London Irish

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Great report - especially liked the description of Topsy's try!

I'm sure Mr Richards will love being called biased & ignorant........

Great report!

Quote:

Jester
I'm sure Mr Richards will love being called biased & ignorant........

I agree. eds letting that stand???

Yes, he doesn't call Mr Richards "biased and ignorant", he calls his refereeing "biased and ignorant". It's one man's opinion (actually it's more than one man's opinion) and is perfectly acceptable - I might have highlighted it as such, had I written it. If you want to write the next report then feel free to volunteer.

If Mr Richards wants to contact us about it, or get his solicitors to do so then I'd be more than happy to make a case for olw131's opinion from the match video. I rarely think a referee makes a difference in a match result but since Mr Richards decided to penalise our mauling and not Exeter's and to constantly give scrum penalties to a side whose front-row consistently nose-dived then I actually class this match as one of three I can remember that I think the referee decided the result (and did so before setting-foot on the pitch).

Well said Griff...

Wow so you think the referee decided that Exeter would win before the match even started.

Generally speaking, in my experience, players and former players think it's a good idea to keep the refereeing community on side. That's where I was coming from.

Perhaps I am just out of touch then if the situation is now that the results of matches are from time to time pre decided by the referees on occasion, as you say. Interesting to understand the stance though, so thanks for coming back.

Thanks for a report which seems fairly positive in what has been a dreadful week for Irish.

A good report, you cannot ask for more than someone to say what they truthfully feel about what happened.
I don't think it makes that much of a difference anymore what the official thinks of you after the game, it's when the games playing that counts, and if he's made his mind up, yes maybe beforehand, then that's that.
In light of the perceived change in the way Worcester were treated I think Dean Ryan proved how things work in refereeing terms, coupled with the way Andy Goode, Cockers bully officials (I think it's okay if you get away with it, stance has always been a part of rugby) this is what you will get.
No one anymore see ten yards given for the constant bickering of a captain because he is allowed to "work" the official.
I think that's just the way the sport has gone and it was always going to go that way when it turns into a business, I'm not unhappy about it, it had to happen.

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When the seagulls follow the trawler, it's because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.

Quote:

LLL
Wow so you think the referee decided that Exeter would win before the match even started.
Generally speaking, in my experience, players and former players think it's a good idea to keep the refereeing community on side. That's where I was coming from.

Perhaps I am just out of touch then if the situation is now that the results of matches are from time to time pre decided by the referees on occasion, as you say. Interesting to understand the stance though, so thanks for coming back.

It's a bit more complicated than that. However I'm sure that at one of the "meet the ref" evenings I've attended a Premiership referee admitted there was a certain degree of assumption as to who might be at fault in certain situations based on a perception of which is the stronger team.

It's all tied up in the concept of contextuality, which is a judgement call...

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Faugh-a-Ballagh!

"Our prayer is 'God save Ireland' and pour blessings on her name!"

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