"Referees have got to be consistent, that’s all we’re asking for. I don’t think the referee was consistent."
Bath Rugby head coach Steve Meehan, pictured, was critical of some of the decisions made by referee Martin Fox following Bath’s 14-21 loss at The Stoop on Sunday – but the words above weren’t spoken by him.
So who did utter them?
They were the words of Jim Mallinder a couple of weeks ago when his Northampton Saints side were held to a draw – by Bath.
Referees have always come in for stick from rugby fans, but it seems they are becoming increasingly fair game for coaches too.
Just when the hullabaloo over the introduction of the Experimental Law Variations was fading away, the debate looks set to be reignited.
So frustrated was Meehan after Bath’s defeat at Harlequins that he complained that "there must be an ELV that I haven’t heard of".
Rugby union has long been distinguished from association football by the level of respect generally conferred on officials by players and coaches. (Rugby union must be one of the few sports in the world where the ref sometimes still gets called ‘sir’ by players.) And that respect for those in authority has tended to bestow a dignity on rugby union that soccer surrendered years ago.
Of course, there have been notable exceptions on the rugby field, both at professional and amateur level.
On one occasion at university my team’s captain – a tee-total scrum-half who off the pitch was a leading member of the college’s Christian union – saw red in spectacular fashion. Aggrieved when the ref blew up and awarded yet another dubious penalty to the opposition, he gave the official (who turned out to be a recently retired copper) a decidedly firm shove, before being put in a headlock and given a red card. He then ran from the pitch with tears in his eyes, immediately regretting his actions.
It was a terrible act of dissent, but at least he immediately recognised the gravity of his failings as a team leader, player and human being.
Football managers, on the other hand, seem to psyche themselves for post-match interviews so they can deliver the most damning assessment of the referee possible.
How boring it is, and how childish, to see some purple-faced Barclays Premier League soccer manager incoherently fuming to the TV cameras about the ref’s supposed poor judgement, bad eyesight and bias.
Of course, there are moments when a ref has had such an appalling game that criticism – expressed in measured terms – is appropriate, even needed. But soccer managers have cried wolf far too many times for their rants to be given credibility.
Rugby union coaches have shied away from the kind of hyperbole and hysteria that is now the bread and butter of soccer managers on the wrong end of a result.
And that’s why the RFU needs to sit up when experienced, distinguished senior coaches raise their concerns publicly.
The ELVs were always going to cause difficulties, with different referees applying the letter and spirit of the new laws in different ways.
But the rugby authorities need to act firmly and quickly to ensure greater consistency across Guinness Premiership matches, where the margin between victory and loss – as Bath have shown for the past three weeks – is so fine.
Am I talking rubbish? If you think so, drop me a comment
Bath Rugby head coach Steve Meehan, pictured, was critical of some of the decisions made by referee Martin Fox following Bath’s 14-21 loss at The Stoop on Sunday – but the words above weren’t spoken by him.
So who did utter them?
They were the words of Jim Mallinder a couple of weeks ago when his Northampton Saints side were held to a draw – by Bath.
Referees have always come in for stick from rugby fans, but it seems they are becoming increasingly fair game for coaches too.
Just when the hullabaloo over the introduction of the Experimental Law Variations was fading away, the debate looks set to be reignited.
So frustrated was Meehan after Bath’s defeat at Harlequins that he complained that "there must be an ELV that I haven’t heard of".
Rugby union has long been distinguished from association football by the level of respect generally conferred on officials by players and coaches. (Rugby union must be one of the few sports in the world where the ref sometimes still gets called ‘sir’ by players.) And that respect for those in authority has tended to bestow a dignity on rugby union that soccer surrendered years ago.
Of course, there have been notable exceptions on the rugby field, both at professional and amateur level.
On one occasion at university my team’s captain – a tee-total scrum-half who off the pitch was a leading member of the college’s Christian union – saw red in spectacular fashion. Aggrieved when the ref blew up and awarded yet another dubious penalty to the opposition, he gave the official (who turned out to be a recently retired copper) a decidedly firm shove, before being put in a headlock and given a red card. He then ran from the pitch with tears in his eyes, immediately regretting his actions.
It was a terrible act of dissent, but at least he immediately recognised the gravity of his failings as a team leader, player and human being.
Football managers, on the other hand, seem to psyche themselves for post-match interviews so they can deliver the most damning assessment of the referee possible.
How boring it is, and how childish, to see some purple-faced Barclays Premier League soccer manager incoherently fuming to the TV cameras about the ref’s supposed poor judgement, bad eyesight and bias.
Of course, there are moments when a ref has had such an appalling game that criticism – expressed in measured terms – is appropriate, even needed. But soccer managers have cried wolf far too many times for their rants to be given credibility.
Rugby union coaches have shied away from the kind of hyperbole and hysteria that is now the bread and butter of soccer managers on the wrong end of a result.
And that’s why the RFU needs to sit up when experienced, distinguished senior coaches raise their concerns publicly.
The ELVs were always going to cause difficulties, with different referees applying the letter and spirit of the new laws in different ways.
But the rugby authorities need to act firmly and quickly to ensure greater consistency across Guinness Premiership matches, where the margin between victory and loss – as Bath have shown for the past three weeks – is so fine.
Am I talking rubbish? If you think so, drop me a comment
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