Fans should lay off Barnes

The new media is all very well in its way, but you wonder sometimes at the advisability of placing worldwide communication in the hands of individuals who should be confined to a bar-room argument. The vitriol that has been heaped on Wayne Barnes over his handling of the France-New Zealand quarter-final has been offensive in the extreme to a young referee heading to the top of his particular rugby tree.

Several times during England's match with Australia early the same day, those of us in the press box would turn to each other and say, "that pass was forward" in a match being handled by the man who has now been appointed to referee the World Cup final, Alain Rolland. We have the advantage of height over the match officials who, at ground level and sometimes obscured by other players, have to make decisions on whether by a matter of inches a pass might have been forward or might have been flat.

By and large they do a difficult job well, they do it without favour and for Barnes to be handed responsibility for the All Blacks' departure from the World Cup by disappointed supporters is ludicrous. Down the years, any player will tell you that you do not leave such matters to chance. You play well enough to make the possibility of refereeing error - which has always existed and will continue to be so - irrelevant. That, incidentally, was the opinion of Helen Clark, New Zealand's Prime Minister, too.

Far better to praise the ability of France to construct such a try as that scored by Yannick Jauzion from Frederic Michalak's scintillating run and pass. If the same combination serves up a match-winning score for France against England on Saturday, too, then that is what we in the media and supporters should focus on rather than the entirely negative.

The compensations that occur in the life of a sporting journalists are many but Marseilles laid on a special one before their leading role in the World Cup ended. The municipality organised a splendid bash for the media to say farewell to the city that, the night before, had seen the Vieux Port rocking as more than 10,000 people crammed the streets to watch France beat New Zealand on a big screen by the harbour.

It seems, though, that Marseilles, better known as a football centre, are keen to join the rugby fraternity on a regular basis. There are plans for a business consortium to put funds into Marseilles Vitrolles, at present an amateur fourth-division club but aiming for the elite. If these come to fruition, the ambition is to win promotion to the Top 14 within the next four years, thereby overtaking Toulon along the coast who have bought in the likes of George Gregan, Andrew Mehrtens and Victor Matfield in the hope of making their own way into France's first division at the end of this season.

Comments

[Southern Dave]

According to the head of referees, France should have been penalised twice in the last ten minutes but were not.

Other repeated infringments by France were missed by both touch judges and the referee in the second half - in fact for the WHOLE second half. ALL Fench penalties were overlooked for the whole half.

Even the IRB has now admitted that officials errors were a factor in the All Blacks loss (France have said this too), and that after reviewing their performance, none of the three would be playing a part in the last two games.

I think another agruably more important factor in the All Black loss, is that their style of play is not condusive to winning the often dour low scoring games that we seem to get every four years at the World Cup.

Would the All Blacks be better off switching to the English style of rugby?

If they did, would they win.

If they did, would anybody watch them?

[John Silich]

Fair comment but old school to the core. I am afraid dear chap that today's generations do not understand the foibles of mere mortals when technology can minimise, dare I say it, mistakes by the officials.
It will be an uphill battle to attract future generations to the sport if rugby does not apply innovation to it's product. Instead of accepting the status quo innovate lest you stagnate.

kiwi - Aspen

[glass houses]

"Fans should lay off Kaplan" will be next weeks blog depending on whether England wins or not?

[pro boxing looks credible]

Thats right,
we should put the boot into the Number 1 seed when they have an off game, but protect the ref from any criticism when he has a shocker. I'm sure the game will grow!!!!

[Alex Tagger]

refereeing mistakes will come and go.....but when you have almost 15 minutes to score only 3 points, and do not put yourself even close to a position to do so, you have only yourself to blame.......

[Crusaders.Fan]

Kaplan and Rowland are great refs and should control a good game.

The English are lucky that you don't have Steve Walsh...instead he will be our (NZ) curse on the SA and Argies.

[Crusaders.Fan]

"The new media is all very well in its way, but you wonder sometimes at the advisability of placing worldwide communication in the hands of individuals who should be confined to a bar-room argument."

are we talking about bloggers or S Jones?

[Steve]

He cost the All Blacks the match not by missing the forward pass but by his dismal handling of the break-downs.

[Michael May]

There are two different issues here.
Firstly, the game. Wasn't it a ripper? I'm in the unfortunate opinion of being booked on a plane to fly to the other side of the world this evening, to see semi-final matches my team won't appear in. Yet even so, what a great game. A game that leaves people in tears is really something else - it had more drama than almost any other rugby game I've ever seen. I thought the French were magnificent, and the All Black's majestic. I'm only sorry I didn't see it live. Then again, I'm not sorry I missed the sight of my compatriots venting their grief on the French fans.
Secondly, the referee had a shocker. That happens to the best players, and the best refs. I think that, given the rules of rugby, it is impossible for a defending team to go for half a game without conceding a penalty. It just can't happen. Well, perhaps the referee wanted the game to flow. We'll never know. He should have stuck to the rules of the game as they are written and played.

Something to remember - both teams had the same referee.

[Aaron]

Good piece, and I agree, lay off Mr Barnes. I would however ask how an inexperienced referee was put in the position of calling a game between the 6 nations champion and the Tri nations champion. As an Australian I thought he did a poor job when we played South Africa in the Tri Nations earlier this year. Biased ref?...no, cost the All Blacks the game?...no, ready for the big time?...not yet.

[Kiwi Kid]

Oh well then if Helen Clarke said so it must be true!
The AB's have lost nearly every test she has attended, little wonder the French invited her!

[Wayne $$ Barnes]

All coaches were advised by Paddy O'Brian before the RWC that linesman would not advise refs on forward passes or offsides.
A point Paddy now denies!
typical IRB coundn't run a two car funeral without delays and stoppages