British referees officiating British teams

[Trostan]

The Irish aren't coping well with their return to mediocrity, are they?

Mediocrity? Haha.
England tried to get to a level below that yesterday and failed miserably.
Saxon beef?
English mutton

[MrDominator]

The Irish aren't coping well with their return to mediocrity, are they?

Mediocrity? Haha.
England tried to get to a level below that yesterday and failed miserably.
Saxon beef?
English mutton

You alright, sport?

[DAC_]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/JP_Doyle
What about this one? Could he be impartial for Wales v Ireland?

JP Doyle is an RFU referee. He gives Irish teams SFA.
You know, like the English guys who play for Wales and still try to win against England.

What like the Saffa guys playing for Ireland?

[DAC_]

Not the best look is it? I remember the Welsh cries of "bias" in the aftermath of their 2011 RWC defeat to France because neutral Irishman Alain Rolland had the audacity to be born with a French sounding name yet it's perfectly acceptable for a referee with a British passport to ref players that have British passports.

What measures can World Rugby take to safeguard against a scenario where say an English referee harbouring Tommy Robinson beliefs gets to influence a Wales V Japan encounter, where a win for Wales is a win for his beloved Britain?

Alain's third name is Pierre

[koroke hangareka]

After he 'retired' as a NZ referee, Steve Walsh was appointed by the ARU as an 'Australian' referee. He subsequently refereed a number of games involving New Zealand, despite his nationality. Rolland's and Doyle's supposed conflict of interests pale in comparison to this.

To be fair, he was a fine referee when he came back as an 'Australian', and I don't recall there being any complaints about his appointments to ref NZ games.

Steve Walsh didn't ever referee the ABs.

He did referee NZ teams in Super Rugby though.

[Monk Zombie]

Steve Walsh was a bloody good referee

[shereblue]

No problem with non anglophone teams being refereed by British referees in the 6 Nations provided the British referees make an effort to communicate effectively with the non-anglophone team. This doesn't mean speaking to them in their own language but will usually mean sticking to simple, fairly universal rugby language.

Secondly, familiarity and bantz in English during such games, a la Nigel Owens, is unnerving. I guess it was coincidence but Rolland did on occasion give a few decisions the French way. Had he additionally been reffing the French pack with colloquial quipping, then that would have been unnerving, I imagine.

Some poetic hyperbole in the PR articles aside (has to be a Welshman!), there was an insightful critique into the language dimension on the France Italy game. More time in the language lab for les Bleus and gli Azzurri?

Lost in translation
It is a bugbear time after time in international rugby when referees cannot communicate in the playing teams’ language. On Saturday in Rome we had English official Matthew Carley talking in his mother tongue throughout while taking charge of Italy against France. One hopes there were plenty of players on either side who could fully understand him as his language was not limited to short rugby phrases, instead it was like he was in the middle of a Premiership fixture. At least with referees like Wayne Barnes there is an attempt to learn what could be crucial lines of communication, but not so here today.

[Gwenno]

Steve Walsh was a bloody good referee

In the 2012 Welsh victory over England, after TMO had decided that England had not touched down (in red time) he called advantage over for a previous Welsh infringement - other refs might have gone back to it. Thank god he didn't!

[The Sun God]

The Irish aren't coping well with their return to mediocrity, are they?

What's so shit in your life that you have to create an English Internet persona?

All of it, I reckon. i mean to pretend to be a Brit, it must all have gone to shit.

[MungoMan]

The Irish aren't coping well with their return to mediocrity, are they?

What's so shit in your life that you have to create an English Internet persona?

All of it, I reckon. i mean to pretend to be a Brit, it must all have gone to shit.

It might have started out as a personal challenge, like affecting a convincing stutter and limp.

[Hong Kong]

Steve Walsh was a bloody good referee

Quoted for posterity

[Flyin Ryan]

No problem with non anglophone teams being refereed by British referees in the 6 Nations provided the British referees make an effort to communicate effectively with the non-anglophone team. This doesn't mean speaking to them in their own language but will usually mean sticking to simple, fairly universal rugby language.

Secondly, familiarity and bantz in English during such games, a la Nigel Owens, is unnerving. I guess it was coincidence but Rolland did on occasion give a few decisions the French way. Had he additionally been reffing the French pack with colloquial quipping, then that would have been unnerving, I imagine.

Some poetic hyperbole in the PR articles aside (has to be a Welshman!), there was an insightful critique into the language dimension on the France Italy game. More time in the language lab for les Bleus and gli Azzurri?

Lost in translation
It is a bugbear time after time in international rugby when referees cannot communicate in the playing teams’ language. On Saturday in Rome we had English official Matthew Carley talking in his mother tongue throughout while taking charge of Italy against France. One hopes there were plenty of players on either side who could fully understand him as his language was not limited to short rugby phrases, instead it was like he was in the middle of a Premiership fixture. At least with referees like Wayne Barnes there is an attempt to learn what could be crucial lines of communication, but not so here today.

Well, the only non-Anglophone country that gets referees in the top international panel are France, and no other decent rugby country besides France speaks French...

If the game is ever going to go global, the talking with team captains culture refs do will have to greatly change, but right now World Rugby deems only 7 countries able to produce a referee up to the standard, and of Tier 1 countries Argentina and Italy never have, and it's been quite awhile for Scotland.

[LandOTurk]

Not the best look is it? I remember the Welsh cries of "bias" in the aftermath of their 2011 RWC defeat to France because neutral Irishman Alain Rolland had the audacity to be born with a French sounding name yet it's perfectly acceptable for a referee with a British passport to ref players that have British passports.

What measures can World Rugby take to safeguard against a scenario where say an English referee harbouring Tommy Robinson beliefs gets to influence a Wales V Japan encounter, where a win for Wales is a win for his beloved Britain?

You could argue it between the Celtic countries, or even Sanzar doing themselves a favour, but the Celts giving England a helping hand. There is no greater vitriol in world ruby than Wales against England. As a Welshman I can wear any intl rugby jersey I want, except the red rose. Just never.

[LandOTurk]

Steve Walsh was a bloody good referee

Quoted for posterity

I thought he was too.

[Rowdy]

As a Welshman I can wear any intl rugby jersey I want, except the red rose. Just never.

Bless you.