Needless to say that I am not in any way blaming the ref for the Bulls’ poor showing this weekend but I am merely stating the facts. Either there is a massive problem with the understanding of Joubert’s application of the laws or there is some underlying problem in the Bulls game that only Joubert seems to pick up, since the only two games the Bulls have lost have been reffed by him.
The thing which really irritates me no end is the fact that we are constantly told not to utter a single grievance against any match official ala Brendan Venter. I am sorry but by doing that what are you trying to prove? That their feelings might get hurt?
Where is the justice in the fact that professional players are allowed to be lambasted by the press but when dealing with match officials we have to tread as lightly as possible. Another feather in the cap of the nanny organization known as the IRB. It has come to the stage where refereeing is a professional full time commitment and subsequently they have to answer their critics when confronted.
Instead the person questioning the judgment of refereeing calls is labeled as a fool. I personally do not think there is anything foolish about voicing your own opinions off the field, provided they are sensible, when the referee’s authority is no longer in question. There seems to be a sense of match official infallibility which means no coach or player is allowed to voice their opinion about refereeing decisions off the field and match officials are cotton-wooled away from the mean old press in case their flaws are highlighted.
Match officials are humans like us all and are prone to make mistakes. How are we to progress this beautiful game of ours if we don’t allow difference of opinions? You cannot ratify and hone the rules of a game by having meeting after meeting of elite refereeing panels alone. The only way the rules of the game can be applied solidly is by involving all spheres of the game from coaches to players, after all who is going to know better about what works and doesn’t work than a top player who plays the game week in and week out and a coach who eats, sleeps and drinks the game.
Terms like “elite panels” and the like have also fostered a sense of arrogance amongst a few top-flight referees who find it more of an insult when their judgment is innocently questioned instead of taking constructive criticism from those in the know. I’m not saying that Jonathan Kaplan should say to the man in the stands, “Hmm, Sir you make a good point, I’ll have my eyesight tested,” but their should be a forum for those who love and are actively involved in the game at a level other than refereeing to play a role in how rules and laws are interpreted and applied.
Refereeing is such an integral part of the game that it has to be open up to the public forum so that anyone that’s involved in the game can contribute to having the laws applied not strictly but more importantly smartly.
