SA officials in firing line...again
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: It is not uncommon for the match officials to be on the receiving end of tirades from unhappy coaches, players and fans after a match, usually a loss.
However, in the wake of England’s 24-12 win over Ireland at Twickenham on Sunday, those from both sides of the Irish Sea have objected to the officiating of the Test.
In a game where the ruck seemed to descend to anarchy at times, with players playing fast and loose with the offside law, former England international Andy Goode has suggested South African referee Jaco Peyper favoured the home side.
Jim Hamilton concurred, citing Jonny May’s break in the second half that came from slapping the ball from scrumhalf Conor Murray’s hands. That actually preceded a tackle off the ball from Robbie Henshaw that has proved to be equally contentious and was also missed.
Jaco Peyper giving @EnglandRugby everything! Breakdown and physicality winning this but @IrishRugby can feel aggrieved! #GuinnessSixNations
— Andy Goode (@AndyGoode10) February 23, 2020
English and Irish fans have both accused the South African referee of being biased, which perhaps suggests that he was more neutral than many would like to think. But there were undoubtedly some decisions that went unnoticed.
Very few, if any, would argue that the referee swayed the result of the game, as England were significantly strong, particularly in the first half, but that should not excuse the standard of the officiating.
England Good, Ireland Poor, Jaco Peyper shocking in all facets of referring, mayhem at the breakdown, maul is a free for all… still unsure why he gets to ref international rugby #ENGvIRE #GuinnessSixNations
— Danny Gormley (@GormleyDanny) February 23, 2020
#engvsire The ref and linesmen in this game are shocking! Ridiculous calls by Jaco Peyper and the linesmen! What a disgrace to South Africans and world rugby! No consistency at all!
— Jeremy Orton (@rejemy777) February 23, 2020
In a contest that was full of scuffles and niggly events, the apparent silence of the television match official Marius Jonker has also been questioned. The TMO is at liberty to intervene if foul play is suspected, but Jonker largely abstained on Sunday.
ADVERTISEMENTAn altercation between Owen Farrell and CJ Stander in the second half was one instance which has been widely discussed post-match, as have a couple of shots from James Ryan on Tom Curry and Maro Itoje, which by current standards could potentially have been red cards.
The latest uproar against South African official comes just days after chief executives of the Australian franchises have labelled SA referees a ‘joke’.
The Australians’ unified grievances stem from a statistics report by the Green and Gold website that showed that over the past three years South African referees in control of matches against non-South African opponents had awarded the home sides 159 more penalties than the away sides.
By Josh Raisey, Rugbypass
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