important skill for a captain to have.
 
Gatland started the ref questioning. Im not saying that justifies Rassie. But Gatland was the first one to appear as unclassy.

I think if at the very least the video by Rassie helps influence the refs or brings balance to the Gatland influence last week then go for the three dimensional mind games. Also please everyone saying it was wrong appointing Jonker after firsly hearing why the call was made but also because o' keefe is a New Zealander like Gatland so the matter has no leg to stand on.
Cool in October when England plays you we'll have Wayne Barnes officiate he's widely regarded as one of the best refs out there and I'm sure you guys won't spontaneously combust at the thought.
 
You have to remember in rugby the ref only speaks to the captain, the captain is allowed to ask questions in the match (he won't reverse a decision but will get an explanantion) he can through these interactions point out things the opposition are doing. A good captain will point out what the other side is doing and sometimes he'll get a call later because the ref has spotted it this time. Its a really important skill for a captain to have.
I see refs talking to non-captains all the time. Aaron Smith and TJ Perenara seem to have 80-minute conversations with the refs every match. I understand the RULES state that only captains can speak with refs, but clearly doesn't happen.
 
Cool in October when England plays you we'll have Wayne Barnes officiate he'd widely regarded as one ofthe best ref out there and I'm sure you guys won't spontaneously combust at the thought.
I would personally love that. Barnes is a pros-pro. As you said, he is the best ref in the world so why not.
 
I would personally love that. Barnes is a pros-pro. As you said, he is the best ref in the world so why not.
Honestly I have no issue with the idea of non-neutral referees in the professional game. I find the idea coaches, players and most fans would be fine with it laughable.
 
Gatland started the ref questioning. Im not saying that justifies Rassie. But Gatland was the first one to appear as unclassy.

I think if at the very least the video by Rassie helps influence the refs or brings balance to the Gatland influence last week then go for the three dimensional mind games. Also please everyone saying it was wrong appointing Jonker after firsly hearing why the call was made but also because o' keefe is a New Zealander like Gatland so the matter has no leg to stand on.

Well hold on, you say you're not saying it justifies Rassie, but then you say if it brings balance then go for the three dimensional mind games, which is saying the exact opposite.

I have to say that I'm not getting exactly what Gatland did that was so bad and it feels like a false equivalence. I didn't see you guys raging about Gatlands comments before the game? Also I'm looking back at the coverage from prior the first test and most reporting is "Gatland is understood to be furious at the tmo appointment".

Of course he was, there really should have been a contingency for this and they only found out the Wednesday before. Correct me if I'm wrong and there are particular other things he said - but from where I'm standing people are trying to make an equivalence before Gatlands absolutely entry level comments and some Waterboy making a weird as hell propaganda video.

To me, comparing the two is a really poor take. But that's just me and I don't need to say anymore on this.
 
Over/under 15 minutes before our first yellow card on Saturday. I'll go under.
 
The fans will never accept non-neutral refs. Take the Welsh. I don't think they've ever lost a match by not play well enough. They're always citing a dodgy call or an anti-Welsh ref

Heck, strip out the bad refereeing and they'll tell you they would have won every WC going
 
Cool in October when England plays you we'll have Wayne Barnes officiate he's widely regarded as one of the best refs out there and I'm sure you guys won't spontaneously combust at the thought.
I am of the opinion that Wayne Barnes is the best ref in the world at the moment. Would sincerely be happy if he is appointed.

Just not Poite please
 
Rassie is trending on Twitter in the US! That's incredible.
Twitter is just a torrent of utter drivel, which is why it's the perfect medium for Rassie.

The only people who take any notice of the garbage posted on there, are under-30s who spend every waking moment glued to their smartphones, and Donald Trump supporters.

Opinions are like arseholes, everybody's got one.
 
I think personally I'd have no issue with non neutral refs as most level headed people wouldnt, especially given they're internal review and rankings post game

However as an accountant/auditor, they tell you you need to both be free from bias and have the appearance of being free from bias. This is for the exact reason that Jonker was in a no win situation. Decision goes Lions way = "he overcompensated", decision goes SA way = "he's biased".

Maybe its fair to say that rugby has one main ref watching the potential skullduggery of 30 people with two assistants and a TMO, but its so fast, things will get missed. That being said, the refs will have done their best to create a fair and free flowing game, and they'll do so again this week.

SA lost because they were crap in second half, and also distinctly poor at capitalising on their advantage in the first half. Thats it, the better side won.

The ref is always right, regardless of whether you agree, you're brought up with a culture of respecting the ref in rugby and to hear comments from Gatland re TMO and Erasmus who has taken that and gone way overboard, is just poor form and not the type of behaviour we want to see infiltrate this sport. Yes Watson in hindsight should have had a yellow, but even then SA were **** poor ball in hand so may have done sweet FA anyway with a man advantage
Really, what a sad miserable little life (Jane)
 
The ref is always right, regardless of whether you agree, you're brought up with a culture of respecting the ref in rugby and to hear comments from Gatland re TMO and Erasmus who has taken that and gone way overboard, is just poor form and not the type of behaviour we want to see infiltrate this sport. Yes Watson in hindsight should have had a yellow, but even then SA were **** poor ball in hand so may have done sweet FA anyway with a man advantage
Agree, but short of staying amateur in the pre social media age that was never going to happen.

At least everyone always behaved impeccably in the past upholding our game's fine values of honesty, integrity and beating the Welsh….

 
Top