Owen Doyle: On the knockout stage, referees need to deliver their best performance

Irish Times

12-05-2025

Why would anybody reward a substandard performance? In any walk of life, the answer surely is they wouldn't.
The scrum is not an easy phase to referee, but I watched two matches, with growing trepidation: Leinster v Zebre and the Bulls against Cardiff.
Both these matches were very easy home wins, the level of intensity was exceptionally low, the only challenge for the referees was the scrum. If any referee goes into any match without a solid scrum plan which he can deliver – and that's the important bit – then he is asking for trouble.
The match in the Aviva saw Scotland's Sam Grove-White with the whistle. He has been on the circuit for a long time now, much longer than his youthful appearance would suggest. He refereed the URC semi-final last year, and this column reported on a below-standard performance then. Here we are again, with his recent performance in Stormers v Connacht also falling short of requirements.
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The URC is, ball and chain, wedded to the concept of neutrality, shying away at all costs from merit-based appointments. I believe that this policy has led to a serious drop in performance levels, too often simply not acceptable. With just two teams in the competition Scotland (and Italy) have more opportunities to referee under the flag of neutrality than Ireland, Wales and South Africa.
Grove-White was at a loss as to what to do at the set-piece, reduced to near-pleading as the match reached its conclusion. 'This is the last scrum, let's have the ball in, and out, come on.' His prophetic words were also incorrect – it was not the last scrum. There was time for another, at which he seemed to give a definite free-kick signal, but in the heel of the hunt he reset it.
Then the bizarre moment. Leinster took a quick penalty which went nowhere, with the referee heading back to the mark as there had been no advantage. Fortunately, he realised that the penalty had already been taken and corrected the matter before any damage was done.
There is little point in repeating that Hollie Davidson is the best referee in Scotland; it's a little insulting considering she has no competition. Davidson is very good in her own right, and deserves a knockout match. Grove-White does not.
Irish referee Eoghan Cross was in the middle for Cardiff's heavy loss to the Bulls. The visitors got three late tries as the home team took their foot off the accelerator. Cross probably doesn't need me to tell him that the scrums were problematic. He also made matters tough on himself by calling penalty advantage just as the ball emerged on several occasions; he would have been better advised to play on.
Referee Eoghan Cross and Josh McNally of Cardiff at the Bulls vs Cardiff game in Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday. Photograph: Steve Haag Sports/Christiaan Kotze/Inpho
In general, there is huge inconsistency in when advantage is played to scrum infringements and when the referee plays on without signalling advantage. This is completely undesirable and can have a huge effect on scorelines. It needs urgent attention.
Cross was politeness itself in asking the frontrows to obey a few simple instructions, to toe the line, but it was obvious they weren't paying any heed whatsoever. These moments require a real change in attitude by any referee. There is nothing wrong with displaying firmness, dropping the chat and sanctioning hard. In fact, it is imperative.
Cross, who debuted in the URC just a few years ago, has had nothing like the same number of opportunities as Grove-White, who has been around for about eight years, over 50 matches. The former is definitely worth further development, though he's not yet knockout material. If these two performances occurred in very tight matches there would be hell to pay and it would be impossible to defend the referees.
Thomond Park saw Munster eventually getting into gear against Ulster, having stalled the engine quite a bit in the early stages. Their lineout malfunctioned, but, on at least one occasion, they found a solution by throwing in crooked directly to the front man. It's a growing trend that is rarely picked up by the match officials, whereas it's really a simple decision.
Adam Jones of Wales was in charge, and overall showed good game understanding. Importantly, he clearly had a plan. We saw the most obvious yellow card for Stuart McCloskey, undoubtedly the most foolish breakdown infringement of the season. He appeared to be clearly annoyed. I trust it was with himself, not with the decision.
Munster's Josh Wycherley receives a yellow card from referee Adam Jones during the Munster vs Ulster game at Thomond Park last Friday. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
Jones was kind to Ulster's Scott Wilson for his shoulder directly into the face of Gavin Coombes. The latter's painful grimace told the story, but the referee applied mitigation for a near-invisible drop in height by the Munster man. 'Sudden,' Jones opined. Sorry, not for me, it wasn't.
It was a unique evening. The always-knowledgeable crowd gave a rousing Limerick send-off to the retiring Stephen Archer, Conor Murray and Peter O'Mahony. Three quite phenomenal careers which will never be forgotten throughout the world of rugby.
Their achievements will be talked about as long as the game is played. Pints will be poured and stories told which will never need to be exaggerated. These men have given everything, never a backward step. We are very fortunate to have seen them play so many times. And those who didn't see them play will tell those stories. It is the stuff of legend.