SARU a bunch of administrative wimps!

I often wonder how it came to be that SARU has become the administrive wimps of international rugby. Their newest blunder has been to meekly allow SANZAR to appoint Bryce aka Bruce Lawrence as part of the refereeing panel for the Super 15 tournament for 2012. It is most likely that there wasn't even a whiff of opposing debate regarding this appointment. They may as well get vaseline to sponsor them as it is clear they will need some form of lubrication for the foreseeable future.

Have they not even spoken to the players regarding Bryce Lawrence?

This is what Victor Matfield had to say about the prematch talk to Bryce Lawrence before the Quarter final.

He also admitted to being mildly perturbed by Lawrence’s reaction before the game when the sport’s foremost lineout practitioner asked the referee if he would penalise the Wallabies for coming in from the side and spoiling Bok possession in aerial combat.

“I asked him whether this tactic contravened the laws, but he stood by his opinion. Neither John – who was standing next to me – nor I could believe the arrogance with which Bryce answered the question,” Matfield wrote.

When the Sunday Times pushed Matfield for further explanation he said: “He (Lawrence) just smirked, turned his back and walked away.”

Is it necessary to draw pictures for these boys? Have they been demoralised by the ARU and NZRU to such an extent that the only thing they know how to do with any manner of efficiency is to bend over?

The full SANZAR Referee Team is:

Merit Panel:

Keith Brown (NZ), Marius Jonker (SA), Craig Joubert (SA), Jonathan Kaplan (SA), Bryce Lawrence (NZ), Mark Lawrence (SA), Jaco Peyper (SA), Chris Pollock (NZ), Steve Walsh (AUS) & Garratt Williamson (NZ).

Reserve Panel:

Stuart Berry (SA), Mike Fraser (NZ), Angus Gardner (AUS), Glen Jackson (NZ), Andrew Lees, (AUS) Ian Smith (AUS), Lourens van der Merwe (SA) & Jonathon White (NZ).

NSW fans write articles just like this (arrogant, incompetant, hates all Aussies but especially us) about Kaplan. We apparently lost 14 the first 15 games he reffed us.

Kaplan didn't officiate in that match though, did he?

From what has been said by the players before the match and post match it is clear that Bryce shouldn't be involved in matches any south Africans play in.

Or at least SARU should make a stink about it. But alas they are weak and incompetent.

Possibly the best candidates for a vaseline advertisement.

A little off topic but isn't the rise of Glen Jackson as a NZ ref incredible?

Only been a ref for two years and he's one of the top 7 refs in NZ!

I really hope he beats Bryce Lawrence to the NZ ref of the year award.

beshocked wrote:A little off topic but isn't the rise of Glen Jackson as a NZ ref incredible?

Only been a ref for two years and he's one of the top 7 refs in NZ!

I really hope he beats Bryce Lawrence to the NZ ref of the year award.

It would be the decent thing to do. If they were considering doing the decent thing.

Biltong that behaviour from Lawrence sounds deplorable. The refereeing was poor beyond belief at the tournament and if some refs have this attitude then no wonder we've got problems.

Apologies again for my compatriot, also to France for the way Joubert handled the final. I think I can safely say the best team in the competition won the tournament but there was such a litany of errors in so many games the path to the Cup was a lottery. The end does not justify the means in this case.

Also on refereeing complaints the hypocrisy of Matt Williams is astounding-being as Aussie as they come despite referring to Ireland as 'we', and being so scathing of NZ's illegalities in the final without alluding to how many transgressions Australia committed in the QF. We are all guilty of wearing rose-tinted glasses at times but when you are in a position such as his you should really let your personal dislike of a team go and really be objective instead of paying token lip service to it.

Hi disney, mate no apology necessary. It just astounds me at what is going on.