Rugby World Cup - discussion on the standard of referees

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

Now no longer transport related, is this on the correct board?

Argueable ... but should NOT go to "and also" which is only open to frequent posters, as it would like a general discussion from people who might be reading it.  I am inclined to leave here on this occasion; not right as a topic start place, but as a follow on it seems better not to muddy the waters to move it somewhere just slightly more appropriate such as "across the west".

Thank you very much for your well-reasoned reply, grahame. 

Yes, I was rather reluctant to move this newly sprouted topic to any other of our existing boards on the Coffee Shop forum, simply because it wasn't a topic we'd normally expect to see discussed anywhere here.  However, I chose to split these posts from the original topic, because it was diluting the ongoing discussion on the failings of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to provide suitable rail (or indeed alternative) transport for rugby fans. 

May I thank you for your 'back seat moderation one-liner' here, ChrisB, but also ask you to suggest exactly where you would have preferred me to have put this new tangential topic?

Please give me a bit of a break - I do all this in my spare time.

[ChrisB]

One could argue that And Also is the better thread as we don't want to encourage a way-ff-topic thread do we? Rather maybe a 'special' for frequent posters?

There are other better forums if you want to chat sport of any kind....

[grahame]

One could argue that And Also is the better thread as we don't want to encourage a way-ff-topic thread do we? Rather maybe a 'special' for frequent posters?

There are other better forums if you want to chat sport of any kind....

One could also argue (as indeed we have already done here) that "And Also" wasn't appropriate (for reasons already given).  There remains (as already stated) no ideal solution.  This has been thoroughly discussed and the current board is not perfect but there's no-where that is.

I would agree that there are better forums for discussing sport ... whether members here who happen on such a topic want to all sign up elsewhere to carry on talking the subject is quite another question.   

[Chris from Nailsea]

This has been thoroughly discussed and the current board is not perfect but there's no-where that is.

Thanks, grahame. 

By way of offering a compromise solution, I've now moved this topic to our publicly-readable 'introductions and chat' board, rather than to any board which is only available to established posting members of the Coffee Shop forum.

Play on! 

[LiskeardRich]

Nigel Owens has been confirmed as the referee for the final. To me there was no other option. Nigel has been by far the best referee at this tournament.

He is the feature of a BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Wales documentary tonight at 2240. I suspect will make good viewing. I'm assuming in England we will be able to watch it still online at the very least.

On the day that Nigel Owens was announced as referee for the World Cup Final, he reflects upon the pressures of the modern game with the boon and burden of technology, about the private struggle with his own sexuality, coming out and tackling homophobic abuse, and about his love of the game and his family, community and Welshness

[John R]

I don't think anyone will disagree with that choice.  Some of his one-liners are classic too.  Such as when he whistled for an extremely crooked line out and commented that "I'm straighter than that throw".   Or when told that a team is going to go for the penalty kick and asked the kicker "what, after that last one?"

[Chris from Nailsea]

... and, just to round things off, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Nigel Owens: From Rugby World Cup final to village match


Nigel Owens in action during Saturday's final

Welsh referee Nigel Owens will go from the Rugby World Cup final to officiating at a match between two village teams.

He was watched by millions during New Zealand's 34-17 win over Australia at Twickenham on Saturday.

But the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) said his next job was in Gowerton, Swansea - where the average attendance is 150.

Match official manager Nigel Whitehouse said Owens would be "coming back down to earth with a bump".

Mr Whitehouse added: "He had a fantastic World Cup and was the people's choice to take charge of the final. But he is refereeing two village teams next weekend - it will be good for him to do a local game."

Owens started off refereeing local teams in Wales and will return to be the man in the middle when Gowerton RFC play Crymych RFC in Swalec League Division One West on Saturday.

The 44-year-old was only the second Welshman to take charge of a World Cup final following Derek Bevan, who refereed in 1991 when Australia edged England, also at Twickenham.

Owens's famed no-nonsense approach saw him give All Blacks man-of-the-match Dan Carter a ticking-off for bad language, telling him: "Don't swear, you're on the telly."

Residents from his home village, Mynyddcerrig, in Carmarthenshire, decorated the streets with bunting and banners to celebrate his appointment.

[LiskeardRich]

I wonder if Gowerton will see an increase in spectators, as Nigel Owens seems to have developed quite a fan base looking on social media.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Personally, I thought Nigel was a candidate for man-of-the-match himself: in almost the first lineout, he called timeout and strode between the overly-boisterous opposing lines, warning them that 'if he had to walk down again to sort out such nonsense' ... 

[LiskeardRich]

I'd like to see him get sports personality of the year. I can't think of any other ref in any other sport that gets so much respect from players.

[bobm]

Slightly biased because I have met him, but I totally agree. 

You can have as many talented people as you like in a team, without a referee you will struggle to have a game.

Youth football and rugby at grassroots level need as many match officials they can get.  Games are being called off because there is a shortage.  Hopefully one of the legacies of the Rugby World Cup will be more people being attracted to take up the whistle and the authorities providing support to the minority of them who suffer abuse from players or, increasingly, spectators on the touchline in amateur games on a Saturday afternoon.

[JayMac]

The 'best tackle in the Rugby World Cup by an Englishman' award has to go to the steward who pole-axed the 14 year old 'pitch invader' after the final. A kid who merely wanted to congratulate his hero, New Zealand's Sonny Bill Williams. Whilst it was a totally over the top reaction from the steward, it was a far better example of tackling than anything the England team managed.

Sonny Bill Williams wins the 'top bloke' award for telling the steward where to go and for giving the kid his winner's medal.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/oct/31/sonny-bill-williams-world-cup-winners-medal-14-year-old-fan

[LiskeardRich]

The 'best tackle in the Rugby World Cup by an Englishman' award has to go to the steward who pole-axed the 14 year old 'pitch invader' after the final. A kid who merely wanted to congratulate his hero, New Zealand's Sonny Bill Williams. Whilst it was a totally over the top reaction from the steward, it was a far better example of tackling than anything the England team managed.

Sonny Bill Williams wins the 'top bloke' award for telling the steward where to go and for giving the kid his winner's medal.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/oct/31/sonny-bill-williams-world-cup-winners-medal-14-year-old-fan

SBW was this evening presented with a replacement medal. Nice touch from world rugby.

[TaplowGreen]

The 'best tackle in the Rugby World Cup by an Englishman' award has to go to the steward who pole-axed the 14 year old 'pitch invader' after the final. A kid who merely wanted to congratulate his hero, New Zealand's Sonny Bill Williams. Whilst it was a totally over the top reaction from the steward, it was a far better example of tackling than anything the England team managed.

Sonny Bill Williams wins the 'top bloke' award for telling the steward where to go and for giving the kid his winner's medal.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/oct/31/sonny-bill-williams-world-cup-winners-medal-14-year-old-fan

That's rather harsh. The steward was on a hiding to nothing in this respect, my club provides several volunteer stewards at Twickenham and the #1 rule (aside from ensuring the safety of the crowd) is that no-one gets on the pitch - there are plenty of announcements before and during the match to that effect, and it's printed in the programmes -  if one does it, chances are others will join in, and there are plenty of examples over recent years of International referees (David McHugh) and players being attacked and in some cases hospitalised by fans invading the playing area.

The steward had to make a split second decision, he didn't know he was 14, or that he didn't have malicious intentions, and to say that he "pole axed" the lad is way over the top....I didn't notice him pausing to say "excuse me, I just want to congratulate my hero".

Damned if he did, damned if he didn't.

Let's just say the boy had a memorable evening!!!