Tana Umaga says the standard of refereeing in New Zealand at the top level is poor. Photo / Getty Images
Hurricanes 14 Waratahs 38
Is the standard of refereeing in New Zealand as bad as Tana Umaga says it is?
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Tana Umaga used his farewell speech to blast the dire state of refereeing in the Southern Hemisphere and said he's happy to cop a big fine as long as it leads to the problem being fixed.
Having played 14 seasons of first grade football, Umaga reckons officialdom in
this country has never been such a bad way and the former All Black skipper is worried that the game will suffer badly unless something is done.
"I have talked to Colin [Hurricanes coach Cooper] and told him he has to be harder on refs and not to butter them up," said Umaga. "They get paid just like us but the problem is they don't get dropped and they suffer no accountability for bad games.
"I tell my son to become a ref because it is the safest job in the world at the moment.
"That's the frustration I have had for a long time. If they become accountable, and from what I hear they want to be, get them out here talking to you guys [media].
"We show them clips and they say yeah, yeah but yeah-yeah doesn't mean much when you are out there. I think referees in this part of the world are lacking. The northern hemisphere in my experience have always been better refs. It's sad to see. It is an empathy with the game, the flow, apart from Jonathan Kaplan, New Zealand and Australian refs are right at the bottom."
Umaga accepts that such outbursts can't go unsanctioned, that there will be repercussions. But he'll take what they throw at him.
"Hopefully they take Master Card and Visa because I have got both. I am at the stage where I can say that and I will take the hit when it comes. But something needs to be done.
"Until they become accountable then we are just going to have the same old, same old, and the standard of refereeing is poor here.
"The consistency of what they rule has been a problem and it has come to a stage where we have to watch because referees are refereeing more on reputation rather than what they are seeing."
And he'll take it because deep down he knows that a player with his standing in the game can't be ignored.
Hitting him with a fine will not make the issue go away. Given his reputation and his never before desire to get verbally stuck in to officials, his words will surely resonate with officials in high places.
He didn't lash out to take a needless parting shot. He lashed out because he cares about the game and he desperately wants to see it improved.
Hopefully the men charged with running the sport feel the same way.
Hurricanes 14 (J. Gopperth, J. Collins tries; P. Weepu 2 cons) Waratahs 38 (D. Munn, L. Turner, L. Tuqiri, B. Jacobs tries; P. Hewat 3 cons, 4 pens)
