Never yet seen a referee break a rule during a game.
Every offside is the player trying to gain an advantage so yep breaking the rules.
Every ball strip is against the rules of the game so yes that’s cheating. Laying on in the tackle trying to slow the play the ball is cheating.
Claiming a try when you know you have dropped it is blatant cheating.
Other things are mistakes, knock on for example is an error. If the ball is deliberately knocked down, it’s cheating.
So basically if players played by the rules you don’t need a match official!

So what rules do the referees have to abide by during a game. Not the ones they're there to ensure are adhered to but actual rules relating to referees?

On your last point re the rules and a need for refs. I thought the reason for a referee was to arbitrate given some infringements are not so cut and dried i.e. In your every player who's offside is trying to cheat, if it's that simple why is there an accidental offside rule? Surely if they're cheating it would be a penalty not a scrum, not all cheats are they?

A player in the defensive line who is not back 10 mtrs has 3 choices, get back 10, don’t get involved in the play or get involved in play, eg do the right thing or make the decision to break the rules.
Accidental offside is when a player is in a position that he is allowed to be within the rules of the game, eg in front of the kicker but the ball hits him without him attempting to make a play for the ball! Two totally different situations. If he deliberately moves to pick the ball up he is doing it to gain an unfair advantage, ie cheating.
Play within the laws of the game you don’t need an official.

Never said they are all cheats! I simply said players will cheat to gain an advantage! Caton brown knocked dropped that ball, he knew he had, he claimed the try, that’s cheating. Simple. But in fans eyes that’s ok! If the officials miss it, they made a mistake, in fans eyes that’s not ok. So as fans we applaud the cheat but lambast the error

find me a post where anyone applauds Caton Brown for cheating?

By inference! No one has said Caton brown cheated directly, no one has disagreed though, therefore happy with it. So happy to blame the officials for “ending the season” for Toulouse when actually it was Caton brown who did that by cheating! Silence on that says everything! Fans are happy to see players cheat

that's not applauding.......which is what you claimed.....which was.....


Again I ask, find me a post where someone applauded caton brown for cheating, or just admit you were wrong...AGAIN

So not quite in line with every player in an offside position is clearly cheating. I would be interested in you responding to the first part of my question i.e. If you've never seen a ref break a rule what rules do they have to abide by?

Not sure what you mean by rules! Ref is not playing the game, therefore does not have to abide by the rules he is there to implement the rules of the game.
Ref can’t be offside!
They have a code of conduct that they have to abide by.
Every game is reviewed! MO have to complete a match report and self review.
They have to conduct there role as dictated by the operational rules, if that’s what you are asking.

So not every player who is offside is cheating and you've never seen a ref break the rules because there are none to break?

I fully get the need for referees but to state that they're sole purpose is to stop players cheating and they're above any criticism as they've never broken a rule just doesn't stack up.

Just like players they do more things right than wrong in a game but that doesn't put them above criticism.

Have never claimed they are beyond criticism, in fact far from it. There are not many jobs out there where virtually everyone else out there assumes that they can do a better job than them, even though the majority have never tried it.
There are very few jobs out there where you have to make an instant call on what you have seen.
There are also very few jobs out there where every decision you make is then at and critiqued by an independent panel,
For the jobs out there like that, it’s impossible to get it right 100% of the time.
So like players yes mistakes will be made, but all they are doing is to apply the rules the best they can. I have still never seen a Refs break the rules of the game, but in every game you see players do it, sometimes it’s a mistake on there part in most cases it’s a deliberate act to influence the game eg win!

Players have to make split second decisions in a game also, but your examples all end with you accusing the players of cheating. By that token I could do likewise of the referee.

How can you say you've never seen a ref break the rules of the game when you've already established they have no rules?

Obviously missed the operational rules !
The officials are not playing the game! How can they break the laws of the game?

So you have established, for yourself, that your point is utterly irrelevant.

The Ouroborus Snake of RL Fans you are young Mickey....