Walsh should have been sacked
6 Mar 2013
MARK KEOHANE writes Steve Walsh should have been given the chop, even if just for a few games, for charging into Conrad Smith.
If a player had lost his cool, as Walsh did, and made contact with a referee he would have been fronting a disciplinary and all sorts of condemnation would accompany the appearance.
Walsh is again becoming a law unto himself and his ego is again getting the better of him.
The Australian-based Kiwi, who in Justin Marshall’s autobiography, admitted a rugby field wasn’t big enough to accommodate the egos of Marshall and himself and further made the admission that he couldn’t stand the sight of Marshall’s face and would penalise the Crusaders just because Marshall irritated him, has a controversial history with the whistle.
He was sacked previously because of his battle with booze and he returned to the game humbled and rejuvenated.
His performance in the Canes game was more of the old Walsh. His communication skills were lacking, he was larger than the players, he was No 1 and he was very anti the Canes in his approach.
The contact with Smith, when the Canes skipper queried a penalty, warranted sanction. It looked ugly and it looked malicious. Walsh was angry and lost the plot.
Smith has shown his class is being diplomatic and brushing off the incident, but Walsh erred in making the wrong call on a few occasions in a frantic final five minutes and it had a bearing on the outcome of the match.
Referee boss Lyndon Bray concedes Walsh got it wrong and Smith was right to query Walsh, and he further concedes Walsh’s performance wasn’t up to standard in the final few minutes. But, despite this, he told the Fairfax Media reporters the overall review assessment for Walsh was 93 percent and that the official reviewers were happy with the job done.
It is nothing short of disgraceful.
The Hurricanes lodged an official complaint and Bray said he and Canes coach Mark Hammett had agreed to disagree.
Bray said Walsh had made ‘two or three’ incorrect calls against the Hurricanes but defended Walsh’s overall performance.
‘Mark feels Steve didn’t have a very good day. My argument to that was I don’t think it was too bad, but I absolutely support that at a critical part of the game we got a couple wrong,’ said Bray.
Given this Walsh should have been stood down, even if just for a match or two.
‘I can understand that frustration, but across the game I don’t think there’s much argument other than Steve had a pretty good day generally. What Mark talked about really came down to a small number of decisions in the second half which really had an impact on the Hurricanes. Fair cop.
‘I think Steve would agree with Mark he had two or three calls in the last quarter that weren’t as accurate as he’d like, including the penalty on the goal line which resulted in the back chat. So that all got a bit ugly because we agree the decision was wrong.’
Bray further defended Walsh’s clash with Smith as accidental and not malicious. You decide.
‘He was [caught in the moment]. He was in decision-making mode. It’s just one of those things,’ said Bray. “One of Steve’s strengths is that he’s a strong character on the field and I think that’s pretty important for a referee. On Friday night both the players and the referee got a little frustrated.
‘He had a couple of errors build up and they went against the Hurricanes at key moments and that’s where you can understand Mark’s frustrations.’
Walsh’s reward for getting it wrong in the crucial time of the game was to fly to London to referee a Six Nations international this weekend and he will resume business in Super Rugby on his return.
Referee accountability is an area that continues to be glossed over in all competitions. The standard of refereeing in the early part of the competition has been inconsistent, the application of the five second use it law at ruck time has been so subjectively applied, depending on the referee, that it is a farce and certain referees allow teams to slow the ball down with repeated calls of ‘release release’ by which time the damage has been done to the attacking side.
Referee interpretation still influences too much of the play, as does the time of the match when the offending team transgressors. Teams commit professional fouls on their goalline in the first 20 minutes and never face a yellow card, but the same transgression is always punished with a yellow or red card if occurring in the last five or 10 minutes of a match.
Referees, like players, are paid professionals. They need to be held accountable when getting it wrong and there needs to be more sanction and scrutiny on those who allow the play to be slowed down by repeated cautions but rarely with consequence. Referees will tell you they caution to get flow but if they penalised immediately and set a standard that slowing down the ball won’t be tolerated they’d then get the flow in a game.
Generally there is too much back slapping within the referee fraternity and while it is a thankless task to be a referee let’s not forget these guys chose it as a profession, and if they want to be treated like professionals they must equally be judged as professionals.
Walsh betrayed the professionalism of an international referee in the way he lost it with Smith and lost it with the Canes. There had to be a consequence to that poor form. Instead there is only reward. It is why nothing will change.
294 Comments
Pages: « 1 [2] 3 4 5 6 » Show All
6 Mar 2013, 11:04 am
@keo-8: You are such a liar.
Everyone knows that 9 week old staffies never sleep.
Ever.
6 Mar 2013, 11:08 am
@stormersboy-51: Maybe she’s been sniffing at his desk
6 Mar 2013, 11:08 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-45: @keo-22:
Not sure why you two are complaining about the Kiwi Ref>?
your Bulls won the SR tropghy in 2007 because of him, you did not find him bad then??
Justsayin…
6 Mar 2013, 11:08 am
@Hurricane-46:
there are serious issues affecting this competition, Hurricane
serious issues..!….
6 Mar 2013, 11:08 am
“The Australian-based Kiwi, who in Justin Marshall’s autobiography…”
Sounds like a valid, unbiased source.
6 Mar 2013, 11:12 am
Walsh should have been sacked http://t.co/jak4ax6EdZ via @sharethis he lost the plot and there should have been a consequence.
6 Mar 2013, 11:12 am
@Transformation-36:
Haha, you quote Christi van der Westhuizen. That alone makes the quote worthless.
You do realise she’s about as radical leftist as you get? The Nancy Pelosi or Al Sharpton of SA.
6 Mar 2013, 11:12 am
@gunther-47:
that and some…
i dont wat to get myself worked up about this.
@the curse-49:
Everybody knows that the waka is leaking
Everybody knows that the captain lied
Everybody got this broken feeling
Like their father or their dog just died
6 Mar 2013, 11:12 am
@Tacitus-56:
Rather, the female Michale Moore of SA.
6 Mar 2013, 11:12 am
@silent_shadow-55: Justin Marshall is an idiot… was an arrogant AB and has maintained that persona..
said it before, refs should have to attend some sort of academy every year where they are assessed on their knowledge, application and understanding of the laws.. they dont make the grade they dont get paid..
the game deserves better..
6 Mar 2013, 11:14 am
@the curse-59:
“sarcasm”
‘quote – unquote’…
6 Mar 2013, 11:14 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-57: so, no response to Chilli’s blatant off side try?
isnt this a form of cheating?
6 Mar 2013, 11:15 am
Justin Marshall is one of the best commentators and most unbiased, he should have snot klapped Steve “i love myself and the bottles of booze” Walsh
6 Mar 2013, 11:16 am
@Sharks_are_gonna_get_you-53:
do you honeslty believe the Bulls were NOT in the game?
6 Mar 2013, 11:17 am
@Tacitus-56: hahaha label her & attempt to discredit her & never address the “hard questions”
6 Mar 2013, 11:17 am
@Transformation-64:
Which hard questions would those be? To me it just looks like strawmen and leftist ranting.
6 Mar 2013, 11:20 am
@Transformation-64:
Ignore Tac the Twat, he’s a dying breed.
Give this a read and then check the poster below. As with all things, it’s the poor who suffer the most.
http://mg.co.za/article/2013-03-05-oscar-pistorius-have-white-fears-gone-too-far
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/306221_254753197993381_1218849371_n.jpg
6 Mar 2013, 11:22 am
@Bagel-66: Yeah
6 Mar 2013, 11:25 am
@Bagel-66: Or the equally disturbing…
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/549294_254753564660011_1663779751_n.jpg
6 Mar 2013, 11:27 am
@Tacitus-65: as you were.
6 Mar 2013, 11:29 am
@Transformation-64:
Are Afrikaans males the only segment of South African society who think they own women ?
It’s sad that an incompetent minister and a desperate and deluded father have hijacked a serious debate.
Answers on a postcard please.
6 Mar 2013, 11:29 am
Ref Steve Walsh still winning friends & influencing people. And he’s headed our way
http://t.co/TqmQLmwpZx #rterugby
6 Mar 2013, 11:36 am
@gunther-70:
Hang on there tiger.
I don’t know anyone who thinks he owns his wife. It is not a characteristic of our culture, other than maybe some sub-culture from the dregs of our community that I have never had the occassion to mingle with. So it is utterly inaccurate to claim that it is.
It is a characteristic of individuals with psychological problems.
6 Mar 2013, 11:40 am
For those that didn’t see the push.
I just watched it now, seems pretty damn harmless to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifQh80FGum8
6 Mar 2013, 11:42 am
@Tacitus-71:
Indeed.
So lets move forward.
Do these people come from other sectors of society as well?
The fact of the matter is that Lulu has headed a department that has done nothing to justify its existence. Suddenly ahead of a cabinet reshuffle she has a large bek?
Ja well no fine.
6 Mar 2013, 11:43 am
@keo-19: Compared to the Northern Hemisphere, the refs in the S15 have been very lenient re the 5-second rule.
6 Mar 2013, 11:43 am
@gunther-73:
It’s unfair to single her out. No one in the entire cabinet other than Pravin and Trevor has done anything to justify their existence.
Lulu is just par for the course.
6 Mar 2013, 11:45 am
@Bagel-72: It is the intent if a player did a ‘harmless push’ to a referee out of frustration he would be suspended.
I am challenging the fact that because it seems harmless it is excused. He, as a referee should, not be lashing out at a player physically and his arm action showed the intent to push Smith out of the way and not to avoid Smith because he was in his way. There is a huge difference.
And to compound it Bray admits Walsh got the decision wrong and Smith as captain was within his rights to question it. It was a match turning call and yet there is no consequence. The ref made the wrong call, potentially cost the Canes a try and a winning result and then push the captain out of the way.
6 Mar 2013, 11:46 am
@gunther-73:
As for Oscar’s media team – they’re only distancing themselves from his dad’s comments insofar as it helps with his case and PR campaign.
Their condemnation of his statement says absolutely zero about it’s validity or lack thereof.
6 Mar 2013, 11:47 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-63:
I thought you were all for fair refs…..it seems that a team can have a ref cheating for them only if they are in the game…… is that what you are saying?
Or are you actually saying refs can cheat only for your team only?
Which one is it?
6 Mar 2013, 11:49 am
@gunther-70: did she or i say anything of the sort?
did she say they’re only ones pronevto violence because of their upbringing?
6 Mar 2013, 11:51 am
@Tacitus-77:
Apparently he’s not close to his father at all.
6 Mar 2013, 11:53 am
@Transformation-79:
Don’t be an apologist.
Then why single them out apropos the genflder violence in this country.
It was a fatuously maladroit comment.
6 Mar 2013, 11:56 am
@Sharks_are_gonna_get_you-62:
there is plenty of history there I can assure you of that
6 Mar 2013, 11:59 am
@gunther-81: i can’t answer for lulu but anyone trying to diminish christi’s article with ad hominem utterings runs the risk of looking imperceptive.
6 Mar 2013, 12:01 pm
@Transformation-83:
Of course you can’t answer for Lulu.
Who could?
6 Mar 2013, 12:01 pm
@NZINCHINA-82: lol I am sure, for me Justin was an excellent player, and is proving to be one of the better commentators around.
6 Mar 2013, 12:02 pm
@gunther-81: The honourable Minister makes an interesting point…
Do you dismiss her because she is black or not a citizen of Cape Town – the little Visdorpie aspiring to be an exclusive “Monaco of Azansi”…
Is the honourable Minister a mere refugee to turn up that oh so sensitive Constantia nose at, while spilling your G&T and choking on your Cohiba…
Twat…
6 Mar 2013, 12:02 pm
@gunther-81: as far as i being an “apologist”
go attempt at trying to silence by ridicule…the article i posted deals with more than just lulu’s comments but hey she’s easy prey
6 Mar 2013, 12:02 pm
@Tacitus-77:
“Their condemnation of his statement says absolutely zero about it’s validity or lack thereof.”
Or, looking at it from your perspective…just from the other side: To me it just looks like strawmen and rightist ranting.
6 Mar 2013, 12:04 pm
@keo-76: I ref high school games in Winter and I just sympathise for the guy. I actually think he’s a good ref.
He clearly made a bad call there and was feeling the pressure and then he had to move the mark 10m forward ASAP and Smith was literally in his face. He may have had a justified complaint but every Captain knows or should know that you don’t approach the ref unless play has stopped or at least calmed down. Walsh is hardly going to reverse the penalty.
He then shoves the bloke out the way with a raised elbow and apologises straight afterwards. Sure he probably should have ran around but then are we going to allow our refs to be treated like footballers treat them???
Smith isn’t fussed about it so why should we be? All parties are brushing it off for what it was IMO. If Hammett has a problem with his calls then that’s great, complain, that’s necessary to raise the bar, but come on you’re making this a storm in a teacup to try and drive an agenda about refs being more accountable.
6 Mar 2013, 12:04 pm
@Sharks_are_gonna_get_you-85:
I haven’t heard much of him being up this way but what I have heard he’s very good, him and Walshy hated each other it nearly got to the point where he couldn’t ref Canterbury games because of it.
6 Mar 2013, 12:04 pm
This is Rugby.
It is Played by humans,
It is Refereed by humans.
If you want a mistake free game, yes we can have that.
But it will take 4 and a half hours to play a game. (i.e. American Football).
Steve was in the wrong sure, he knows it.
We all know it. So what.
If Conrad can move on, so can we.
I hope Steve enjoys his NH jaunt.
6 Mar 2013, 12:05 pm
@Heavens Game-86:
Enter the leg jumper.
@Transformation-87:
Where’s the ridicule?
6 Mar 2013, 12:07 pm
@Transformation-83: Tacitus is, from what I’ve gathered reading his posts over the years, extremely conservative and likely extremely religious.
As a Leftist I have a problem with the former, but the combination makes for someone who is not going to change his mind on pretty much anything.
6 Mar 2013, 12:09 pm
@Bagel-66: @Bagel-68: Quite shallow and rather obvious, for an aspiring Verligte trying so hard to be a caring lilly liberal…
Lets shed a tear about the poor and downtrodden, meanwhile breathing a sigh of relief and thanking privileged mercies that it is NIMBY – not in my back yard…
Yup, the talk left walk right conundrum… Ask governess Godzille about that one…
6 Mar 2013, 12:09 pm
@Transformation-89:
If you accuse me of ridiculing her lifelong agenda of “whites caused all the problems in the world” then I’m guilty as charged.
6 Mar 2013, 12:12 pm
@gunther-70:
Not the only ones but for some reason they are responsible for the most family murders taking place in SA.
Note, I said MOST. They are not the only ones who take their family with them to the other side if they reach that point of no return. However, it is more prevalent amongst that community than any other in the country.
6 Mar 2013, 12:14 pm
@nama1-98:
That is a bare faced lie. Add up the family murders in this country and I guarantee you that your statement is devoid of all truth.
How can you make a statement like that, without the facts to back it up? Astonishing, and quite typical of the type of commentary we’ve seen on this issue.
6 Mar 2013, 12:21 pm
@Bagel-91:
Good Post.
Keo likes to fuel controversy,
controversy creates hits,
hits create money.
Pages: « 1 [2] 3 4 5 6 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.