Butcher:

Bashing the ref is such a boring habit. On Friday night I watched one of the best games of my life, and two blokes behind us just shouted back and forth about the ref. Not Walmsley's takes, Fa'atili's carries, Lino's kicking or Johnstone's finishing - just their obsession with getting a penalty. It's so dull. There's so much good stuff happening on the field, just enjoy it.


No ref dislikes Wakefield (or any other club) enough for it to make a big difference to the result of a game. Equally, no ref is perfect and sport isn't always black and white - especially a sport in which so many elements are 50/50. For example, the vast majority of knock-ons are a mixture of loose carry and a defensive hand on the ball. The vast majority of first contacts involve some contact with the attacker's head. The amount of time a defender has to peel off the tackle isn't precise either, it's just the ref's imperfect judgement.


Whether you win or lose a game is almost never up to the ref. It's the collective result of the speed of your defensive line, the quality of your first contact, your wrestle technique, your determination to get onside, the lines you run, how precise your kicks are, your ball security, your decision-making, and of course your discipline. None of that is up to the ref.


Now, can we just enjoy the rugby?