Men on World Cup referees' highwire perform fine balancing act

Referee Dave Pearson. Photo / Getty Images

Cheating is an emotive word - it's also a weak one.

Seldom do teams set out to cheat. Rarely do they not try to play to the limit of the law. It's a fine balancing act and when you get a game with as many laws as rugby, it puts the men in the middle under unusual stresses.

World referees' boss Paddy O'Brien believes he has the best 10 men to walk the highwire.

Who are they? While we've seen plenty of games reffed by the South Africans, Australians and New Zealanders, we have sourced footage of some of the Northern Hemisphere World Cup referees who may be less familiar.

The sample is too small to make definitive statements about each official. For example, penalty counts tend to climb in wet-weather games and there are clearer stylistic differences between, say, New Zealand and Australia than England or Ireland that affect the flow of the game.

There's also the danger of penalty counts assuming too much importance. Good referees do more than adjudicate on the myriad rugby laws. They have a feel for the game, know when a little latitude is required or when to be more draconian. That's difficult to reflect in statistical terms.

"Individual referees will handle this pressure differently depending on their status within the refereeing panel," says Herald World Cup columnist Kelvin Deaker. "A more experienced ref will introduce his own personality and interpretation on the match while a less experienced referee will tend to be more technically correct and pick up the small things

"Somewhere in the middle will be the right balance."

Our expert referee

Kelvin Deaker is joining the Herald as a columnist during the World Cup, starting on September 13, focusing on issues surrounding officiating during the tournament.

Deaker was a full-time referee with the NZRU from 2001-2008.

He has 178 first-class matches to his name and his 23 tests included one World Cup match (he attended both the 2003 and 2007 World Cups). He also refereed 41 Super rugby matches.

Deaker, a chartered accountant, now lives and works in Marlborough as chief financial officer for WineWorks. His whistling career has recently been revived - at Marlborough under-11 level.

Dave Pearson, England
Age: 45
Sample: Scotland v NZ, Edinburgh, 2010
New Zealand 49 Scotland 3
Cards: -
Penalties: 17
Penalty count: Scotland 11-6
Team in possession: 13-4

Utterly unobtrusive except when it comes to scrums.

Like Romain Poite a week earlier, Pearson did not take kindly to some of the All Blacks' work at the set-piece.

Perhaps a little pernickety when it comes to the scrum engagement, Pearson is happy to otherwise let the game flow. It's hard to believe any coach or player would have strong feelings about Pearson one way or the other - which is half the battle won as a ref.

Deaker says

"Flies under the radar. Is steady and a less flamboyant ref compared to others."

Steve Walsh, Australia
Age: 39

Had to rebuild not only his career but his life after admitting to alcohol problems. He did that by relocating to Australia and quickly rising through the ranks there.

Walsh is recognised as one of the most talented decision-makers to referee the game. Also one of the most colourful with all the baggage, good and bad, that term carries.

At the 2003 World Cup he was suspended for three days after an altercation with England fitness coach Dave Reddin. He was suspended for four months for verbally abusing Irish winger Shane Horgan during the 2005 Lions tour.

When he turned up for a Sanzar referees' meeting in Sydney worse for wear, the New Zealand Rugby Union's patience ran out, though no one begrudges the stunning turnaround he has made on and off the field.

Deaker says

"Representing Australia, he has reinvented himself. Have not seen him on the field for some time after picking up an injury during Super rugby. Will also be fourth RWC."

Romain Poite, France
Age: 35
Sample: NZ v England, London, 2010
New Zealand 26 Ireland 16
Cards: 1 yellow
Penalties: 24
Penalty count: England 15-9
Team in possession: 21-3

He had a lot to do in this game and did it pretty well, though Steve Hansen might disagree as England won four scrum penalties.

Maybe missed a forward pass leading up to Hosea Gear's try but was accurate at the breakdown.

The penalty count was too high but it would be wrong to blame Poite for that. He heavily favoured the team in possession.

Speaks excellent English and, like many French referees, is very demonstrative in his signals.

Deaker says

"Reasonably new to the panel. Controlled the ABs' game against England at Twickenham well last year."

Wayne Barnes, England
Age: 32
Sample: NZ v Ireland, New Plymouth, 2010
New Zealand 66 Ireland 28
Cards: 1 red, 1 yellow
Penalties: 14
Penalty count: Ireland 9-5
Team in possession: 11-3

Even if universal acceptance remains elusive on these shores, Barnes is rated extremely highly in refereeing circles as a quality official and an even better bloke.

This game is a difficult one to gauge as he was confronted with the task of having to send Jamie Heaslip off in the first few minutes after he twice aimed a knee at Richie McCaw's head.

Shortly after, he yellow carded Ronan O'Gara, leaving the Irish with 13 men momentarily. On both occasions the decisions were absolutely right.

Barnes then largely got out of the way until a flood of penalties to Ireland near the end that, truth be told, almost had an element of pity about them.

Not as ostentatious a communicator as, say, Owens, he is still very clear in telling players what he wants and what he has found wrong.

Deaker says

"Was lenient towards the ball-carrying team last week in Brisbane around the tackle, which the All Blacks didn't exploit. Expect him to tighten this up."

George Clancy, Ireland
Age: 34
Sample: NZ v Wales, Dunedin, 2010
New Zealand 42 Wales 9
Cards: -
Penalties: 12
Penalty count: 6-6
Team in possession: 6-6

There's a lot to like about Clancy, especially the fact he doesn't feel the need to open his mouth at every single breakdown. In fact, you can go long periods of play without knowing he's there.

In this game it took until the 12th minute before he found an offence and nearly as long into the second half, a half that featured just four penalties.

But this game was blighted by the scrum. From engagement to completion the set-piece was a shambles. Let's hope it was just a rough night in the front row.

Curiously, given the game was shortly after the introduction of the new-law interpretations, Clancy was as hard on the team in possession at the breakdown as he was the defending side.

Deaker says

"Was at the centre of the TMO controversy during the South Africa-NZ Tri-Nations match last month. Newer to the panel, I'm picking he will be technically correct, especially in the opening game."

Bryce Lawrence, New Zealand
Age: 40

For the son of international referee Keith Lawrence, the family ties were a blessing and a curse in his early days.

Every rung Bryce climbed came with snide remarks about nepotism as his father, a polarising referee himself, was NZRU referees' boss.

But talent won out. Few would argue that Lawrence is the most proficient referee in the country.

He's changed, too. In his early days he was more authoritarian, a reflection perhaps of his teaching background. By no means a soft touch, Lawrence is a more user-friendly official than he once was.

Deaker says

"NZ's only representative. Has been a technical referee in the past but let everything go in the Super rugby final earlier this year."

Alain Roland, Ireland
Age: 45
Sample: NZ v Aust, Hong Kong, 2010
Australia 26 New Zealand 24
Cards: -
Penalties: 19
Penalty count: Australia 12-7
Team in possession: 10-9

Described by Graham Henry last year as the best in the business, Rolland was in officious mood in Hong Kong, particularly when it came to ruling on the Australian scrum.

Where his countryman Clancy tried to let the front rows sort out the mess in Dunedin, Rolland front-footed the issue and at halftime gave out a general warning to the Wallabies that another scrum offence would lead to a card.

Again, Rolland veered away from the trend of last year by being quite harsh on the team taking the ball into the tackle, although that might have been because David Pocock was in particularly good form.

Has a tendency to speak a bit schoolmasterly, which could rub some skippers up the wrong way.

Deaker says

"Controlled the 2007 final in France and has maintained a presence on the field."

Craig Joubert, South Africa
Age: 33

Neck-and-neck with Lawrence as the best referee in the Super 15 this year and was extremely unlucky to miss appointment for the final.

A corporate banker in a previous life, Joubert has won a reputation as a players' ref, such is his ease in the communication department.

If there is a criticism of Joubert, it is that he can be a little black and white in his rulings, which can be difficult in a game that has many different shades.

It's a minor quibble.

If South Africa are not involved, do not be surprised to see him handed a big game on October 23.

Deaker says

"Certainly the most athletic of the refereeing panel and enjoys an open style of game."

Nigel Owens, Wales
Age: 40
Sample: SA v NZ, Soweto, 2010
New Zealand 29 South Africa 22
Cards: -
Penalties: 17
Penalty count: South Africa 9-8
Team in possession: 14-3

Something of a celebrity in Wales, Owens leapt to prominence when he outed himself as a homosexual, something he admitted he agonised about to the point where he contemplated suicide.

There is a bit of the showman in the way Owens refs and this game was no exception, though it was hardly his fault. Towards the end of the first half he went down in a massive hit by Schalk Burger. He recovered and generally had an accurate match, though the South Africans felt aggrieved he had missed a forward pass from Israel Dagg to Mils Muliaina in the lead-up to Richie McCaw's try.

His bugbear was the breakdown. Twelve of the 17 penalties occurred there with offences ranging from entering at the side to hands in the ruck to not releasing. He found only one long-arm penalty at scrum time.

His communication was constant and instructions clear.

Deaker says

"An experienced ref in his second RWC."

Jonathan Kaplan, South Africa
Age: 44

For a long time Kaplan has been the best South African referee, though latterly Mark Lawrence and certainly Joubert have challenged that mantle.

Kaplan seems to have become a bit tetchier in his old age and his performance in this year's Super 15 was not universally lauded. The Chiefs felt he cost them a game against the Brumbies, who in turn were upset about a last-second penalty that cost them a game against the Rebels.

Still, you don't become the most experienced referee in the world for nothing. Kaplan has largely avoided controversy on the international scene, which speaks for itself.

Nobody has refereed the All Blacks more than Kaplan.

Has been out injured for six weeks after being knocked off his scooter by a taxi.

Deaker says

"The most experienced, this will be his fourth RWC. Has become very dictatorial and will stand for no nonsense."