Wynne Gray: Troubled referee not ready for Super 12

Reds prop Nick Stiles leaned towards troubled referee Shaun Veldsman like a concerned parent and asked, "What can we do to help?''

That chat came during the opening round of this year's Super 12 when Veldsman showed he was out of his depth, confusing the locals and the Hurricanes with his decisions.

The Reds have been indifferent since, but that should not have condemned them to Veldsman when he got his second appointment to referee a Reds match, against the Highlanders.

Once again he baffled both sides. For starters he sinbinned Craig Newby, allowed Wendell Sailor to stay for a head-butt and punch, and then penalised Cameron McIntyre for a dangerous tackle around an opponent's chest.

When the Sanzar selectors and referee managers hold their weekly telephone hook-up tonight they should eliminate Veldsman from any further Super 12 work. He is not ready for it.

The scary part was that he was rated in South Africa's top five referees late last year. Chief selectors Andre Watson (SA), Bob Francis (NZ) and Ian Scotney (Australia) must rearrange that grading tonight.

There have been problems because some officials such as Paul Honiss and Jonathan Kaplan are not available until the middle of the competition because of duties in Europe.

Complications have also occurred because Watson and Andy Turner have retired in South Africa, Peter Marshall has quit in Australia, and Paddy O'Brien is stopping after this season.

Those absences bite deep into the referees' resources, but the players deserve the best and spectators are also entitled to decent standards.

Another disturbing prospect is that Sanzar will need more referees when the competition is expanded to 14 sides next season.

The lack of resources and variable standards gives more weight to the suggestion from Wallaby coach Eddie Jones that Northern Hemisphere referees should be appointed to improve the Super 12.

It might also help close the gap in the interpretation of laws between the hemispheres, something which has already concerned coaching protagonists Graham Henry and Sir Clive Woodward ahead of this year's Lions tour.

Just as Sanzar officials control Six Nations internationals, Northern Hemisphere referees should be used in the Super 14 series to increase the quality. The greater the exchange programmes the better the game in both hemispheres.

* Brumbies hooker David Palavi was cleared by a Sanzar judicial committee yesterday after being cited for a dangerous tackle on Blues flanker Daniel Braid.

After viewing video footage of the incident, a committee of Chris Morris, Mattie Blackburn and Graham Williams ruled that Palavi had not used a ``loaded arm'' and that the initial contact was with the chest not the neck and head.