Referee(s)

[handyman]

Say your team have reached the business end of the RWC, you're into the knockouts. Which referee(s) do you want to see holding the whistle?

For me, Ben O'Keefe.

[Ymx]

Nigel Owens back from retirement.

Can we do this who we don’t want?
A French ref
Wayne Barnes

[Slick]

Not in the least bit bothered

[Jim Lahey]

Shows just how shit the game has become that this is even a factor tbf.

[clydecloggie]

Not in the least bit bothered

Same here. Ideally I'd like a referee who really polices the breakdown well, but in general all referees are good to excellent at this level. Perhaps I'd like to see one of the less well-known names like Nika Amashukeli get a business-end game.

[Line6 HXFX]

Lets be realistic, nothing has made me question whether this game is utterrly corrupt, like refereeing decisions.
I reckon more than 50% of close Wales matches have been lost because of the ref.

If the refs were any good, they wouldn't need video refs.

This " it all evens out" is bollocks.

[Ymx]

If you really hate rugby, why are you here?

Didn’t Wales go successfully through a 6N having their opposition team get a red card in every game?!

[Simian]

Shows just how shit the game has become that this is even a factor tbf.

I wouldn’t say it’s become shit, but totally agree the refereeing inconsistencies are maddening.

[Slick]

Shows just how shit the game has become that this is even a factor tbf.

I wouldn’t say it’s become shit, but totally agree the refereeing inconsistencies are maddening.

Not sure that's his point. I think he's saying it's shit that supporters are having a debate about refs, and I agree completely.

Might be wrong!

[Tichtheid]

Not in the least bit bothered

Same here. Ideally I'd like a referee who really polices the breakdown well, but in general all referees are good to excellent at this level. Perhaps I'd like to see one of the less well-known names like Nika Amashukeli get a business-end game.

I wouldn’t say it’s become shit, but totally agree the refereeing inconsistencies are maddening.

Shows just how shit the game has become that this is even a factor tbf.

I wouldn’t say it’s become shit, but totally agree the refereeing inconsistencies are maddening.

Not sure that's his point. I think he's saying it's shit that supporters are having a debate about refs, and I agree completely.

Might be wrong!

For me it's all of the above, it's a pain in the arse that refs are a huge topic of debate, when you replay a match and watch with both eyes you can can see the decisions are mostly legit.

However, as much as refereeing has improved there are still inconsistencies, all we want as supporters is both sides to be refereed the same, for the most part they are, but it's only human nature for a ref to go into a match and hold one team as the superior side in certain areas, especially around the breakdown or scrum.

A major success of the RWC would be that the whinging about referees was at a minimum.

[Sandstorm]

Shows just how shit the game has become that this is even a factor tbf.

Oh c'mon! The ref has been the focus of many a Test match since a certain 1/4 final in 2007.

[SaintK]

Nigel Owens back from retirement.

Can we do this who we don’t want?
A French ref
Wayne Barnes

Good grief no. It was all about him towards the end of his career

[Sandstorm]

Anyone but an Aussie. Not only are they incompetent, they still ignore high shots this season.

[SaintK]

This season the 3 best refs were Ben O’Keeffe, Luke Pearce, Mathieu Raynal, the worst Brace, Dickson, Gardner.

You can't have seen much of Adamson I take it?

[LoveOfTheGame]

This season the 3 best refs were Ben O’Keeffe, Luke Pearce, Mathieu Raynal, the worst Brace, Dickson, Gardner.

You can't have seen much of Adamson I take it?

He's not at the RWC is he? Anyway, I agree with above post 100%.

[Big D]

This season the 3 best refs were Ben O’Keeffe, Luke Pearce, Mathieu Raynal, the worst Brace, Dickson, Gardner.

You can't have seen much of Adamson I take it?

Adamson isn't going to the RWC. He's not even Scotland's best pro ref to be fair.

Berry should be on the worst list tbh.

[Big D]

Of those going to the RWC then the Aussies are the two I would want to avoid.

[Simian]

Not in the least bit bothered

Same here. Ideally I'd like a referee who really polices the breakdown well, but in general all referees are good to excellent at this level. Perhaps I'd like to see one of the less well-known names like Nika Amashukeli get a business-end game.

I wouldn’t say it’s become shit, but totally agree the refereeing inconsistencies are maddening.

I wouldn’t say it’s become shit, but totally agree the refereeing inconsistencies are maddening.

Not sure that's his point. I think he's saying it's shit that supporters are having a debate about refs, and I agree completely.

Might be wrong!

For me it's all of the above, it's a pain in the arse that refs are a huge topic of debate, when you replay a match and watch with both eyes you can can see the decisions are mostly legit.

However, as much as refereeing has improved there are still inconsistencies, all we want as supporters is both sides to be refereed the same, for the most part they are, but it's only human nature for a ref to go into a match and hold one team as the superior side in certain areas, especially around the breakdown or scrum.

A major success of the RWC would be that the whinging about referees was at a minimum.

I find it weird so many folk think refereeing opinions are driven by ‘one eyed’ viewing, like you seem to. I probably watch around four to five times as many games where I’m a neutral (ie I legit just don’t care who wins) than where I do care. It’s the ones where I’m a neutral where I notice (or at least find it hard to dismiss them as bias) the inconsistencies the most. This ‘noble’ idea the ref is doing a hard job well if we could only put our own biases to one side just doesn’t cut it for me. I want to see the laws applied the same way to both teams and I want to see the same laws applied in the same way in each game. That’s what every other sport aspires to and I’m tired of being told rugby is somehow special in thinking that’s too much to ask. For reasons.

[Gumboot]

If you really hate rugby, why are you here?

Misery loves company?

[Enzedder]

Lets be realistic, nothing has made me question whether this game is utterrly corrupt, like refereeing decisions.
I reckon more than 50% of close Wales matches have been lost because of the ref.

If the refs were any good, they wouldn't need video refs.

This " it all evens out" is bollocks.

I recall a 6Ns championship won on the back of a string of red cards - in Wales favour.

To answer the question - who cares. They are told to put the whistle away anyway (except Ben O'Keeffe, he does it his way)

[petej]

Same here. Ideally I'd like a referee who really polices the breakdown well, but in general all referees are good to excellent at this level. Perhaps I'd like to see one of the less well-known names like Nika Amashukeli get a business-end game.

I wouldn’t say it’s become shit, but totally agree the refereeing inconsistencies are maddening.

Not sure that's his point. I think he's saying it's shit that supporters are having a debate about refs, and I agree completely.

Might be wrong!

For me it's all of the above, it's a pain in the arse that refs are a huge topic of debate, when you replay a match and watch with both eyes you can can see the decisions are mostly legit.

However, as much as refereeing has improved there are still inconsistencies, all we want as supporters is both sides to be refereed the same, for the most part they are, but it's only human nature for a ref to go into a match and hold one team as the superior side in certain areas, especially around the breakdown or scrum.

A major success of the RWC would be that the whinging about referees was at a minimum.

I find it weird so many folk think refereeing opinions are driven by ‘one eyed’ viewing, like you seem to. I probably watch around four to five times as many games where I’m a neutral (ie I legit just don’t care who wins) than where I do care. It’s the ones where I’m a neutral where I notice (or at least find it hard to dismiss them as bias) the inconsistencies the most. This ‘noble’ idea the ref is doing a hard job well if we could only put our own biases to one side just doesn’t cut it for me. I want to see the laws applied the same way to both teams and I want to see the same laws applied in the same way in each game. That’s what every other sport aspires to and I’m tired of being told rugby is somehow special in thinking that’s too much to ask. For reasons.

Many sports are special in thinking they are special. The refereeing is mostly better than it was but professionalism leads to more cynicism from the players.

[Tichtheid]

I find it weird so many folk think refereeing opinions are driven by ‘one eyed’ viewing, like you seem to. I probably watch around four to five times as many games where I’m a neutral (ie I legit just don’t care who wins) than where I do care. It’s the ones where I’m a neutral where I notice (or at least find it hard to dismiss them as bias) the inconsistencies the most. This ‘noble’ idea the ref is doing a hard job well if we could only put our own biases to one side just doesn’t cut it for me. I want to see the laws applied the same way to both teams and I want to see the same laws applied in the same way in each game. That’s what every other sport aspires to and I’m tired of being told rugby is somehow special in thinking that’s too much to ask. For reasons.

Well it's absolutely okay to have a different opinion, no problem. I was just putting it how I see, I get caught up in watching my teams as much as I did when playing, but in the cold light of a replay of a match I often see more than I did in the heat of the moment.

I think rugby is a special case in terms of the arcane laws - how many times do we see minutiae being poured over on forums after a game? I've been playing and watching for very nearly fifty years and I don't know all of the laws.

When it comes to the breakdown it all happens so quickly and there are so many variables - did the clearing playing come in through the gate or were they slightly in at the side? Did the defender really get a clear lift on the ball or did they pull in to the ball carrier's body? Was the defender supporting their bodyweight? Was there clear separation of the tackled player by the tackler before they or another player went in for the jackal? Was the jackaler the first player in? Was the ruck even formed? Was the ball out of the ruck when the defender came around and tackled the scrum half? Did a defender prevent a clearout illegally?

That's only some of it at the ruck, apply the same scrutiny to lifters at the lineout, the formation of a maul, the guy who swims through the middle or around the side. We can look at the scrum the same way.

The referees have to make judgement calls at every second of the game - I was watching the Wales South Africa game with a five mates, I thought the penalty try and yellow card was the right outcome of a particular incident, the others thought it was very harsh. My reasoning was that it was very similar to Scotland's game against England where the hooker batted the ball into touch to stop Darcy Graham collecting the kick and scoring

My point here is really that I can't think of another sport that is so complicated and also where so many decisions are judgement calls from the referee - that partial look at the breakdown is all about how the ref sees how everyone involved is behaving, so I think it is not an easy sport to officiate, but I'd also say that pro referees have come a very long way in the last decade or so.

[Simian]

I find it weird so many folk think refereeing opinions are driven by ‘one eyed’ viewing, like you seem to. I probably watch around four to five times as many games where I’m a neutral (ie I legit just don’t care who wins) than where I do care. It’s the ones where I’m a neutral where I notice (or at least find it hard to dismiss them as bias) the inconsistencies the most. This ‘noble’ idea the ref is doing a hard job well if we could only put our own biases to one side just doesn’t cut it for me. I want to see the laws applied the same way to both teams and I want to see the same laws applied in the same way in each game. That’s what every other sport aspires to and I’m tired of being told rugby is somehow special in thinking that’s too much to ask. For reasons.

Well it's absolutely okay to have a different opinion, no problem. I was just putting it how I see, I get caught up in watching my teams as much as I did when playing, but in the cold light of a replay of a match I often see more than I did in the heat of the moment.

I think rugby is a special case in terms of the arcane laws - how many times do we see minutiae being poured over on forums after a game? I've been playing and watching for very nearly fifty years and I don't know all of the laws.

When it comes to the breakdown it all happens so quickly and there are so many variables - did the clearing playing come in through the gate or were they slightly in at the side? Did the defender really get a clear lift on the ball or did they pull in to the ball carrier's body? Was the defender supporting their bodyweight? Was there clear separation of the tackled player by the tackler before they or another player went in for the jackal? Was the jackaler the first player in? Was the ruck even formed? Was the ball out of the ruck when the defender came around and tackled the scrum half? Did a defender prevent a clearout illegally?

That's only some of it at the ruck, apply the same scrutiny to lifters at the lineout, the formation of a maul, the guy who swims through the middle or around the side. We can look at the scrum the same way.

The referees have to make judgement calls at every second of the game - I was watching the Wales South Africa game with a five mates, I thought the penalty try and yellow card was the right outcome of a particular incident, the others thought it was very harsh. My reasoning was that it was very similar to Scotland's game against England where the hooker batted the ball into touch to stop Darcy Graham collecting the kick and scoring

My point here is really that I can't think of another sport that is so complicated and also where so many decisions are judgement calls from the referee - that partial look at the breakdown is all about how the ref sees how everyone involved is behaving, so I think it is not an easy sport to officiate, but I'd also say that pro referees have come a very long way in the last decade or so.

Yeah, I completely agree the nature of the laws means it’s unavoidable that there will be contentious calls (and also think it’s the nature of the laws that affords teams opportunities to be cynical, to pick up on PJ’s point from earlier). I think, for me, that unfortunately means there always going to be a lot of scrutiny of the refs’ performances.

[Sandstorm]

You lot should sit down with UK Premiership football fans and see how their newly implemented version of TMO (VAR) is giving them the shits!! You'll appreciate our refs and review systems way more.

[Mahoney]

A computer would at least be scrupulously consistent and unbiased.

[Guy Smiley]

A computer would at least be scrupulously consistent and unbiased.

Absolutely....

[Dinsdale Piranha]

You lot should sit down with UK Premiership football fans and see how their newly implemented version of TMO (VAR) is giving them the shits!! You'll appreciate our refs and review systems way more.

VAR is hilarious. Such a simple system with so few things to check and they still manage to completely fuck it up.

[Slick]

You lot should sit down with UK Premiership football fans and see how their newly implemented version of TMO (VAR) is giving them the shits!! You'll appreciate our refs and review systems way more.

VAR is hilarious. Such a simple system with so few things to check and they still manage to completely fuck it up.

That's my impression of it as well.

[Uncle fester]

The only ref I really have a problem with is Peyper, for any game. He'll be doing his usual "sort it out yourselves lads" and then make an intervention that has everybody scratching their heads.

[Guy Smiley]

The only ref I really have a problem with is Peyper, for any game. He'll be doing his usual "sort it out yourselves lads" and then make an intervention that has everybody scratching their heads.

Peyper has the honours for the opening game between France and NZ.

[Big D]

This season the 3 best refs were Ben O’Keeffe, Luke Pearce, Mathieu Raynal, the worst Brace, Dickson, Gardner.

You can't have seen much of Adamson I take it?

Adamson isn't going to the RWC. He's not even Scotland's best pro ref to be fair.

Berry should be on the worst list tbh.

Sure as shit we get Berry for the Ireland game. He's just a terrible ref.

[Big D]

Of those going to the RWC then the Aussies are the two I would want to avoid.

FFS

[laurent]

The only ref I really have a problem with is Peyper, for any game. He'll be doing his usual "sort it out yourselves lads" and then make an intervention that has everybody scratching their heads.

Peyper has the honours for the opening game between France and NZ.

He was never a good ref but the Elbow pictures are all over again.

[Uncle fester]

The only ref I really have a problem with is Peyper, for any game. He'll be doing his usual "sort it out yourselves lads" and then make an intervention that has everybody scratching their heads.

Peyper has the honours for the opening game between France and NZ.

I know. It'll be painful.