Sanzar wants to blow the whistle on neutrality

SANZAR has begun a charm offensive to win Northern Hemisphere support to scrap the current system of appointing neutral referees for tests.

The body which runs the Super 12 and Tri-Nations wants the IRB to change its rules so the best referees are appointed to the biggest games regardless of their nationality.

If the move is successful, New Zealand's top referee, Paddy O'Brien, could be appointed to take charge of crucial Bledisloe Cup tests.

The New Zealand Rugby Union made an unsuccessful submission to the IRB earlier this year to have top-ranked referees appointed for the Lions series.

Despite losing that battle there is optimism the war could yet be won as preliminary discussions with other major unions have indicated there is support for switching to a merit-based appointment system.

NZRU chief executive Chris Moller says: "There is quite a strong feeling among the SANZAR refereeing community that merit-based appointments are the way to go. You have seen a minor move towards that with Steve Walsh doing the Highlanders versus Blues game on Friday night even though Steve is a resident of the Blues franchise. The more you push for neutrality, the more you risk not having your best referees available.

"The classic example of that is the Lions tour because you take out all the referees from New Zealand and the four home unions. While it is important to have a breadth of referees, it is also important for top games to have the best people. It is something SANZAR believes needs careful consideration globally."

The move to appoint the best rather than neutral referees is being driven by national team coaches who have become increasingly frustrated at the influence officials have in the outcome of tests.

On the opening Six Nations' weekend Scotland were denied what appeared to be a legitimate and probably match-winning try against France when touchjudge Simon McDowell ruled No 8 Ally Hogg had been in touch on the way to the tryline.

Another major blunder late last year, when Kiwi ref Paul Honiss allowed an Irish try to stand from a tap penalty, highlighted the requirement for an urgent review of the current appointment system.

But while Moller believes the campaign will ultimately be successful, he is prepared to be patient.

"You have got to build a consensus with your colleagues, the other referees and relevant parties. So when presented at the IRB council meeting it is something people have broadly bought into. It may take some time. It may be frustratingly slow but it is much more important to get the right end result."


- HERALD ON SUNDAY