South African referee Marius Jonker will control Saturday's second test between the All Blacks and France. Photo / Getty Images
Just as the All Blacks look to climb out of a rugby hole this weekend they get lumbered with the worst possible news. It's a South African ref.
Marius Jonker will blow the whistle in the second test against France in Wellington as the All Blacks seek to reverse last
week's 27-22 loss to France in Dunedin.
New Zealand struggle for test success when the match official is a South African, with barely half of such fixtures won.
Jonker is typical, having controlled a win and a loss for the men in black. The defeat came against Australia at Melbourne two years ago.
The All Blacks' winning strike rate is just 52.8 per cent when a South African has the whistle, well down on the next worst, the 63.3 per cent when a Scotsman is in charge.
New Zealand rugby history paints several referees from the Republic as villains, with accusations of bias for the home team either implied or shouted without impunity by players and officials to have returned without success from tours of South Africa.
Names like Boet Neser (1928 tour), Eddie Hofmeyr (1949), Ralph Burmeister (1949 and 1960), Piet Robbertse (1970) and Gert Bezuidenhout (1976) continue to be muttered in grumbling tones by ageing aficionados around the country.
Contemporary South African refs still provide the All Blacks with issues even though they are neutral figures in the professional age.
Since 1996, there is a 74.1 per cent success rate playing under them. It is the All Blacks' second worst record during professionalism, beaten only when whistlers from Scotland are involved.
Ireland remains the All Blacks' most favoured nationality for a test match referee, even though George Clancy oversaw their demise last weekend.
- NZPA
