Bryce hangs up whistle
16 Oct 2012
New Zealand referee Bryce Lawrence has retired after officiating his 200th first-class match.
Lawrence, who faced mass criticism from the South African rugby fraternity after his poor performance during the Wallabies’ victory over the Springboks in the 2011 World Cup quarter-finals, became the fourth Kiwi official to reach the 200-match mark. He follows Paddy O’Brien (221 matches), Paul Honiss (220) and Steve Walsh (210).
Lawrence also refereed 25 Tests and 60 Super Rugby games.
He told the Bay of Plenty Times that he was forced into retirement because of the threats he received after the World Cup.
‘It got pretty bad,’ said Lawrence. \Not really threats on my family as such, there was a concern, but it was mainly aimed at me through social media. On Facebook they launched a ‘get rid of Bryce Lawrence’ site and it was pretty nasty.
‘That was absolutely the reason for my career change. I got told at the end of the World Cup that I would have a break from Test rugby for the Six Nations and I could totally accept that as there has to be a consequence for poor performance.
‘I was told I would be brought back in the middle of this year, as I was ranked in the top three or four referees in the world. But because of the political reaction from rugby unions like Australia and South Africa behind the scenes, they dropped me.
‘Sanzar used me but not in South Africa, so eventually they said it was getting tough having you in the draw, because we have to keep making changes to keep you in the system when you are not going to South Africa, so see you later. So I knew I was not able to referee at the level I needed to be re-contracted, really – all because of that one game.’
Lawrence also admitted that there was outside influence going into the Wallabies-Springbok quarter-final clash.
‘I went into the game knowing it was a massive match and I didn’t want to overly influence the outcome and that was in the back of my mind. The way that transpired was I didn’t make decisions and if I had my time again I would just go out there and do what I normally do, which is just referee and back myself.
‘I had four really good games at the World Cup and then I had that. I had outside pressure from pretty senior people from rugby countries behind the scenes that really created my mindset of lacking confidence to deliver what I normally do.
‘There was some pretty nasty political stuff going on about that appointment. I refereed Australia versus Ireland and Ireland had won but behind the scenes guys like [Australian CEO] John O’Neill were kicking up a massive stink. I knew a bit about that and it was enough to affect me, and it probably made me freeze on the biggest stage.’
Lawrence take on a new post as the NZRU High Performance referee reviewer.
Kiwi referees Vinny Munro and Keith Brown will also retire at the end of the New Zealand Cup.
576 Comments
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16 Oct 2012, 23:05 pm
@Heavens Game-348:
hahaha
Dude what a laugh.
16 Oct 2012, 23:05 pm
@Heavens Game-348: now that’s a damn sight better .. shelve the schweinhund stuff.. that’s a far better idea altogether.
16 Oct 2012, 23:06 pm
@Hurricane-346: Manipulate… bend as much as you like… but fuckit why should I argue… All is fine by me, especially if it just proves my point…
16 Oct 2012, 23:06 pm
@poppa69-347:
Of course I’ll let you buy me a beer. I’m not superstitious who pays.
16 Oct 2012, 23:07 pm
@katman-14: So’s Gert Bezuidenhout’s cheating.
16 Oct 2012, 23:07 pm
@Hurricane-351: take him up on the offer Hurri, just imagine all the tips and expertise he can enlighten you with should you decide to go to France in the future..
Im sure he still has all his contacts there
16 Oct 2012, 23:08 pm
@poppa69-334:
> dont stop at robots etc.
Robots?
Shouldn’t it be traffic lights in Kiwi….
16 Oct 2012, 23:08 pm
@ahasaid theclown-350: Of course its necessary… and nothing better than to fuckswipe the fools when they need it most…
16 Oct 2012, 23:12 pm
@victoriabok-357: yeah, it is… but as Im reminded endlessly, this is a SA website, so thought I would dumb it down to your fellas level..
@I am a stormer-354: surely as the host its your first round?
@Heavens Game-358:
and you have the perfect papslang to fuckswipe people with huh? vatso mamparra 
16 Oct 2012, 23:13 pm
@Heavens Game-358: I dunno its actually a thankless task.. all you ever achieve is wipe their stinking smelly overblown fat ingratiated arses for them.. wtf for.. not as if one ever gets any reward for such menial fcking tasteless thankless disservices.
going out .. got someone to fetch from work.
take care of Hurricant .. he perhaps the best mate you ever find from out of this crapheap.
16 Oct 2012, 23:13 pm
@poppa69-356: Ja, Pooper you come too, but promise me you aint gonna do longpig on the spit on the quiet when I’m not looking… or farken quote AIDS or rape stats when I feed you one two tequilas too many…
16 Oct 2012, 23:14 pm
@poppa69-359:
You’re absolutely correct. My apologies.
But in SA we go 10 rounds.
Don’t sound so nervous.
16 Oct 2012, 23:15 pm
@I am a stormer-362: ok, so once the warm ups finish, then what?
16 Oct 2012, 23:16 pm
@victoriabok-357: BINGO!
Pooper is a bitter ex-saffa, said it all along. It’s not the 1st time he has let slip with saffricanisms… like “eish” and a few Afrikaans pearlers that no foreighner would know collectively……….
16 Oct 2012, 23:17 pm
I’m going all misty eyed right now. HG and poppa are kissing cousins!
16 Oct 2012, 23:18 pm
@ahasaid theclown-360: Its EXACTLY what they need… Farken false getalong gang who flung dung bullshitt needs it flung straight back… One two fuckadillies to speed it on its way never did anyone any harm either…
16 Oct 2012, 23:19 pm
@poppa69-363:
Then we start again! From the beginning.
16 Oct 2012, 23:20 pm
@I am a stormer-367: sounds lekker boet..
16 Oct 2012, 23:21 pm
@I am a stormer-365:
IAAS, you should know by now that this fool doesn’t take too much seriously on this farked up part of the web…
Even Pooper…
Naah, Especially Pooper
16 Oct 2012, 23:24 pm
@Heavens Game-369: really? but then youve mentioned dominance previously? hahaha you sound confused bru, all that whine in France was it ?
16 Oct 2012, 23:26 pm
Sadly, no surprises in this article.
16 Oct 2012, 23:27 pm
@Heavens Game-369:
@poppa69-368:
I feel love is in the air.
I think, quietly, that you two smaak each other. That’s so cute.
16 Oct 2012, 23:29 pm
@poppa69-370: Dominance… of course… without even trying too…
All in the genes…
16 Oct 2012, 23:30 pm
@Liewe Luiperd-364:
Or a Keoling baiting for more hits
More hits = more ad revenue
More Coke and prozzies for Keohane
16 Oct 2012, 23:33 pm
eish Im beslis nie Suid-Afrikaanse mate
I dont selfs die taal verstaan ??so goed
16 Oct 2012, 23:35 pm
@victoriabok-374: Ha ha… Naah, I just thing of Pooper as my cyberspace version of a stress ball…
But you squeeze this stress ball too much it Pops…
And then hey presto… relief… stress gone… from you, not Pooper though.
16 Oct 2012, 23:36 pm
@Heavens Game-373: sacre bleu
must be a murky gene pool, perhaps more chlorine?
16 Oct 2012, 23:37 pm
@Heavens Game-376: squeezing balls boet? eish,
is jy &’n homoseksuele.
16 Oct 2012, 23:38 pm
Fark, I hear wailing in the background…
Time to vamos… The little English Rose Banshee growing big thorns…
Over and out
16 Oct 2012, 23:38 pm
In rugby news, Andries Bekker and Tiaan Liebenberg are out of the EOYT.
16 Oct 2012, 23:39 pm
@victoriabok-357:
hehe
I thought robots were Bank machines
16 Oct 2012, 23:40 pm
@Heavens Game-379:
Cheers.
Me 2. Getting late.
Chat on the rebound. Stay chilled.
16 Oct 2012, 23:44 pm
@Hurricane-381:
If you go to SA also remmber sheep are for consumption only
No sheep, lamb or part of of it allowed in the hotel rooms
Goats are a grey area but they should be fine although you might be frowned upon by locals
16 Oct 2012, 23:45 pm
@Hurricane-381:
The Poms called them “Robot Policemen” when the first appeared
The “Policemen” part fell in disuse
16 Oct 2012, 23:50 pm
Cheers Brycie, I hope you get nightmares about that QF for the rest of your life. One of the biggest cheats rugby union has ever seen. The funniest thing was the Aussies actually believed afterwards that they won the game fairly. Now it’s out in the open – the defending champions were never given a fair chance to defend their title in New Zealand. And the South Africans were right all along, we were cheated out of the 2011 World Cup by a referee – New Zealand’s Best Referee of 2011.
17 Oct 2012, 00:24 am
His interpretations were not always consistent that made him a poor ref.
Yeah John Oneill put pressure on you mr lawrence because he wanted to ensure that bad refs dony ref high pressure games. your poor performance in the aus vs Ireland game was just so bad. Aus would not have needed to face the SH sides if you woke up in that game.
17 Oct 2012, 00:27 am
@Loftus-385:
Aus won the game. Aus did not cheat and whilst he reffed poorly most decisions were even just you boys did not know how to pilfer. you wernt cheated out any points..to the contrary if he had allowed points he would have been cheating for RSA from those forward passes.
17 Oct 2012, 00:31 am
end of the day RSA were playing for 8th place at the world cup.
What is the difference between an AB and Bok supporter?
NOTHING – they both whinge about being screwed by the ref after a World Cup Quarter final exit. Why is that? they have no other national side that can compete on the world stage.
17 Oct 2012, 00:40 am
hahahaha, so now its out in the open, O’Neil put presure on Brycie to cheat…………did you also get a gold watch you faaaking ar sewipe?
17 Oct 2012, 00:42 am
@wallabie.-388:
Mate you can blow smoke up your ar se all day to try and justify you won that game fairly………….we all know the truth…….
17 Oct 2012, 00:44 am
@wallabie.-388: actually, any losing quarter-finalist would have been playing for 5th place.
You aren’t good at maths, are you?
ps Bruce, SA cricket will shut your trap about “no other national side” imminently.
17 Oct 2012, 01:52 am
@whatever-389:
Where did he say O’Neil made him cheat??
He blew a bad cos of all the pressure on him to do it right.
Nowhere does it say that I blew for Ozzie and wanted to knock SA out cos i wanted to cheat.
It still remains that SA were not good enough with over 70% possession and territory to take the game.
@Liewe Luiperd-391:
Not all of them can come fifth.
Strange when we were kicked out of the RWC 2007, we were called 8th place by South Africans. What goes around comes around.
17 Oct 2012, 02:21 am
@whatever-389:
SO you are alluding to the fact giving gold watches to refs is in a sign of cheating to come?
17 Oct 2012, 02:30 am
@NZINCHINA-15: Hello there Kiwi! – As you have the footage, may I be so bold to ask if you could post the relevant ’76 footage on youtube and tell us the link(if not there already).
Also if you have the ‘famous’ Jeff Wilson puking footage from 1995, I would be very grateful to finally see it as well – have asked many times….
funny story: when I asked him where the Wilson 1995 footage was, my kiwi mate told me its not on youtube, becasue youtube wasn’t invented in 1995 (!!)- true story….I was stumped by that one
)
17 Oct 2012, 02:42 am
@Hurricane-393:
I’m not alluding to anything! You keewees are so quick to mention gold watches as being a potential indication of something rotten, so I’m just posing a question. The 1981 ref, Norling may also have gotten one?
It is now pretty clear that there is skulldugery and the keewees are in the thick of it
Deal with it , but try not to damage the fragile psyche!!
17 Oct 2012, 02:50 am
95 was the first official rigged world cup. IRB gave SA the win, like PDVs appointment, for reasons other than rugby. it was never going to be any different.
17 Oct 2012, 03:40 am
@whatever-395:
Again, where does it say O’Neil made Bryce cheat….in fact where does Bryce say he cheated?
Nowhere thats where. He stated that he had so much pressure on him by a few and especially O’Neil. And he blew the game bad, too much pressure.
I think no one should be able to contact the ref leading up to the week before a game. Even PDV had a talk to a ref before playing the ABs telling him to watch certain aspects of the game. Naaa never should be allowed.
And by the way deal with what?
What are we now guilty off?
First of it was NZRU paying the refs, then it was POB telling his refs now it is O’neil, who next?
Have you any you guys read the book about a wolf that cried.
This is what happens when week in and week out you guys scream ref cheats.
No wonder no one listens to you lot.
17 Oct 2012, 03:42 am
@Hurricane-397:
make things easier its the boy that cried wolf.
17 Oct 2012, 03:43 am
@Hurricane-397:
Funny how the “presure” only went one way? Did O’Neil offer a bribe? Also funny how they have both resigned at the same time……
It’s a “funny” old world hey?
17 Oct 2012, 03:44 am
@poppa69-396:
Just like 2011
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