Refs must be held accountable

RICHARD LOE, writing in Herald on Sunday, says the standard of refereeing in this year's Super Rugby tournament has been poor.

The former All Black takes aim at Rohan Hoffman, who officiated in the recent match between the Highlanders and Bulls. Loe feels that too many referees are getting it wrong in this year's competition.

'It's not that he [Hoffman] favoured one team over the other, it's just he was inconsistent and hard to follow,' said Loe. 'Players really hate inconsistency. It makes the game hard for them to play and enjoy when the rulings don't make sense or change from one instance to the next.'

Loe also said that too many decisions are referred to the TMO, and that ultimately the wrong decisions are being made.

'I hear people now – and the South Africans are the worst at this – saying the ball came out of the back of the hand, or that the hands were pointing backwards when the ball was passed. Excuse me, but that's just nonsense. A forward pass is a forward pass. The ball comes out of the hands and goes forward. Simple.'

Read Loe's full column

Photo: Rob Jefferies/Getty Images

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