Romaine Poite Refereeing Munster vs Leinster

Is this the first time a top level ref from outside the Rabo has officiated a Rabo game? Romaine Poite comes under the FFR and as much was pointed out before the game on the RTE coverage. Poite is one of the IRB's elite panel of referees and was recently involved in the Rugby Championship, including his controversial performance in the New Zealand vs South Africa game.

Is this a sign that for big Rabo games we may now bring in elite refs from other Unions? Outside of Nigel Owens we don't have anyone thats particularly outstanding. Although Clancy and Rolland are both IRB elite panel refs as well, as far as I know.

It is the weekend of the year where we have refs being swapped around in europe. Got a couple of welsh and irish reffing top14 games this weekend as well. Just good preparation ahead of the hc and amlin next weekend  

whocares wrote:It is the weekend of the year where we have refs being swapped around in europe. Got a couple of welsh and irish reffing top14 games this weekend as well. Just good preparation ahead of the hc and amlin next weekend  

Ahhh that makes sense. Strange I haven't noticed it before...

I'm an Ospreys supporter and yesterday the BETTER TEAM WON, but this tendency to send a referee from the country of the away team in Welsh regions versus Irish ones, because of the incompetence of Scottish referees has to STOP. Fitzgibbon is crap, he was actually crap for both teams last night, I was there last night and have so far watched the first half back on the box and could give you 2 or 3 WRONG decisions that he has already given for both teams. I believe the final moves of the game will also show that NOT 1 but possibly 3 Ulster players should have been yellow carded for being offside in the last 2 or 3 minutes when we were within 5 metres of their line. If they had been binned as they should have been we probably would have won and that would have been a TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE as Ulster were much the better team over the 80 minutes.
Can I also add if it came across on TV the calls of cheat towards Fitzgibbon that was prevalent in the ground in the 2nd half, I can only apologize, he wasn't a cheat just incompetent.

I agree Wayne. Referees are put in impossible situations by having to ref teams from their own country. Maybe a few English refs should be called in?

You are right Wayne, he is incompetent. Ulster fans including myself were absolutely ripping when he pinged McIlwaine for pushing Fussell and denied us a try. He also didn't have a clue what was going on at scrum time. One of the weakest refs in the Rabo for sure.

This is what the rabo sent us this weekend.
Biarritz-Perpignan: Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
Brive-Castres: Andrew Mac Menemy (scotland)
Bordeaux-Bègles-Bayonne: Ian Davies (wales)
Montpellier-Oyonnax: Claudio Blessano (italy)
Racing Métro-Grenoble: David Wilkinson (ireland)
Toulouse-Stade français: Marius Mitrea (italy)

Was curious to see how the Italian refs are doing and both made some bad calls.

whocares wrote:This is what the rabo sent us this weekend.
Biarritz-Perpignan: Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
Brive-Castres: Andrew Mac Menemy (scotland)
Bordeaux-Bègles-Bayonne: Ian Davies (wales)
Montpellier-Oyonnax: Claudio Blessano (italy)
Racing Métro-Grenoble: David Wilkinson (ireland)
Toulouse-Stade français: Marius Mitrea (italy)

Was curious to see how the Italian refs are doing and both made some bad calls.

I actually think thhe welsh lad Davies isn't too bad. Bear in mind also that 3 of the better Rabo refs were involved in the rugby championship. I thought Nigel's standards had dipped (and I don't think he likes reffing the scrum) but he was excellent and although I wasn't his friend after the pro12 final Lacey is a very competent ref as is hodges IMO. Phillips of Ireland is someone I cringe seeing ref a game ever since he pinged willie falloon in thomond for diving on a loose ball saying he was killing the contest I can't take him seriously. The others I don't know

whocares wrote:This is what the rabo sent us this weekend.
Biarritz-Perpignan: Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
Brive-Castres: Andrew Mac Menemy (scotland)
Bordeaux-Bègles-Bayonne: Ian Davies (wales)
Montpellier-Oyonnax: Claudio Blessano (italy)
Racing Métro-Grenoble: David Wilkinson (ireland)
Toulouse-Stade français: Marius Mitrea (italy)

Was curious to see how the Italian refs are doing and both made some bad calls.

I've read somewhere that Claudio Blessano has been banned from rabo games. Mitrea is Ok from memory.
Vivarini had a decent game yesterday (reffed Scarlets-Glasgow).