If your team were in the World Cup final who would you NOT want to be the referee?

If your team were in the Final who'd you NOT want to be referee if the opposition was let's say the All Blacks. If your from new Zealand let's say Australia are the other finalist.

Started doing some research on this then found...
http://redstagrugby.blogspot.com/2011/04/world-cup-referee-panel-2011.html

I can only assume this is our one and only Red Stag, give it a look, very comprehensive info here.

Who would you not want to have as ref?

I think my vote is obvious .

I'd love to have Craig Joubert as the ref. He's been superb this year.

Can we forward this poll result to POB ?

Haha maybe I will Ghost, maybe I will.

Sorry for being ignorant Kiwi but who was your choice and why?

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Haha maybe I will Ghost, maybe I will.

Sorry for being ignorant Kiwi but who was your choice and why?

WB. Because no matter what he'd know he was on a hiding to nothing. Also I don't think he's quite fit enough for the international game, he fades when the pace hots up (borrowing one of Stag's opinions there )

I went for Roman Poite.

His reffing of the scrum is shocking – see HC final this year for clarification. Phil Dowson breaks his bind walks up to Cian Healy, pulls his arm off the bind, Healy loses his bind, Poite blows his whistle and it’s a penalty to NH.

Craig Joubert would be my favourite.
Romain Poite/Bryce Lawrence would be least favourite.

Glad you liked the blog entry

I remember that Mick yeah and Poite was on that side of the scrum!!!

Yeah very good Stag didn't know you had one will keep an eye out for it now. Do you write often for it?

Pete, I've lost motivation recently as we have this thing and most things just get discussed here. I'll churn out a few articles this month

I notice Bryce Lawrence has no votes. Presumably that's because we all accept NZ will be in the final and there will be no prospect of him making an appearance?

I chose Poite, but not because he's a bad ref, but more because he tends to come down heavy on the side with the weaker scrum, and given Scotland's scrummaging last season, I'd far rather take a scrum lottery ref and just take a penalty every other scrum!

Grey I've heard Lawrence he's not even rated in NZ. Steve Walsh is a top ref IMO and I also really rate Vinny Munro.

Sure there's no harm really in posting the same articles on your blog and here.

Particularilly your series'. You could do one here on the player and club watch and it would keep people interested, updated and would go and look at loads of different things it wouldn't all be Ireland's world cup squad, Gavin henson and English salary caps. May make V2 more diverse.

I wonder who GG will vote for?

Steve Walsh incidentally is the worst ref on that panel. Buffoon!

I think Owens and Pearson are both pretty decent.

Cool Pete will do. Spead the Word - Club watch this month will be Scarlets. I'll have to give Player Watch a bit of thought. I've decided it will be a winger.

Well this is just awful, badgering referees you know their job is a very hard one and a little res... oh, look Roman Poite is on the list! Good stuff

Alain Rolland is my favorite referee he's always very, very nice to Wales, but if he's refereeing France then the opposition are always penalised off the park.
Alain Rolland is half French as his father is from that country, he's also fluent in the language. Any time it's a 50/50 decision it will ALWAYS go France's way.
Any normal penalty will result in a Yellow card and any Yellow card will normally be a red. He shouldn't be allowed to referee France as he isn't neutral. You only have to see the tackle by the Namibian player across the shoulder, which was probably a verbal warning yet ended up a straight red in the 18th minute to see the evidence of his decision.

Wayne Barnes is a competent ref also.

Clancys bottle has come under question in the Amlin Final and HEC Semi Final. I hadn't thought of it as an issue before.

Visser possibly? Maybe Brew? Or Carr?

I don't like Walsh he comes off very hostile I find. He is very confident and assertive which I like but his decision making seems so poor.

I like Kaplan but indeed the Mike Philips try in the Wales Ireland match may cost him even if it wasn't texhnically his fault he was still in charge and should have gone to the TMO

Notch-
Hahaha. At the same time though...

REFEREES DO HAVE A VERY TOUGH JOB AND THEY SHOULD BE RESPECTED EVEN IF AT TIMES WE THINK THEY ARE WEARING BLINDFOLDS OR GLASSES TINTED CERTAIN COLOURS. THEY DO DO A VERY HARD JOB WHERE THEY RARELY IF EVER PLEASE EVERYONE.

Romain Poite. Once he's decided who is weaker in the scrum, it's seems very hard to convince him of anything else.

No doubt about who the best ref is though. Wayne Barnes. What a cool guy!

In all seriousness with regards to referee abuse I had a pretty serious case of it towards end of last season that I shrugged off at the time but actually it dented my enjoyment of refereeing. I turned in two below par perforamnces in big games after it and then said I'd end the season 2 weeks early and just relax until September rolls around.

P.S. Pete - Kaplan couldn't use the TMO in that case. He should have used better communication with Touch Judge though.

Stuart Dickensen ,loves the sound of his
own whistle

Alyn,

Maybe being the only referee that speaks French properly when reffing them, they actually behave because they understand what the referee is warning them what not to do.

MBTGOG wrote:Romain Poite. Once he's decided who is weaker in the scrum, it's seems very hard to convince him of anything else.

I agree except in the HCup final but I think there was an at work

Stag-Are you not allowed use the TMO in any case where a try may or may not have been scored. Remember Howlett (accidentally) tripped someone and the ref asked was their foul play when a guy was trying to get to a loose ball and score? If a score or potential score is in question I think he can use the TMO

Has to be in the act of scoring in the in goal area Pete.

red_stag wrote:Grey I've heard Lawrence he's not even rated in NZ. Steve Walsh is a top ref IMO and I also really rate Vinny Munro.

Your surely wumming here

Edit: about Steve Walsh

TheGreyGhost wrote:I notice Bryce Lawrence has no votes. Presumably that's because we all accept NZ will be in the final and there will be no prospect of him making an appearance?

Don't tempt fate GG! (I miss the "yikes" emoticon. Must remember to ask Hobo how to create one when he's back from holidays)

Counted chickens, singing fat ladies, etc etc ...

MBTGOG wrote:Alyn,

Maybe being the only referee that speaks French properly when reffing them, they actually behave because they understand what the referee is warning them what not to do.

No it's not just that, he always gives them the benefit of the doubt.
There were a few dodgy decisions in the 1999 All blacks game in the world Cup which he ended up recieving death threats for and the Namibian incident was beyond a joke, even the French looked embarased at it. The truth is he shouldnt be asked to referee the French he's half French himself and it puts him in an unfair position.

SinE, I am not wumming. Just didn't explain myself in full. Ok he has the personality of a pregnant Hippo but he is fit, he understands the game and is well able to get the technical calls right. He also has the stones to make big calls with his ego well able to fend off the cries and boos. But he has his weaknesses too.

MBTGOG wrote:Alyn,

Maybe being the only referee that speaks French properly when reffing them, they actually behave because they understand what the referee is warning them what not to do.

Agree. Its just preventative calling in their own language.

AlynDavies wrote:...
There were a few dodgy decisions in the 1999 All blacks game in the world Cup which he ended up recieving death threats for ...

Eh? Never heard that one before. Yes I know WB's wiki page got edited with some threats in '07, but '99?

Thanks Mick, I always thought it was if a try could or had been scored.

I'd be quite ok for Poite to ref our game against the Aussies but wouldn't want him for our game against the Italians

Alyn,

He wasn't the referee in that All Blacks game against France.

red_stag wrote:Cool Pete will do. Spead the Word - Club watch this month will be Scarlets. I'll have to give Player Watch a bit of thought. I've decided it will be a winger.

aha really?! I'll be keeping an eye out for that one then. Be interested to see what you have to say about them.

Sin é wrote:

red_stag wrote:Grey I've heard Lawrence he's not even rated in NZ. Steve Walsh is a top ref IMO and I also really rate Vinny Munro.

Your surely wumming here

Edit: about Steve Walsh

Bryce Lawrence is good mates with Paddy O'brien.

red_stag wrote:Agree. Its just preventative calling in their own language.

I know the Irish always take offence to any criticism of their best referee, and I agree he is probably the best in the world. and I understand why Irish fans always jump to his defence. I just think that there have been far to many dodgy incidents with him and France and any time there is one he is always put in a situation where he is accused of bias based on the fact he is half French. There are plenty of referees in the world and many good ones so putting someone in a situation where their objectivity can be put into question, whether through unconscious bias or making a mistake in favour of France. the truth is French professional players should be very used to English speaking referees they come across them often in Europe and the 6 Nations. Most British people can count to 10 in French and can pick up odd words so the French should be able to understand odd English words like "6 Hands off" etc.

AlynDavies wrote:I know the Irish always take offence to any criticism of their best referee.

Theres no offence taken. Rolland is good but isn't the worlds best anymore. I questions Clancys bottle not 2 posts ago and think Lewis is past it. I just disagree that Rolland is biased towards the French.

The French are well able to do that but refereeing in their language makes things easier. If a ref can do that he should.

MBTGOG wrote:Alyn,

He wasn't the referee in that All Blacks game against France.

Yes your right please disregard what I said about the 1999 All Blacks game it was Wayne Barnes who refereed that game not Rowlands, and he recieved death threats for missing a forward pass.
Though apart from that that the Namibian incident amongst others still stand.

Alyn,

Would an English player understand a French referee shouting at them to roll away in the heat of the battle?

I don't want to get into that debate here but I do believe when the French are reffed by referee who does try to speak their language, their discipline improves.

I agree with Munstys point. The key difference is that I wouldn't force referees to learn French. When I was in Germany I refereed using German and English and it yielded far better results. Players know where you stand.

Alyn,

The only problem it causes is people believing that there is a bias.

red_stag wrote:SinE, I am not wumming. Just didn't explain myself in full. Ok he has the personality of a pregnant Hippo but he is fit, he understands the game and is well able to get the technical calls right. He also has the stones to make big calls with his ego well able to fend off the cries and boos. But he has his weaknesses too.

Its more than a personality disorder. What was all that with Shane Horgan?

How can anyone have any respect for him when he seems to lack integrity. The best refs are usually the ones who can keep their egos in check. Alan Lewis and Nigel Owens (and loads other refs) seem to be able to keep everyone in check without using their egos to do it.

Poite refereed the Munster v All Black game in Thomond Park Nov 2008.
This is probobaly the best game of rugby I have ever had the pleasure of attending and on the night Poite did everything in his own way to ruin a fantastic game.

He has not come on much since then either.
VERY POOR REFEREE.

I don't know Sin. I know what your saying but Walsh has a reputation. I've seen him turn in some pretty good and low key performances. I think that people will look for the faults in his game due to his past actions towards Ireland and England.

Tayto,

I'll have to disagree on that one. I thought he got the most ridiculous amount of stick for that one.

MBTGOG wrote:Tayto,

I'll have to disagree on that one. I thought he got the most ridiculous amount of stick for that one.

Agree with this. I don't rate him but he was grand that night. He has turned in far worse displays.

Voted Kaplin, would follow that with Walsh (can you tell I'm English?) Is Kaplan Andre Watson's love child? Only seen Walsh a couple of times since his return and must admit he looked better than before his "problems" but always felt before that he just loved being the center of attention.

I also think Joubert is currently up there with the best.