Steve Walsh, Banned In Nz.....

[DangerUXD]

Not by the RFU it seems. Are the England team right to ask for clarification? I doubt we'd have won the game regardless but some of the decisions where very iffy and openly biased in some areas.

[Sqad]

\\\Chilly my friend, sorting out who is responsible for the breakdown of the scrums is "pure guesswork" and the Welsh got the benefit of most decisions.\\\

That was my post on a previous thread.

Seems to sum it up....

[grumpy01]

In the past the Referees all came from the participating countries in this championship,why now do they have southern hemisphere referees whose interpretation of the laws is somewhat different. I think the 6 nations people should try to return to having N. hemisphere referees again there are enough good ones e.g. Nigel Owens,Wayne Barnes(who orginates from my neck of the woods) and Alain Rolland and George Clancy just to mention a few.

[DangerUXD]

Seems to be persona non grata donw under
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Walsh_(rugby_referee)
Gawd knows what the RFU where thinking.

[joggerjayne]

Oh, he's the really hot one.

Although he looks a bit of a dick with his beard.

[theshedman]

Even without the scrum decisions there was only one team in it for most of the game. Think they use refs from other countries these days because as grumpy01 says their interpretation of the laws can be slightly different to ours and when we send out the lions and other teams to play theirs they won't get caught out by this.

[grumpy01]

Hadn't thought about that as a reason but it makes perfect sense.Is your shed reference to do with Gloucester rfc?

[theshedman]

No grumpy, it's just the only place around the house where I get any peace lol.

[doctordb]

Typical rugby. Always moaning about the ref.

[grumpy01]

Not moaning about referees in general just one.Referees are human after all and will make mistakes but Steve Walsh, for some reason, goes out of his way to penalise England.This in no way is meant to detract from Wales win as they were much the superior side on the day.However I am surprised that the R.F.U have not requested another referee given his performances in past England internationals.

[ChillDoubt]

Just been reading all about it on the BBC.

Shame really, I like Lancaster and thought he was above this sort of thing.

If we're going to split hairs over referee's, let's just say that England got more than the rub of the green against Italy with Calamity Clancy.

Odd though that not one pundit from any nation, not Jeremy Guscott, not Phil Vickery nor Sir Clive Woodward mentioned the alleged below par performance by Walsh last Saturday. They all seemed to be in agreement that Wales outfought, outplayed, out-muscled and out-thought England.

Or is Lancaster just doing this to deflect from the fact that the vast majority of his team will now need to go to Longleat in order to be part of a Lions tour?

I wonder.....

[DangerUXD]

No one is saying it made a difference to the outcome of this game chill but There is a huge question mark over the walsh/England relationship. I would rather have had a Welsh ref on Saturday than Walsh.

[Sqad]

Chilli....I agree with all you say.....but my comments about scrums do not just apply to the recent match, it is a comment based on watching international rugby for the the best part of 50 years.
Why, for example, would a team on the 5 metre line of their opponent give away a penalty for a scrum infringement.... we see that time and time again over that period of time that i have described?

The scrum in R.U needs a complete re-evaluation and certainle a consideration of a 3,2 1 configuration.

Wales deserved their win, but rugby union needs to address the scrum problem.

[ChillDoubt]

When you've got a French speaking ref who is half French on account of his French father refereeing your game against France, THEN you have cause for complaint! LOL

Joking aside, the scrum is being addressed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMLjQJG7c1E

[grumpy01]

Chill,would your last reference have anything to do with Sam Warburton.Glass houses and all that sort of thing.

[ChillDoubt]

Not at all grumpy, I'm just saying that when your team is in a RWC Semi Final against France, how worried would you be knowing the referee had the attributes and parentage I mentioned.....?

He was no different in the France v England game last year, very laughy/jokey with the French, dismissed the English out of hand with Gallic aloofness at every turn.

[joeluke]

I don't follow Rugby (it's a thugs game) but this all seems like sour grapes because England got a pasting and are looking for someone to blame?

Maybe they got a pasting because they were simply nowhere near good enough on the day?

[DangerUXD]

Thugs game! .....soccer isnt?? right oh!