NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport

Gregor Paul: The glaring problem with home-town referees

Gregor Paul
By Gregor Paul
Rugby analyst·NZ Herald·
14 Oct, 2020 10:30 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Anton Lienert-Brown admitted there probably wasn't a single player in the All Blacks team who was happy with their performance in Bledisloe one.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Opinion:

In these financially chastened times there would have been a few bean counters watching the first Bledisloe test, hopeful they would see proof that test football could permanently dispense with neutral referees.

They didn't get it. In fact, what they got was definitive proof that it would be mad to even think about persevering with the Covid-enforced home-town appointments that are a necessity of this Bledisloe series.

Test rugby needs neutral appointments no matter the cost or logistical difficulty posting them around the world.

There is no cost-benefit analysis to be made on the issue of neutrality: test rugby will turn into a nonsense if impartiality is lost. And those referees asked to take charge of their own nation will be mentally broken, crushed by the impossible pressure that was apparent in the first Bledisloe test.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It is a curse of the modern game that so much time is spent picking apart the refereeing decisions that were and weren't made, but it would be remiss not to wonder whether the officiating group in Wellington had their judgement skewed and impacted by the knowledge clanking around inside their own heads that they were not protected by neutrality.

Angus Gardner is arguably the best referee in Australasia and yet in his capacity as assistant in Wellington, he failed to see Rieko Ioane put a foot in touch in the build-up to the All Blacks first try.

Referee Paul Williams makes a call while Dane Coles of New Zealand looks on during the Bledisloe Cup match. Photo / Getty Images.
Referee Paul Williams makes a call while Dane Coles of New Zealand looks on during the Bledisloe Cup match. Photo / Getty Images.

Five million New Zealanders saw it and yet Gardner, who in every slowed down piece of footage appeared to have a clear line of sight on the incident, didn't raise his flag. Why not?

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Because he missed it or because he was fearful about how it would look if an Australian was responsible for denying the All Blacks their first test try in 2020?

New Zealand referee Paul Williams didn't penalise Tupou Vaa'i late in the game for a side entry at a ruck that led to a turnover. Now, on this, he could normally be forgiven as referees, even the best ones, miss things.

Discover more

All Blacks

'Genuine mistake' - Aussie ref confesses

14 Oct 10:00 PM
Sport|rugby

All Blacks rookie shows off hidden talent

14 Oct 08:54 PM
Rugby

'Very unlikely': Springboks in dark over Rugby Championship

14 Oct 08:20 PM
All Blacks

9604 days since: The All Blacks' unbeaten streak at Eden Park

14 Oct 05:54 PM

But did he really not see it or was he under incredible pressure to not see it because he feared what would happen if he gave Australia a kickable penalty to snatch their first win in New Zealand since 1986?

Had he given it, would he have been accused of over-compensating to rid himself of any allegation of home-town bias?

That same pressure and inevitable concern about optics and public perception may also be why there was no exploration of several late hits on Richie Mo'unga.

When Ioane's try was ruled out, play should have resumed with a penalty to New Zealand on the Wallabies 22 where Mo'unga was hit late and high.

Referee Paul Williams makes a call during the Bledisloe Cup match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the Australian Wallabies at Sky Stadium. Photo / Getty Images.
Referee Paul Williams makes a call during the Bledisloe Cup match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the Australian Wallabies at Sky Stadium. Photo / Getty Images.

But it didn't. There was no mention even of the incident requiring a second look, which in the current climate of head knocks being imperative to punish, would in any other circumstance be impossible to understand.

Except of course on this occasion, given the nationality of the officials and the undoubted feelings of compromise they consciously or unconsciously felt, it wasn't impossible to understand.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

All Blacks assistant coach John Plumtree obviously wondered like everyone else whether the game would have been handled differently had the officials been neutral.

"The local referees referee us a lot," Plumtree said. "They know us and we know why it puts pressure on the referee – because it's based around being biased or whatever."

Covid created an unavoidable circumstance where there was no choice but to employ a mix of local officials for the first two Bledisloe tests and while it has created a source of angst in one regard, it has at least cleared up definitively whether test football could wind back the clock and hand local men the whistle.

At various times in the last 20 years, debate has erupted about whether tests should be managed by the best referees regardless of nationality.

It was a strong theme in 2005 when the British & Irish Lions said they would be happy for Kiwi referee Paddy O'Brien to be involved in the test series.

Plenty of games in recent years have been twisted or turned by random acts of officiating and hence there have been those who have felt there has been a legitimate argument to say, why appoint a neutral referee for the biggest games if he's not the best?

The argument extends into saying that it's surely a given that impartiality is built into their conscience – that they operate without emotion or investment in the outcome all the time anyway, so why would a test be any different?

Older followers, who endured the awful days of seeing South African referees shamelessly cheat to aid the Springboks, will say that's all the evidence needed to know why it would be different.

Now we have more and can conclude that when it comes to test football, neutral referees are the best referees.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Sport

live
Black Ferns

Black Ferns v Wallaroos live updates

12 Jul 04:20 AM
BoxingUpdated

'My moment': NZ-born boxer becomes first Māori to be crowned undisputed world champ

12 Jul 03:58 AM
New Zealand

Former Black Caps coach claims players were 'egotistical buggers'

12 Jul 02:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

Black Ferns v Wallaroos live updates
live

Black Ferns v Wallaroos live updates

12 Jul 04:20 AM

Live updates of the Black Ferns clash with Australia.

'My moment': NZ-born boxer becomes first Māori to be crowned undisputed world champ

'My moment': NZ-born boxer becomes first Māori to be crowned undisputed world champ

12 Jul 03:58 AM
Former Black Caps coach claims players were 'egotistical buggers'

Former Black Caps coach claims players were 'egotistical buggers'

12 Jul 02:00 AM
'Unique tribute': Liverpool to retire Jota's shirt in his honour

'Unique tribute': Liverpool to retire Jota's shirt in his honour

11 Jul 10:01 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP