TSR
Mark Ella (57)
You don’t think they are accountable???
Nic Berry refs a game and the National Director of South African rugby is allowed to broadcast a 30 minute hatchet job on him, and then post joke YouTube clips about it later while Nic admits it has had a lasting psychological impact on him.
Severe example - sure. But the reality is that referees are scrutinised to a degree and trialled in public to a level most people could never relate to - except probably politicians. And it is virtually impossible for them to win.
Take the weekends game. The refs stopped the game for 5-6 minutes to review three issues of foul play. And they got panned for it (although mostly the commentators were at least generous enough to acknowledge it wasn’t their fault). But each of the players committed an offence that has been a card offence for at least a few years now. Nasser was possibly unlucky - but the other two were clear cards. I didn’t hear one commentator criticise the players for being stupid enough to put themselves in that position. Who should actually be held accountable there?
Look - it is unfair that I am directing this all at you specifically. We all of our moments, including me, and society in general seems to have become much more willing to engage in public condemnation. There have been some really great games of rugby so far in SRP (Super Rugby Pacific). It would be really nice if we could get to the end of a couple of them without having to read a whole heap of focus on the ref.
But it would be nice BR to see you stop this path you’ve gone down where it seems you seemingly can’t help yourself but bag the ref after pretty much every game.
Nic Berry refs a game and the National Director of South African rugby is allowed to broadcast a 30 minute hatchet job on him, and then post joke YouTube clips about it later while Nic admits it has had a lasting psychological impact on him.
Severe example - sure. But the reality is that referees are scrutinised to a degree and trialled in public to a level most people could never relate to - except probably politicians. And it is virtually impossible for them to win.
Take the weekends game. The refs stopped the game for 5-6 minutes to review three issues of foul play. And they got panned for it (although mostly the commentators were at least generous enough to acknowledge it wasn’t their fault). But each of the players committed an offence that has been a card offence for at least a few years now. Nasser was possibly unlucky - but the other two were clear cards. I didn’t hear one commentator criticise the players for being stupid enough to put themselves in that position. Who should actually be held accountable there?
Look - it is unfair that I am directing this all at you specifically. We all of our moments, including me, and society in general seems to have become much more willing to engage in public condemnation. There have been some really great games of rugby so far in SRP (Super Rugby Pacific). It would be really nice if we could get to the end of a couple of them without having to read a whole heap of focus on the ref.
But it would be nice BR to see you stop this path you’ve gone down where it seems you seemingly can’t help yourself but bag the ref after pretty much every game.
