Was it White that Ewen beat Jake for coach of the year?

Doesn't matter whether they have an intention to be biased or not, start doing a bit of research on academic studies on referee bias and you will see that there is an outstanding amount of evidence that they are. Maybe not intentionally but so what, bias is bias. Take a look at this for start since it talks specifically about Super Rugby but across a number of sports there is plenty of evidence of referee bias, why should we assume any difference in Rugby. http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2010/07/29/revealed-biased-rugby-referees-in-both-codes-hand-big-advantage-to-own-countries-290702/

Well said Geoffo . A nice succinct statement with the right perspective . David Lord never liked Andre Watson . I remember calling him at ABC radio one Sunday morning many years ago after he had denigrated Watson and he gave me a thousand words. He also said that Eales had threatened to take Aust off the field in the RWC final against France unless he stopped the " bag snatching" by the French . Now really.!! Was he supposed to shove his head in the ruck?As you say , the measure of the refs competence is the Internationals they have been given to ref by those whose job it is to judge them at the highest level. .That says it all.

Again, with regard to both sides the only way is upwards. The Waratahs seem to be the side Australian rugby fans love to hate simply because of the style of football they play. Personally I don't think the Waratahs have that strong a crop of players - specifically in the backline, but a stylistic change might go a long way to cementing the position of a new coach with the fans, and once the fans are behind you then big things are possible. The Blues are another side of perceived underachievers, although IMHO they have a much more talented roster than the Waratahs. They've been considered (rightly IMHO) as flakey, but they have some world class talent and any decent coach would fancy his chances of getting a side with the likes of Woodcock, Mealamu, Faumunia, Weepu, Nonu, Ranger etc much further up the table. Both sides are perceived as poisoned chalices in some circles, but equally if you get things right then they are big, big sides with great potential. With regard to John Kirwan, I think he is an innovative coach, and a very decent man too, and I totally disagree with what Wayne Shelford said about his appointment. I cant wait to see him take on the Blues. I also thought it was interesting to read that Pocock was keen to get Michael Foley to the Force given the battering he has taken in the media.

If a new coach turns the Waratahs around so fast that they win the title next year, people won't be talking about what award to give him, they'll be talking about what to name the new religion he's just founded.

Personally I disagree. Second season syndrome is always an issue, and continued success is the hardest type to attain. How many sides in any sport maintain constant success despite changing coaches? Look at what is happening with the Crusaders ATM. Expectation is higher on the coaches and players, and that is often a huge issue. The Brumbies had little expectation, and they play, IMHO, the weakest conference. I believe that motivating a side to play a limited brand of rugby against all odds is easier than taking on a side like the Reds or the Crusaders. A lot of pressure will now be on White, and as we saw from his time at the Springboks, it was basically downhill after the 2004 3N.

Why do we hold refs to a ridiculously higher standard than players? Why do we think it acceptable to constantly criticize refs but not our own teams players even once???

Missed Penalty DROPPED Scrum Infringement DROPPED Oh shit I need a new squad........

If players were held to the standards we hold refs then every team would need a 100+ squad plus injuries. Knock on DROPPED Forward Pass DROPPED Offside DROPPED Ruck Infringement DROPPED

David Steve has turned is addiction around because it was impeding on his paycheck not because he deserves to be knighted.

David Has Steve Walsh applied for an AU passport??? If not how can you report he has come to this country to become an AU citizen?? Perhaps he came to AU because he was fired by the NZRU for hitting the bottle a little extra. And after you falsely proclaim him to be an Australian seeking citizen you tear him apart for not being one. WTF

Dont get all this hullabaloo about neutral refs.... no ref in his right mind would intentionally go out to be biased unless he owes a coupla grand to some unsavoury types in the gambling world. ( i think refs should have their finances stringently checked and be better remunerated considering their importance) Refs, like players go through patches of form and some are just consistently better and they are the ones regardless of nationality who should be chosen to officiate according to their ranking. I also believe that an official match review released by the IRB after every game should be public consumption adding a little more spice to the drama and allowing a proper post mortem to be attended by the rugby public

Spencer,well david was proved right about mckenzie and chiefs have beaten crusaders which proves mckenzie wrong.The future may yet prove graham can learn the reds way !!!LOL

Are yes, using "what might happen in the future" as a fact to support your opinions. Now that sounds like politics.

No worries bilongbek, will check out Dan's articles.

Jake white knows how to build a team, he knows how to get structure into a team, he knows how to get them to play as one and in a disciplined fashion, he knows how to play structure well. But any coach has limitations, I firmly believe an attacking coach and a structure coach should not be the same person. Look at the Brumbies this year, Jake taught them how to play within a structure and they did that very well, but their attacking was not the one with a lot of flair, it was standard hit ups and standard direct back play, when you add some attacking nouse with a coach who has a creative mind they will be more dangerous. It is about the personality of people, usually you are either one with an analytical mind or someone with a creative mind. One without the other won't bring a complete game.

Lemon, I wouldn't like Rugby Union to get anywhere near Rguby league. My take on the breakdown for one. A referee has to look at the following aspects at a breakdown. 1. Did the tackler release 2. Did the tackled player release 3. Who has first rights to the ball. 4. Who didn't come through the gate. 5. Who is not a the last line of feet. 6. Who is going off their feet 7. Who has been beaten by the ruck and has hands in 8. Who on the ground is playing the ball. 9. Who is being removed from the ruck and is it legal. etc . In my view a ruck has an offside line let anyone have hands in. who is not supporting his bodyweight Who is obstructing. You do that, teams will very quickly adapt in the tackle, it will encourage teams to offload and speed the game up. If they can't get the ball out of the ruck, there will be a scrum. The way I see it there will be benefits for both the defeding and attacking team, but the most important thing is there will now be no hesitiation as to what you are allowed to do. You may legally slow down ball as long as you are on side, on your feet. I could elaborte some more, but that's this would simplify interpretations and teams will adapt. Another bugbear of mine is the maul. Why may you not pull down a maul? It is a method of obstruction any way you look at it. It is the only time in a game where you can legally obstruct the path to the ball carrier, I say bring it down. This way you give the defending team an opportunity to turn the ball over. It isn't the defending team's responsibility to keep the maul up, that is the attacking team's responsibility if they choose to make meters that way. Then the scrum, take away the crouch, touch pause and engage. I played in the early nineties and there was les problems with scrums then. As a loose head prop, I was focused on the hit, if it was our ball, I dicated the hit, if it was their ball, I was ready to release on their command. Who bloody focuses on a little man with a whistle that whines when you are staring into the eyes of your opposite number intent on bending you sideways. Anyway just some thoughts.

Bono, I must be honest, I dont listen to a radio, but the most unbiased opinion you can get from an SA perspective is probably Dan Retief, you will find him on google. Don't listen to Keo, he thrives on criticism and negativity.

Wit all due respect David does your opinion that Andre Watson and Jonathan Kaplan are the worst referees in international rugby and that Steve Walsh is "a fine ref" really matter? It so happens that i have the exact opposite view , as i'm sure many others do, but do our opinions matter either? No. Reason is there are professional bodies who are qualified to pass judgement on these skills - you and i quite simply are not qualified. Its no accident that the two gentemen in question have refereed more big international matches than any other refs in history. You may not like there manner or attitude but their competence has been rewarded time and time again by impartial and objective bodies. Steve Walsh is rated nowhere near these two in terms of competence. Bottom line is as Paul Cully mentioned in his article the other day - give the refs a break and stick to analysing games and players where your views have some relevance.

What is your criteria for awarding this 'honour?' Seems like a bit of a throwaway comment yo me, given that Watson was recognised as the best referee in the world for many years, officiating world cup finals and the like. Are you actually suggesting that he is the worst you've seen, or simply the most overrated? Given your (often referenced) long history of watching the game, are you seriously telling me that you've never seen a worse performed referee than any of these guys, keeping in mind they are all experienced referees who have officiated hundreds of internationals between them?

White was absolutely robbed for COY... I wonder if coach of the year is selected before the qualification final or after. If after, that is a disgrace. Why does anyone actually care about Ref of the year? only rugby would have an award for officials. I guess Walsh wins by default - I couldnt even name another Australian ref.