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After two terrible performances by referees over the past couple of weeks and in the first two matches of the Tri Nations, I have come to the conclusion that laughable accusations by Peter De Villiers have some element of truth.
A couple of weeks ago after suffering a second straight loss to the Kiwis on their home turf, he accused the referees, IRB or NZRU of match fixing, to increase ticket sales for the 2011 World Cup. I, like most of the rugby world, considered these comments stupid, having watched both games myself and viewing the send offs as 50/50s and the referees’ performances as slightly below par, but not laughable.
On Saturday, I, like most Aussie rugby fans, would have been amazed at the lack of inconsistency and lack of decisiveness shown by the refs. As a Wallabies fan, sure I’m sick of poor performances and under achievement, but they are part of the game, especially in Australia. What is not and should never by part of the game is the allowance of people to throw cheapshots and receive countless warnings without being sent off.
I’m not exactly aware of what’s happening in regards to the suspensions as a result of the Saia Faingaa cheap shot, but I am a passionate rugby supporter who loves the toughness and beauty the game possesses and I for one am sick of Richie McCaw and am sick of inconsistent refereeing. The one match that I’ve seen these Tri Nations that was well refereed was the one match that didn’t involve the Kiwis. Countless times in the scrum the Kiwis illegally targeted one side with illegal binding, and since when does a final warning mean you get another chance?
Rugby needs to face this problem head on. I respect Peter De Villiers for his courage to stand up against the IRB and challenge the undoubtedly bias refereeing. It’s one thing to win a match fair and square, but rugby and referees need to clean up their act now.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.