I think the question that should be asked, is why was Ganson (whose son is on Saints scholarship) the video ref. There were no other games on Monday.

Personally I think he got the decision right, but that is not the issue.

It also struck me listening to that how little control the VR has over what he's seeing. Half of the pointless angles we have to watch seem to be as a result of miscommunication (or whatever) between the VR and whoever is sending his replays to him.

Would it be that hard to train the Refs to be able to work with the replays themselves to speed things up?

I'll pass on the link between Ganson and the St Helens club. We had to suffer Holdsworth re-designated as Kippax so that he could officiate at Leeds games and hand on heart I can't recall him doing us many favours quite the opposite in fact. I felt that was the bigger danger when the 'home town' bar on officials was lifted.

The bar was removed at the start of 2008 - for St Helens it's been a comparatively sp trophy cabinet by their previous high standards since. Probably just one of those quirks. Ganson used to get a lot of big games generally but couldn't officiate in any of St Helens who made plenty of semi and finals and I always [iperceived [/ithe lifting of the bar (as with the swerve employed for Holdsworth) were with him personally in mind.

I agree though that the controller shouldn't occupy the role of video referee (although his predecessor often did likewise - usually in the South of France, nice) as any mistakes that there will inevitably be - and perhaps we saw one on Monday - will undermine his authority to carry out the role of improving standards, IMO.

I think my biggest issue with home-town refereeing is not that I think Mr Ganson will actually behave in an untoward fashion, and I don't personally worry when he refs Leeds v Saints, but rather the issue of reputation to the game. It creates an opportunity for all kinds of hyperbole questioning the partiality of the referee. Why introduce that when there are lots of other refs available?

Even more nonsensical is bowing to pressure at international level to have Aussie NRL refs for England/GB vs Aus. Not that they'll be biased necessarily, but they WILL ref according to NRL interpretations, which automatically puts non-NRL players at a disadvantage, particularly around the ruck. The argument is that the NRL refs are the 'best' - but I'd far rather have a naff French/Kiwi ref who at least appears impartial.

It appears I was right, although as every year passes on this squad the likelihood diminishes.

We've been beaten 64-10 and 44-4 by the Aussies with an English SL referee. Hardly the issue you're implying. I'm sure there'll be plenty of other examples of us getting flogged by the Aussies with one of our home town refs in charge.

Jeesus, woosh

SL players can't predict how SL refs interpret the laws anyway. Aussie refs want the Aussies to win and SL refs want to show how "impartial" they are by mullering England on the penalty count. If we had anyone with real nuts reffing in this country he'd come out and cane the Aussies, but as they all think (not unlike some who post here) that the Aussie game is the ultimate and everything they do is marvellous they bend over and take one up the shi....er.

Having said that, blaming the reffing for the last 30+ years of utter bollox results is clutching at the tinniest of straws.

Spot on

NRL referees are unfit to operate at international level.

They do not use a single referee system in their top level domestic competition and have not done so for some time, yet they are considered competent to operate that system in representative games?

Stuff them. Until they learn to referee a game on their own again, use referees from SL, NZ and the French competition.

Bill - nobody is suggesting for a second that the results of any recent Eng v Aus games would have been different with a different ref. What WOULD have been different is SL players not being forced to play to NRL rules in the ruck - where at times SL and the NRL have been miles apart. Or am I imagining your (correct) criticism of the scoot which was all but impossible in the NRL sides (and therefore against Australia)?

That's not even the biggest issue, which is quite simply that the sport looks tinpot in picking Aussie refs because they are the 'best'. It works in Origin because, well, its entirely made up of Aussies who play in the NRL. Oddly enough all major international sports I can think of manage very well with neutral referees, including their at times bizarre reading of the game. Those sports actually understand what international competition is about.

Appears I was right, again.

Twice a day, Brian.

Brisbane, perhaps it's about time that WE supported the concept of neutral referees during international RL competition instead of engaging in a mutually beneficial sparring competition with the Aussies WRT whether it ought to be an Aussie or a Pommie ref?