I Couldn't Watch Anymore

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Another wrong call made and thankfully overturned by the referee on the field.The TMO Shaun Veldsman awarded the try even though the player clearly dropped it.

I was asked this question when I joined the rugby referee society and it is the reason why I took up refereeing. The question was "Why do you want to be a referee?" I remember saying do you want the truth or a bullshit answer? I gave them the truth as I had never planned on becoming a referee.

I was watching a game of rugby on television and I was shocked at the decisions that were being made by the referee. I have never been biased and have always called something for what it is. I was living in England at the time and the game I was watching was a provincial game in South Africa.

This game was a semi final in the tournament and it was embarrassing to watch. Every game you will see a questionable call as everyone is human, but we try and limit human error by not only knowing the rules, but understanding the game.Let us put it this way the wrong team won. The decisions that were made that day were so bad I felt the referee had no right to even be near a rugby field.

I was shocked to follow his career as he somehow became an international referee and found it funny when both New Zealand and Australia refused to have him for their matches. This is fairly rare and they worded it fairly kindly saying he wasn't quite ready.

He never quite made it as an international referee, but became a well known name as the TMO or third match official.This is the referee who watches the television from the stands and makes calls helping the referee on the field. I cringe every time I hear his voice as I have no confidence in what he says.

I was hoping they were going to proceed with the white card system when a team can question a decision and have it reversed if correct.If you are wrong you lose the card for the game ,so you have to be spot on.

I don't watch many games anymore except certain games in the Six Nations and I dread when I see certain referees as they literally wreck the game for me. There is a certain French referee on the circuit currently who is poor and has worked on the same game as my favorite TMO. These two literally change games with the whistle.

My argument is their decisions can change careers. Who will forget Wayne Barnes allowing the 2 meter forward pass knocking New Zealand out of the 2007 World cup. It wasn't a shocker, but more of a stinker that left everyone watching stunned.