Comments on: Christchurch crunch like Test

By: Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)

Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 07:16:39 +0000

Agree whole heartedly with Pedigree and Slarti’s comments. Good work, would give you a smiley face if I had one.

By: stew(stew)

stew(stew) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 07:15:04 +0000

At the end of the day we will play our normal game and win by 20 … these accusations of cheating are excuses , it seems to be small man mentality to be critical of champions

By: The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 07:07:26 +0000

@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-98: I have been certain at times that money, women or ladyboys have changed hands.
Then as you correctly said, you realise they are just kak and ill equipped to do their jobs. (When there is no fear of being fired, fined or disciplined I guess anyone would become lazy and lose interest in delivering solid performances)

Thing is, with so few elite refs, they kind of hold all the cards as well. It’s not as though there are 50 brilliant and tested international standard refs waiting in the wings to make the step up: so the lazy and incompetent ones get to stick around.
IRB (and SANZAR where it concerns us) are the guilty ********, the buck genuinely stops with them.

By: Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)

Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:53:13 +0000

@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)-96: Yip and in not doing anything tangible we have a situation where some calls this year were so far off the charts that you sit there and wonder how much money is changing hands! I regularly have to remind myself that they are just pi** poor and not cheating and still nothing is being done.

By: The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:48:48 +0000

@Papoose(papaown)-94: Some of the comments below were rather refreshing

By: The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:48:13 +0000

@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-93: It’s always the same when organisations aren’t held accountable.
The IRB answers to itself and it’s media masters. Ditto for SANZAR and the unions it represents. Now if the average fan on the street could purchase a few shares in above mentioned organisations……

The bottom line is, refereeing is a mess at all levels, and their seems to be zero desire to change this – because as long as we keep watching and Murdoch keeps paying – who cares.

All they have to do, is set the refs up to succeed more (by giving them the tools they need to do the job: hell, they can even appoint a specialised scrum ref who trots onto the field only when scrums are called for, and then trots off again etc etc etc. May be far fetched, but there are ways of ensuring that refs succeed more than they fail)

AND on the flip-side they need to set the feckers up so that when they fail – they KNOW they have failed.

By: stew(stew)

stew(stew) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:43:38 +0000

@The Analyst(The Analyst)-57: It is called professionalism - if you cant take the heat ..... And by the way the Bulls have had their fair share of dubious calls against the Saders so it is not unique

By: Papoose(papaown)

Papoose(papaown) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:37:18 +0000

@57 Analyst: Wow, what an article. Sounds like that Kiwi is a Saffa

By: Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)

Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:36:44 +0000

@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)-92:

Right on, so we back to the lame *** administrators doing nothing to fix a massive problem. Agree 100% with that but instead of doing something they withdraw deeper into their little holes and self assessment and just pop out once in a while with ‘stats’ telling us everything is on the up and up…

By: The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:29:23 +0000

@Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)-90: Agree. As I said to Slarti above, the professionals live and die by other standards, but it is not their job to set these standards. The IRB as custodians need to start upping THEIR game, when it comes to their elite refs, and the futures of such refs. The buck stops with them IMHO, not with the ref himself. (SANZAR, SARU, THE NZRFU etc also need to do their bit...)

By: The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:26:59 +0000

@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-89: Yes, they are professional, but they are still human – and some of them are very weak humans.
Is it their fault that they are selected to the elite panel? Or should we be pointing the finger at those who control the appointments and the further development of refs. That is why I say, The IRB as protectors of the game, need to harden up and start giving the refereeing facet of the game the same attention that they give to other facets, like for example: selling media rights

By: Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)

Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:22:32 +0000

@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)-88: Yeah your right Pedigree, there are people out there who volunteer their time in a thankless role, have to say I am not putting the boot into those good people. One of my friends reffed a schoolboy game a few years ago and some idiot ran onto the field and tried to take him out, it was all on with spectators from both sides joining in, was reported in the papers as being a race war. The professional refs on the other hand are measured differently to the amateurs (the good guys) so therefore they are paid to take the stick. If they do a good job, they live another day, sad but true.

By: Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)

Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:20:44 +0000

@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)-88: Tell you what, I was once pulled in to ref a game of u/8's and the 30 minutes was enough to put me off for life. Nothing like getting lip from a 7 year old because you called a forward pass... Having said that, these days they get paid plenty and for that should do a better job.

By: The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged by Mad Eye Productions.(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:06:56 +0000

@Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)-81: When one takes a peek around the world of rugby union, and focuses on the continual abuse referees suffer (some deserved, some undeserved) – who the hell would want the job in the 1st place?
I must be honest, being a professional ref must be right up there on the world’s dirtiest job list (just above being Hondo’s housekeeper and just below HG’s psychologist).

This year in SA, at schoolboy level, we have had refs punched, headbutted and abused by kids, parents and coaches. I’m not sure how any young ref survives this, never mind moving up to the next level.

Without refs we are fecked, and while I whinge about them along with the rest of the world, I wonder if I would prepared to do the job. The IRB need to start taking a serious look at refereeing, and it’s future.

By: Beast(Beast)

Beast(Beast) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:06:50 +0000

@Hoops(Hoops)-83: Careful! You don't want to be the one being klapped by a pink-wearing fairy! Arrogance have been the downfall of many a team, just ask the Stormers - "All talk but no trophies, for longer than a decade". Hang on to that Vodacom Cup boys, it may be the last for a while!

By: Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)

Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:06:29 +0000

@Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)-84: I am sure if you do a search you will find lots of information on it, been going for years. It is done in the "Koshuis Liga" at the university...that is 'hostel league' for lack of a better word. Eish yes, you do it once and remember it for a long time before you did it again! @Beast(Beast)-85: Told RP that this morning and she said they WILL be ready to take on anyhting the Bulls throw at them...

By: Beast(Beast)

Beast(Beast) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:01:55 +0000

The advantage for the Bulls is that nobody is giving them the slightest of chances to beat the Saders. They have nothing to loose and everything to gain. After loosing so many senior players and management staff the men in blue should have been in the bottom half of the log, but yet, there they are. Stand proud and do use proud manne!! Win or loose, Bulle forever! Good luck Sharks, do SA proud!

By: Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)

Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 05:51:37 +0000

@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-82: I would go with the two referee scenario, more eyes (on the field) makes less work, but as you say the old farts are conservative. This two ref trial in Stellenbosch sounds interesting, would like to hear more feedback on that. When I look back when I played it took a brave man to try and kill the ball, so theres a thought, players policing themselves.....not going to happen...damn...

By: Hoops(Hoops)

Hoops(Hoops) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 05:50:48 +0000

The bulls will struggle with their powder puff pack…yes I said it….they have a powder puff pack…..a light five…….with Spies being the fairy captain of the softies…..

By: Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)

Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 05:39:29 +0000

@Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)-81:

Nope, just in scoring tries and the movement leading up to it. Also think they will only be able to rule on specific things rather than a blank sheet.

You know they have been ‘trialing’ two refs in Stellenbosch for ages now and the only feedback I ever got on that was how good it is. Old farts not interested though.

PS The #7 was just an example…