Quote The Clan="The Clan"We currently have the worst referees in the game that I can remember!
What’s bizarre is that the standard of officiating has fallen since they went full time. The only explanation I can come up with is that they are over analysing the rules and applying them in such a way that it actually runs against the natural flow of the game.
They have too much time to drill down on particular rules which might sound good in a classroom but don't actually work in a real game but they can't see it and they won't be told! They also seem intent on displaying their encyclopaedic knowledge of the games rule book irrespective of whether it ruins the game as a spectacle.
HERE'S A TIP BOYS, IT AINT ABOUT YOU!!!
There are too many pedantic performances that just emphasise how out of sync the refs are with the playing and coaching staff. It just portrays decision makers like Cummins and his refs as blokes who have never really played the game and don't have any understanding of the mechanics that come into play during a game. They don't seem to understand the nature of being a player at this level and seem to apply no common sense to some of their decision making.
Regarding Bentham today, he was awful! As has already been said he went close to switching me off from watching games if this is the type of display that we're going to get from the officials. Some of his penalties were just baffling, penalising King for laying on when he jumped off the ball carrier so quick he looked like he'd had an electric shock, the knees into Mortons back which went unpunished, the forearm into Johnsons face also unpunished, the penalty against Korki and so on .......
We won the game but the ref was poor and went close to spoiling the game with his performance.'"
Spot on that. Plus - I would add - we had a lot of 'floating' supporters today, some enticed by Danyl and some by it being the first game at home and a bright start at 'Quins. The average punter will only be frustrated by the lack of flowing rugby and, whilst neither side were top-class today (it being early season yet), the game was almost ruined by that idiot and his half-swallowed pea!
We have enough against us at Wakey - poor finances, an old stadium, the weather etc - without having yet another major uncontrollable going against us.
As the Clan says, we need a better understanding of the game and less about the rules!
