sammy wrote:Not probably a common or popular view, but I don't think there is anything wrong with discussing a referees performance and decisions any more than a players in a professional game, it should drive up standards, and the Pro14 needs to improve here. It's very different at amateur level obviously as they give up their time for free. I think this is were that attitude comes from, and I won't be beholden to it.
That's fair enough but so much of the 'discussing' (on all rugby forums, not only this one) is just the ref's biased, the ref's SteveWalsh and/or a long list of every decision that went against the poster's team. There's rarely an actual discussion of decisions or an attempt to look at the game as a whole to get an overall picture of the ref's performance.
sammy wrote:I also think it the appointment of a non-neutral ref warrants condemnation - I guess Covid would be the reason, but it doesn't wash with me. This was a show case game and warranted the effort to get one, not so doing undermined the competition, and it's not good enough. Can you imagine the 6N doing similar. Was always going to leave a bad taste when the game comes down to a one penalty difference - given or overlooked (I don't think anyone would argue the last one).
Not Covid related necessarily. John Lacey reffed the semi-final between Glasgow and Ulster last year. I'm just not sure the league has the personnel to deliver 100% neutral referees. Scotland haven't had a Test ref for 20 years but at least are starting to provide more options. Italy have really only provided Mitrea. South Africa have been limited by providing more refs to Super Rugby. Other than Whitehouse, Wales have even been slow to bring refs through, although like Scotland they now seem to be bringing on a couple more in Jones and Evans.
The league are also at a crossroads with the likes of Wilkinson, Lacey and Davies retiring last season and trying to move on from reliance on Owens, Clancy and Mitrea. That means upskilling the best up-and-coming refs they have available and getting them into these big knockout matches when they've earned the opportunity.
sammy wrote:I'm not saying the ref consciously took sides and saying he a did would be wrong as I do think you have to trust their integrity, but unconscious bias is a real thing, companies train people to mitigate it. I also recognise that every comment by either side supporters suffers from this too, it's a natural response to be one eyed.
I think comparing ref's approach to the game to supporters is a false equivalence. This apparent 'unconscious bias' of the ref would need to survive all his decisions being made in the full glare of the TV cameras; reviews by his match assessor; further reviews and discussions with all of his peers; as well as oversight by his line manager. You're talking about a bias that would need to survive some very conscious assessments. (Incidentally all of which would properly discuss in detail any contentious decisions, everything that was happening at the time and take into account the laws and any relevant guidance and applications as well as considering how things looked from the ref's perspective as well as the multi-angle TV view.)
sammy wrote:Having said all that the consensus on this board that I've seen, and which I agree with, was that Edinburgh 'shat the bed' as one poster neatly summarised. It's sport and someone has to lose, but it was a hard one to take and to discuss in the aftermath is not wrong. There is always another game though, and after rubbing our wounds we need to pick ourselves, be proud we put ourselves in a position to lose, and be better then next time around.
We tend to focus on individual incidents (the one that stuck out for me was Bennett's break at 12-0 - if he lofts the ball over Burns I think Edinburgh go 19-0 up but unfortunately Mark is not a great passer) but the game is built on the entire 80 minute performance and Ulster just got more right than Edinburgh, particularly in the second half after some pretty dreadful work when attacking in the 22 had stuffed them in the first half.