Bryce fears for safety in SA
16 Nov 2011
Bryce Lawrence says he won’t officiate in South Africa next season if his personal safety is under threat.
Since Lawrence’s controversial performance in the Wallabies’ 11-9 quarter-final win over the Springboks at the World Cup, the Kiwi referee has been critcized for his handling of the breakdown by South African players, fans and media.
Retired Springbok captain John Smit said: ‘The one positive of retirement is that I won’t ever have to be reffed by him again’. Even Saru manager of referees Andre Watson slammed Lawrence’s performance, saying the New Zealander won’t officiate at a future World Cup as he would be severely admonished by the IRB.
A Facebook campaign titled ‘Petition To Stop Bryce Lawrence Ever Reffing A Rugby Game Again’ set up a platform for public abuse to be directed at Lawrence, while 94.7 Highveld Stereo radio station’s Darren ‘Whackhead’ Simpson has claimed to have prank called him in the middle of the night.
Speaking to Tony Veitch on Radiosport, Lawrence said he is aware of the threat of refereeing in South Africa during Super Rugby next year.
‘I’m not totally concerned. I know a lot of other people like the New Zealand Rugby Union and SANZAR do have some serious concerns,’ Lawrence said. ‘In all honesty, I’m not going to go over there if there’s any personal threat or I have concerns about my safety because in the end it’s a job. I know that, and also it’s just a sport so I’m not going to put myself at risk.’
‘I refereed the [Super Rugby] final last year,’ he continued. ‘I’ve refereed a lot of play-off games so that level is something I’m more than capable of refereeing. I’ll referee South African teams in Super Rugby, it may be in Australia or New Zealand that I referee them and I’m sure the criticism will resurface every time I do referee them.’
Lawrence admitted that he always thinks back to his performance in the Wallabies/Bok quarter-final fixture.
‘It hasn’t been the greatest four or six weeks of my life…in all honesty there isn’t a day goes by even now that I don’t think about what I could have done better and how it’s affecting me and what it means for me going forward. It’s still very fresh and probably pretty raw really,’ he said.
‘I was disappointed with some aspects in my own performance that day after refereeing four really pretty strong games in pool play. I’m not blaming anyone for the quarterfinal refereeing display apart from myself. I didn’t referee as well as I could.
‘I was pretty relaxed going into that game, and Australia/South Africa I have refereed numerous times in the last few years at Tri-Nations level so the game didn’t scare me or concern me. I just think I went away from what I’m best at. I’m best when I’m pretty decisive and reasonably technical and tactical – and I just went too much down the tactical side of things where I was really trying to minimise making technical errors.
‘I got criticised heavily and some of that I accept because I know I could have done better.’
Lawrence added that he has been punished by being left out of the Six Nations.
‘Look, there have been some pretty clear consequences from my quarterfinal display. I’m not going to be refereeing Six Nations next year, they can say that means I’m rested but in reality I accept that one of the consequences of my performance is that I’m not going to be doing Six Nations.
‘That’s disappointing from a personal level but also something that I probably support. Referees often get criticised and not held accountable – well I’m clearly being held accountable I’m not refereeing Six Nations.’
Meanwhile, Sanzar CEO Greg Peters told Eyewitness News they have not expressed any concerns regarding Lawrence’s safety in South Africa. Peters explained that he consulted their legal advisors and said the Lawrence safety saga has not been discussed within Sanzar.
395 Comments
Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 » Show All
16 Nov 2011, 07:25 am
Scared poopless dragon
16 Nov 2011, 07:32 am
nothing about what he says is convincing.
we were ffucking setup, any ccunt can see that.
go ffuck yourself all the same bryce.
your wife got hammered by the beast…live with that.
16 Nov 2011, 07:32 am
Bryce as a contestant in….Survivor SA,Fear Factor SA.By the way is this an admission of Guilt?????????
16 Nov 2011, 07:41 am
Has he received death threats like Barnsey did after 2007?
He shouldn’t be reffing at international level anyway.
Paddy’s little henchman needs to retire, his work is done.
16 Nov 2011, 07:44 am
playing your sshitty guilt ridden little crying games with your homeboy wifebeating arrse sucking yes man. boo hoo i feel things didnt go as well as i wanted but its not my fault and i never did anything wrong..more boos and hoos…you know how we feel about you and your kind…that wont change.
16 Nov 2011, 07:45 am
Jy beter worry jou doos!!!!!!
16 Nov 2011, 07:45 am
Lawrence should change his first name…
16 Nov 2011, 07:45 am
Brycie boy… is is NOT all about you. No-one cares how it affects you now and in the future. Think about how it affected a squad of 30 players and their support staff and all rugby supports in SA? Just because you had a breakdown instead of reffing the breakdown? Here’s a tissue…
16 Nov 2011, 07:45 am
I don’t understand this! Why would he fear anything if he felt he reffed fair and consistently?
Anyone makes mistakes, but its fair and consistency that’s missing.
Also missing the 6 nations is not being disciplined. A 2 year ban with no contract renewal is a punishment.
IRB clowns
16 Nov 2011, 07:46 am
‘I’ve refereed a lot of play-off games so that level is something I’m more than capable of refereeing.
Bwaahahahaha!!! Jou opinie en joune alleen jou moeg moer!!
16 Nov 2011, 07:47 am
Daddy and Paddy must be so proud.
16 Nov 2011, 07:48 am
@BULLET(BULLET)-9: 100%
16 Nov 2011, 07:52 am
Furthermore, any ref (craig joubert included) should be banned from any reffing for 6 months if their international performance goes through a tribunal, and the video evidence clearly shows that there were penalty infringements that the ignored for whatever reason.
I am all about evidence. If by TV, one can prove that the ref saw the transgression, and did nothing, ban him.
We will see games being reffed properly very fast. Also, I guarentee you the refs will polish up their law books quickly. Hit them where it hurts! Their pockets. Don’t just give them a 2 month holiday with no salary cut and call it a punishment.
If my boss gives me 2 months garden leave with full bonus and pay, then immediately takes me back with open arms, whose being punished? Seems more like a reward to me.
16 Nov 2011, 07:54 am
Yip, i would be very worried about kitchen staff and waiters spitting in all your meals if i were you.
Stay away, your incompetance is not wanted here.
16 Nov 2011, 08:02 am
Sanzar….
We should head north
these tears were always just a matter of time
why we ever done this stupid sanzar deal in the first place is beyond me.
16 Nov 2011, 08:03 am
Plod
PDV
Bryce
Not on my Festive Season Best Wishes list.
May they rot in hell….
16 Nov 2011, 08:04 am
Bryce Lawrence
Te ref that cheats, yes it is true
16 Nov 2011, 08:05 am
This bloke won ref of the year in NZ, what a laugh. When somebody admits they didn’t ref the game to the best of their ability, and then wins ref of the year, something fishy going on here, call in the hawks.
16 Nov 2011, 08:05 am
lol you damn skippy Bryce…..you wont even make it out of OR Tambo!
16 Nov 2011, 08:08 am
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-14:
i would pay someone to spit in his food and think nothing of it.
16 Nov 2011, 08:08 am
@Kea-Cat(KEA)-18: I dont think he won yet….he is just nominated. Their awards evening is on the 1st December. But you are right he is bound to win going up against a female ref and an amateur ref.
16 Nov 2011, 08:11 am
I would love to be part of a Newlands crowd not giving a damn about the match and just booing poor Bryce like he’s the anti ******.
16 Nov 2011, 08:14 am
come on brycie, stop playing to the gallery mate. It was a game and it is LONG over nobody in SA wishes u any harm.
You can come & ref in SA anytime as long as you referee Sharks game ONLY
cheers bryce
16 Nov 2011, 08:16 am
I think it best Mr Lawrence that you ply your trade in Aussie and Kiwiland.
And that you only do games not involving SA Teams…..
Thanks Sanzar.
PS
If Bryce has to do some Saffa games please let him ref the Sharks….not Stormers….
Baie Dankie
16 Nov 2011, 08:16 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-23: snap
16 Nov 2011, 08:16 am
Good morning muppits.
Imo Bryce is gooing a “pity party” and is milking it!
16 Nov 2011, 08:17 am
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-21: Just him being nominated is enough.
16 Nov 2011, 08:20 am
LOL! I dont blame him. All those morally debauched and deluded Bokke fanboys baying for Brycies blood. Self preservation is not an admission of guilt, its just self preservation. 80,000 idiots have revealed themselves on the antiBryce facebook page. It only takes one Piet Van Zyl to send him home in a body bag. Embarrasing for SA really, that an international referee is so threatened that he wont tour the Republic. Besides, I wouldnt go back to SA if someone paid me.
16 Nov 2011, 08:22 am
Cape Town to get 108000 new visitors because of the 7 Wonders…..
Bryce…please do not be 1 of them…..
You can go to Durbs
16 Nov 2011, 08:23 am
I think we should welcome Bryce into South Africa with open arms, show him real SA hospitality. Once Bryce is settled and his nerves have calmed down we then knock the fffing truth out of him, was he paid or did he just decide to roger SA like he does to sheep.
16 Nov 2011, 08:24 am
@grant10(grant10)-29: Acting like a 13 year old again gwantie ?
16 Nov 2011, 08:24 am
@Gunther(gunther)-4:
Hes been getting then on here.
@BULLET(BULLET)-13:
Well be prepared to have a lack of refs.
Who would want to be in a job where your life in is threat?
Just think of it, lets take the job that you do. You make a mistake, do you get banned for months then have a country wanting to kill you?
16 Nov 2011, 08:24 am
@Staal(Staal)-26:
Of course that is what he is doing.
Nobody will harm him here, he will in fact be more safe in SA than just about anywhere else in the world.
The fact that we are world champions at whinging does not mean we are not civilised, polite and well behaved
16 Nov 2011, 08:24 am
@Staal(Staal)-26: Yep, he employed a PR company most probably, as he knows all teams will now doubt his honesty and ability, not just SAffa teams
He should not be at this level, now they have also fast tracked Glen Jackson, just shows how Paddy’s buddy system is working
16 Nov 2011, 08:24 am
Cape Town – The Southern Kings’ participation in the Super Rugby tournament from 2013 onwards could again be under threat.
Die Burger newspaper reports that several rugby officials feel the Kings’ automatic inclusion in the 2013 tournament is not in the best interests of South African rugby.
This issue was brought up at a recent Presidents forum of the South African Rugby Union (SARU) and could be discussed further in the first week of December.
The EP Kings’ inability to win the Currie Cup First Division this year and their apparent lack of transformation leave questions over their Super Rugby inclusion.
They even fielded two New Zealanders – Ross Kennedy and Clint Newland – in this year’s Currie Cup First Division, where they were hammered 43-12 by the Boland Cavaliers in the final.
EP’s loss in the “B”-section final means they are effectively the 10th best union in the country. Border and SWD – who are the Southern Kings’ other representatives – finished last and second last respectively in the First Division, which makes them the two weakest provincial teams in South Africa.
SANZAR announced earlier this year that an extension of the Super Rugby tournament is not open for discussion, which means the Kings would have to replace one of the current Super Rugby teams. This would be problematic for SARU if a team made up of the 10th, 13th and 14th best side’s in the country represents South Africa in the Southern Hemisphere’s premier tournament.
South Africa has an obligation towards SANZAR to play its best teams in Super Rugby, which makes the Kings’ inclusion hard to justify.
16 Nov 2011, 08:25 am
Makes SA sound like Afghanistan….
What a bullseye shooting of your own foot, yarpies!
16 Nov 2011, 08:27 am
@Kea-Cat(KEA)-27: Yip agree it is ludicrous.
16 Nov 2011, 08:27 am
Rigging the outcome of a world cup in favour of the media darling home side will always be a messy affair with more than one loser. That’s the bryce you pay.
16 Nov 2011, 08:28 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-32: Directors of company lose their directorship
Lawyers banned from their council
Doctors sued
Bryce Awfullence, nothing…….he is not good enough for 1st class rugby reffing, nothing more to it
16 Nov 2011, 08:30 am
@Kea-Cat(KEA)-30:
So beating and torturing is the way to go.
What he will say , did you need 80% of the ball and 90% of the territory to win?? Is that what you wanted?
You couldnt win with 70 odd percent of territory and just as much ball, surely not all the blame thats going on is the refs fault.
Do ever think that one drop kick could have won the Quarter final?
NZ have been down the same road so we should know.
16 Nov 2011, 08:30 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-36: Yep, he has just stopped the 5 Keewees with some money from touring SA, shock, horror!
16 Nov 2011, 08:32 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-35: I think the biggest threat to the Southern Kings inclusion in Super rugby ever, is the fact that the majority of the first world, which includes countries like New Zealand and Australia don’t understand nor intend to facilitate the tokenism we have in South Africa.
For the first world (probably why they are first world), merit is everything. And there is no merit to justify the inclusion of the Kings.
South Africa is the only country in the world that has affirmative policies enforced by law that protect a majority against a minority. There are many countries that use ‘employment equity’, ‘affirmative action’ or ‘reverse apartheid’ whichever you want to call it – but in those countries eg. USA, its to protect a minority against a majority. It’s representative of just how weak and pathetic our argument must seem to developed, first world countries.
16 Nov 2011, 08:33 am
@>^..^< katman(katman)-38: Ja, its interesting. Every time there is an article on Bryce, they refer to how much he is adored in New Zealand. Of course he is – he was the All Blacks most valuable player of the world cup.
He should have won the award for All Black player of the year.
16 Nov 2011, 08:33 am
@JL1(JL1)-39:
So why the sudden turnaround?
I remember 2007 we were told to move on, you take the good with the bad.
So in the RWC, SA would have 2 refs banned if it was up to them.
They would ask for refs to be banned in every 3 nations that would have been played and believe me the 4 nations you guys will be asking for a ref to be banned.
Honestly the world has not got that many refs.
16 Nov 2011, 08:34 am
@Dusky(Dusky)-42: I hear you.
16 Nov 2011, 08:36 am
@Dusky(Dusky)-43:
Adored?
I wouldnt say that.
Just imagine if he refed NZ against OZ like he did against SA?
I am sure he would be considered on here the best ref around,as was Barnes in 2007 on here.
16 Nov 2011, 08:36 am
Unless robots are programmed to ref there will always be the human element which nobody can predict – sanctions however should be passed against refs who are not upto scratch – there must be accountability.
Blaming just NZ is getting so tired … SA is not blameless , i am still smarting about the Bulls beating the Saders in the last S14 with a blatant forward pass which won the Bulls the game and then they went on to win the S14 … the human element will always be a factor deal with it .
16 Nov 2011, 08:37 am
Persona non grata list:
Bryce Lawrence
Luke Watson
Paddy O’Bryce
Nigerian drug dealers
Joolius Malema
Robert Mooogabe
16 Nov 2011, 08:38 am
@grant10(grant10)-29: grant what is the price of a season ticket at newlands.
16 Nov 2011, 08:39 am
@Dusky(Dusky)-42:
Affirmative policies in SA should be across the board on all sports.
How come I haven’t seen any of the wannabee Bushmen in the SA Basketball team?
Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.