Boks get Bryce
3 Oct 2011
New Zealand’s Bryce Lawrence will referee South Africa’s World Cup quarter-final against Australia in Wellington on Sunday.
Lawrence was in charge when Ireland beat Australia in the Pool Stages earlier in the tournament. He was particularly severe on the Australian scrum.
South African Craig Joubert will whistle the opening quarter-final between Wales and Ireland. Steve Walsh will officiate England v France in Auckland at 20:30.
10 Referees and two TMOs retained for knockout matches
A panel of 10 Referees and two specialist Television Match Officials (TMO) have been selected from the panel of 21 officials in action during the Pool Stages.
Nigel Owens, despite the Samoan criticism of his performance in the match involving the Boks, has also been retained and will referee New Zealand’s match against Argentina.
Full referee play-off list
Wayne Barnes (England), George Clancy (Ireland), Craig Joubert (South Africa), Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa), Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand), Nigel Owens (Wales), Dave Pearson (England), Romain Poite (France), Alain Rolland (Ireland) and Steve Walsh (Australia) will perform Referee and Assistant Referee duties. Giulio De Santis (Italy) and Shaun Veldsman (South Africa) have been selected as the two specialist TMOs.

85 Comments
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3 Oct 2011, 11:38 am
@Jibber-Jabber(Jibber-Jabber)-50:
“think all the comments are designed to “influence” the ref on the understanding he reads the blogs.”
a moment of sheer keo geeeeeeenius.
Youre right, Jibber, some of these post’ers are Legends in their own bedrooms. A certain Boy George is our reigning Champion.
3 Oct 2011, 11:41 am
@bluealligator(bluealligator)-32:
finally crawled from under your wee rock there I see.
How we’ve missed your renown balanced-opinions. Must be sensing some gloating opportunities ? Try to stick around, we all need someone to help boost our self-esteem now’n'then.
3 Oct 2011, 11:45 am
@BillMcConnell(BillMcConnell)-44: Some relevant points. Lost in Bloemfontein in the dying moments and lost in Durban because most of the players came back from rehab, but dominated for 60min.
Most of the Wallaby players have played a lot of rugby this year. Reds (nucleas of the team) played in the Super 15 final. Played their full strength team through 3N and RWC. Therefore all the injuries.
3 Oct 2011, 11:52 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-51: Surely you have a worried feeling in your gut this today. Same feeling as the Bok supporters because of Frans but only 10 times more. Richie not looking to good either.The Argies are going to target that foot early on and with Owens as ref he will turn a blind eye.
3 Oct 2011, 12:04 pm
@RL(RL)-22:
And yet Veldsman clearly said there was nothing untoward off the ball. Helps to actually listen.
3 Oct 2011, 12:07 pm
@David(David)-34:
Apart from his annoying touch, pause, NGUUUGE he’s easily one of the best referees in rugby at the moment.
3 Oct 2011, 12:09 pm
Black Panther reminds me of Ben Stiller in Dodgeball.
3 Oct 2011, 12:21 pm
Bet you a million Pounds that Alain Rolland will be given the Boks-All Blacks semi-final … and that is a stitch-up waiting to happen.
3 Oct 2011, 12:56 pm
If we get Alain Rolland in the semi-final we can kiss the world cup goodbye…
3 Oct 2011, 13:03 pm
Paddy, must have slipped Nigel some bucks to look after his precious NZers.
I mean how he has a quarter is an absolute scandal.
3 Oct 2011, 14:27 pm
Jeraldjay – I take your point about injury tolls and a long season, but this Wallaby side is the youngest, on average, at the World Cup and beside that point, I think are going to be fielding their strongest team of the season. An extra playmaker with Barns in at 12, Ioane back with O’Conner and Beale, Pocock there at 7. The Bok team has some great names in it but all – with the exception of Brussow and BdP – are past their prime. An aging side will (I hope) prove to be a yard or two off the pace. Either way respect to you guys just honestly think the pace will do you in this week.
3 Oct 2011, 14:40 pm
Oh – forgot to mention Lambie – he’s one on the rise.
3 Oct 2011, 14:42 pm
@BillMcConnell(BillMcConnell)-61: great points Bill, but the occasion will have its say too. Look forward to your posts after the game
3 Oct 2011, 14:47 pm
I’ve said it before – I never shy away whatever the result. I will be back and should the Wallabies get whacked I will bring a slice of pie with me and accept all that comes my way.
3 Oct 2011, 14:52 pm
Rugby911 – and what a great line “The occasion will have its say too” – I like that and probably where experience is most valuable and youth most vulnerable. Still, I remember a young Bok side in 95 do over an aging Wallaby side in the opening game. As you say, the occasion will tell.
3 Oct 2011, 15:01 pm
Bryce Lawrence?
O donner…
3 Oct 2011, 15:56 pm
@BillMcConnell(BillMcConnell)-64:
Its a whole pie Bill
3 Oct 2011, 16:01 pm
Can anyone tell me of a site where I can see who ref’d what test, like who ref’d the 1981 NZ 25-22 ZA 3rd test?
3 Oct 2011, 16:09 pm
I don’t rate Wales’ chances now. Craig Joubert always panders to the crowd, and the crowd will be mostly Irish.
3 Oct 2011, 17:06 pm
i’d rather have rollaind over this incompetent any day of the week.
3 Oct 2011, 17:24 pm
@Dust(Leatherdust)-68:
Dust – he’s a Welsman – always have his name on my tongue, but can’t recall it now – par for the course anti-Bok ref – was that cheating or what?
3 Oct 2011, 17:26 pm
@Dust(Leatherdust)-68: @J.B. Cowper(J.B. Cowper)-71: I will never forget that c**ts name: Clive Norling.
3 Oct 2011, 17:27 pm
@cab(cab)-70:
Cab – believe me Rolland is an anti-Bok crook who doesn’t mind if Richie McCaw comes into the rucks and mauls through the Bok gate … all he does is give him a warning – it’s so blatant – I’d rather have anyone than him (except Stu Dickonson) – and I would rather have an incompetent honest ref than a crooked pro – anyday of the week … Rolland is the worst and it comes from Paddy O’Brien who hates the Boks with a passion and masterminded the stitch-up of Bakkies Botha against the Lions … when he reffed, we never stood a chance …
3 Oct 2011, 17:28 pm
@J.B. Cowper(J.B. Cowper)-58: Bets are off on that Alain “Buck” Rolland taking the AB SF… and the Final if Ireland dont go through.
3 Oct 2011, 17:35 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-74:
He might as well a No. 16 All Black jersey … agree with you all the way
3 Oct 2011, 17:39 pm
@J.B. Cowper(J.B. Cowper)-73:
rollaind reffed in the rwc final in france 07? i thought he was pretty good and i dont mind dickinson or owens either. Bryce lawerence has a tendency to produce yellow cards at the drop of a hat and also be swayed by the stadium crowd, which makes the result much more of a lottery.
3 Oct 2011, 17:39 pm
@J.B. Cowper(J.B. Cowper)-75: I am no fan but I will take Stu Dickenson any day of the week over Rolland and Lawrence… Even Stuart Barnes I would take… Not that Welsh Mof though.
But obviously Dickenson cant for the Aus vs Boks game and there is no hope in hell of him taking a possible AB vs Bok semi… Rolland is earmarked already.
3 Oct 2011, 17:40 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-77: Wayne Barnes not Stuart
3 Oct 2011, 17:41 pm
@cab(cab)-76: You want to know why the 2007 final was closer than it needed to be… One reason – Rolland.
3 Oct 2011, 17:57 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-79:
not so sure, england played hard, one of the hardest games i;ve ever seen, the collisions were huge.
3 Oct 2011, 18:08 pm
@cab(cab)-80: England did play hard but were helped by Rollands penalties and rather bizarre decisions… In this RWC, the pom commentator (no admirer of France) on ITV even stated, during the France vs Kiwi game, that Rolland tends to swing during a game… Fitzpatrick absolutely slated him after the Georgia vs Argentina game… Naah, Cab.
3 Oct 2011, 19:34 pm
A moody ref if there ever was one. One day he has it in for say the sharks and a few games later tries to show his “fairness” by going the other way. The Bokke will have to play out of their skins to beat 16 players. I can’t think of a worse ref for this level but Paddy obviously wants a Aussie / N.Z semi and a easy final.
3 Oct 2011, 21:40 pm
Wen the yarpies bow out of RWC2011 on Sunday, they can switch as a nation to their very favourite sport — ref-whinging. (With a bit of travel-disadvantage griping for variety).
4 Oct 2011, 04:39 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-83: It’s funny how both the Aussie fans and the Bok fans are whinging about how absolutely incompetent (at best) the Kiwi ref is. I will leave the conspiracy theories out of it and the claims that he is an outright cheat, despite evidence supporting these theories.
Of course NZ have never whinged about a ref. It was so gracious the way they handled the Crusaders defeat to the Reds during the Super 15 season. And the way they dealt with their exit in the ’07 cup.
Funny how a country that ensures they always get the best end of the deal, occasionally get the same sort of treatment other nations always endure, and we never hear the end of it. Unfortunately for the rest of us, we can’t get Paddy to remove referees that we don’t like, especially in the case of the Aussies who have had to endure this moron 3 times in the WC already.
4 Oct 2011, 14:51 pm
I am never comfortable with Bryce Lawrence in charge of a game. Anything can happen.
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