Men in black in the dock.

[brian green]

I should add that I can live with a ref who makes a gigantic ricket that costs us a game. That is spur of the moment instant decision making. That referee on Saturday showed sustained and unremitting bias to one team over another. That there was not a single incident which caused our defeat was more by luck than judgement on his part. Mistakes are inevitable, lack of fairness is not.

[cheltenhamlion]

I try not to get too bent out of shape about referees. Everyone can make an error. Although the ref Saturday was hopeless.

What really grinds my gears though is how some make no pretence of being impartial any more.

I won't turn this into another rugby v football debate but the contrast is astonishing. Regardless of how well known a player you may be, in rugby the ref will refer to you by your number at all times.

Very different from watching a fat flump like Dowd waddling about the pitch and calling out to "Stevie" and "Wazza".

It is that over familiarity that makes it hard for them to counter suggestions of players being refereed differently depending on how famous they are.

There should be a much greater sense of professional detachment.

[LeeB]

I try not to get too bent out of shape about referees. Everyone can make an error. Although the ref Saturday was hopeless.

What really grinds my gears though is how some make no pretence of being impartial any more.

I won't turn this into another rugby v football debate but the contrast is astonishing. Regardless of how well known a player you may be, in rugby the ref will refer to you by your number at all times.

Very different from watching a fat flump like Dowd waddling about the pitch and calling out to "Stevie" and "Wazza".

It is that over familiarity that makes it hard for them to counter suggestions of players being refereed differently depending on how famous they are.

There should be a much greater sense of professional detachment.

The refs should address the players by their numbers, and the players should address him as ref or referee.

[brian green]

The other thing which rugby referees do is invariably refer to sides by their colours "blue put in"  "white free kick" and so forth.   However there are rugby referees who do play the big mates game albeit collectively by addressing players as "you guys" and "sorry fellas".   Barnes is particularly precious.

[Risso]

I try not to get too bent out of shape about referees. Everyone can make an error. Although the ref Saturday was hopeless.

What really grinds my gears though is how some make no pretence of being impartial any more.

I won't turn this into another rugby v football debate but the contrast is astonishing. Regardless of how well known a player you may be, in rugby the ref will refer to you by your number at all times.

Very different from watching a fat flump like Dowd waddling about the pitch and calling out to "Stevie" and "Wazza".

It is that over familiarity that makes it hard for them to counter suggestions of players being refereed differently depending on how famous they are.

There should be a much greater sense of professional detachment.

The refs should address the players by their numbers, and the players should address him as ref or referee.

I'll never forgive Halsey for that Thierry Henry free kick, when he all but stood in the wall to help him.

[Dave]

The other thing which rugby referees do is invariably refer to sides by their colours "blue put in"  "white free kick" and so forth.   However there are rugby referees who do play the big mates game albeit collectively by addressing players as "you guys" and "sorry fellas".   Barnes is particularly precious.

The ref who yellow-carded an England played on Saturday sent him from the pitch with words along the lines of "Sorry James, off you go"

It was the first rugby I've watched in years, so have no idea if that's indicative of it as a whole though.

[Risso]

The other thing which rugby referees do is invariably refer to sides by their colours "blue put in"  "white free kick" and so forth.   However there are rugby referees who do play the big mates game albeit collectively by addressing players as "you guys" and "sorry fellas".   Barnes is particularly precious.

The ref who yellow-carded an England played on Saturday sent him from the pitch with words along the lines of "Sorry James, off you go"

It was the first rugby I've watched in years, so have no idea if that's indicative of it as a whole though.

"See you in the showers for drinking our own piss and a game of soggy biscuit, eh what."

[brian green]

Funny thing Riss, as I contemplated what I had written about giving a ref the benefit of the doubt over a monumental ricket and thought I should have added "except Mark Halsey aiding and abetting Thierry Henry".   That was a ricket too far.

[Pat McMahon]

The other thing which rugby referees do is invariably refer to sides by their colours "blue put in"  "white free kick" and so forth.   However there are rugby referees who do play the big mates game albeit collectively by addressing players as "you guys" and "sorry fellas".   Barnes is particularly precious.

The ref who yellow-carded an England played on Saturday sent him from the pitch with words along the lines of "Sorry James, off you go"

It was the first rugby I've watched in years, so have no idea if that's indicative of it as a whole though.

Nigel Owens was on 5 Live last night talking about video technology / refs microphones and how they could be used in football. I thought he was excellent - spoke with common sense and intelligence (much more than Claridge, Savage et al) and very pointedly said that rugby has no basis whatsoever to take the moral high ground v football (rugby has more natural breaks in play so video technology is easier to implement, rugby is more complex than football so microphones important in explaining decisions to the crowd etc ...). The former footballers were very much against mikes, which I found strange.

I did hear him refer to Chris Robshaw by name on Saturday though - "go away Christopher" which was far funnier than it sounds.

[Brend'Watkins]

The other thing which rugby referees do is invariably refer to sides by their colours "blue put in"  "white free kick" and so forth.   However there are rugby referees who do play the big mates game albeit collectively by addressing players as "you guys" and "sorry fellas".   Barnes is particularly precious.

The ref who yellow-carded an England played on Saturday sent him from the pitch with words along the lines of "Sorry James, off you go"

It was the first rugby I've watched in years, so have no idea if that's indicative of it as a whole though.

Nigel Owens was on 5 Live last night talking about video technology / refs microphones and how they could be used in football. I thought he was excellent - spoke with common sense and intelligence (much more than Claridge, Savage et al) and very pointedly said that rugby has no basis whatsoever to take the moral high ground v football (rugby has more natural breaks in play so video technology is easier to implement, rugby is more complex than football so microphones important in explaining decisions to the crowd etc ...). The former footballers were very much against mikes, which I found strange.

I did hear him refer to Chris Robshaw by name on Saturday though - "go away Christopher" which was far funnier than it sounds.

if we can lip read pretty much what half a dozen Man U players surrounding a ref and bellowing into his ear about the injustice of an incorrectly awarded throw in I think miked up refs might not be such a good idea.  Or, might be an excellent idea. 

[Chico Hamilton III]

The other thing which rugby referees do is invariably refer to sides by their colours "blue put in"  "white free kick" and so forth.   However there are rugby referees who do play the big mates game albeit collectively by addressing players as "you guys" and "sorry fellas".   Barnes is particularly precious.

The ref who yellow-carded an England played on Saturday sent him from the pitch with words along the lines of "Sorry James, off you go"

It was the first rugby I've watched in years, so have no idea if that's indicative of it as a whole though.

Nigel Owens was on 5 Live last night talking about video technology / refs microphones and how they could be used in football. I thought he was excellent - spoke with common sense and intelligence (much more than Claridge, Savage et al) and very pointedly said that rugby has no basis whatsoever to take the moral high ground v football (rugby has more natural breaks in play so video technology is easier to implement, rugby is more complex than football so microphones important in explaining decisions to the crowd etc ...). The former footballers were very much against mikes, which I found strange.

I did hear him refer to Chris Robshaw by name on Saturday though - "go away Christopher" which was far funnier than it sounds.

if we can lip read pretty much what half a dozen Man U players surrounding a ref and bellowing into his ear about the injustice of an incorrectly awarded throw in I think miked up refs might not be such a good idea.  Or, might be an excellent idea. 

remember when David Elleray was mic'd up for a first division game ( Millwall v Arsenal - I think) without the players' knowledge. I hate the big-headed former Harrow schoolmaster but he was getting dogs' abuse from the players. Adams was shouting " you fackin cheat" at him at one point. So bad it was quite funny

[brian green]

Robshaw wants to be careful Stuart Lancaster does not say "go away Christopher". His captaincy skills are not in the Bill Beaumont/Martin Johnson class.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Ref's are there to keep the game going and not be the centre of attention, some seem to forget this

[pbavfckuwait]

Some one mentioned it earlier about throw ins, this is something that really gets my goat and always has done. You press a team back into the corner, they get a throw and they are advancing half the length of their half before they take it. Now with the spray why not give one to the assistant, he marks where he believes the ball went out and that's where it is taken from, simple solution to a annoying issue in my view.

[Drummond]

There are some good ideas on this thread. Far too sensible for the authorities though.

Who'd want to be referee these days? Every decision is scrutinised, dissected, and slowed down and sometimes people still argue about them. It's not a great position to have.

I agree about the lack of respect shown and the way some of them buddy up to the players but in the other hand, it's better to have dialogue and explanations.

Every team feels the ref is shit and against them, it's just that it happens to be true with us.