Ref Goddard stood down
Matt Goddard, who refereed the sad match between the Hurricanes and the Bulls last weekend, will not be refereeing this weekend. He has been stood down.
He is one of several top referees not refereeing this weekend. Of SANZAR’s Super 14 Merit panel of eight referees – Steve Walsh is not refereeing at present – five are not refereeing. Those not refereeing are Stuart Dickinson, Matt Goddard, Marius Jonker, James Leckie and Mark Lawrence. Of the Shadow Panel of three referees Paul Marks and Chris Pollock are also not refereeing.
Asked about it André Watson, South Africa’sreferees’ boss, said that this was done in the interest of refereeing welfare. The men needed a break.
It is more than welfare in the case of Goddard, especially after what Lyndon Bray has had to say. Bray, the former Test referee at present in charge of New Zealand’s referees, is reported as saying: “Matt, by his own admission, put his hand up and said he got the balance wrong on the night. We all agreed he had clarity of what he wanted to achieve spot-on but, on review [of] some of the decisions, he was too technically minded in giving yellow cards for some of the offences.”
In the match between two of the top teams in Super 14, Goddard gave six yellow cards. One of the six was a second for Deon Stegmann who was thus sent off for the last half an hour of the match.
Most fault was found in the sin-binning of Bulls flank Pedrie Wannenburg in the first half and of Hurricanes flank Scott Waldrom just after half-time. It was not a match of many tackle offences. The Bulls were free-kicked just twice in the first half and then Wannenburg was sent off. The Hurricanes were free-kicked for tackle offences three times into the second half and then Waldrom was sent off. This is much fewer than in other matches. In the Highlanders-Cheetahs match, for example there were 12 tackle free kicks and no yellow cards.
Bray said of the yellow cards for Wannenburg and Waldrom, that although the review found both decisions had, technically, been penalty offences, neither had warranted a yellow card. He said: “In reviewing that, he’s accepted that he went too far with his punishment for those particular infringements … he was too hard-nosed technically.
“We have decided it’s best to stand down for the time being and Matt will go away and work out an action plan going forward.”
There is a chance that Goddard will be refereeing in Round 8 but in this regard Bray said: “If we have signed off the review and he feels like he’s in the right space, then he’ll be back for that round.”
In mitigation Bray said: “I think it’s important to note that Matt was refereeing very well up to this point and, in fact, had been complimented in many quarters,” Bray said. “One bad night at the office does not make him a bad referee.”
Goddard had been mentioned as a possible for the Lions tour to South Africa later this year as the Lions have insisted on having unattached referees, which leaves as possible Christophe Berdos of France and Australians Stuart Dickinson and Matt Goddard of Australia and Bryce Lawrence of New Zealand.
