RateTheRef

Some good/excellent performances yesterday.
Angus Gardner looked back to his best, assured, calm, fit, consistent. Helps having experience around you in Wayne Barnes who only involved himself when called upon.
Jaco Peyper did better than I expected, but that might be because he penalised the Aussies lots. I felt his TMO got over involved a few times and eroded some of Peypers control. Still not convinced I would want Peyper doing us in France or against NZ.
Luke Pearce was immense in Dublin, fast becoming WRs go to guy. Calm, self assured, put Sexton politely back in his box, managed the game beautifully. Definitely helps having a familiar person in TMO booth. Was commented that all 4 Englishmen "were on same page"

Yes, would concur with the comments from RCG and Alfie.
I like Gardner as a referee, he seems to have an excellent rapport with the players and there is something very understanding about the way he controls games. I rate him higher than Berry and still think that if he had been fit he would have been given the nod over Berry for the Lions series in S A.
Pearce is class, head and shoulders above Carley imho.
I still have my reservations about Peyper. I thought he was quite fussy yesterday and didn’t help the flow of the game which was a bit attritional at times and lacking in quality.

And so onto next weekend with Andy Brace at Twickenham, Mike Adamson at the Principality, Carley in Ireland and Wayne Barnes in France.

Respect the comments from Hendo & Wollongong Ref. I have to disagree I didn't think he was over-fussy, thought he was pretty fine.
Think the game was killed by IMHO an Australia side that could not put phases together at all really and England quite honestly dominated but couldn't convert for much of the game and made hard work of it (especially in the first half).
I think Jaco only refereed what was in front of him and have no complaints with the handling of the game in general - of course we will disagree with decisions and yes officials can potential dictate how the game pans out, but wouldn't blame Jaco for actually what was quite a poor game.
Both sides will need to up their games next weekend against an impressive SA side and the in-form Welsh.
Think actually, the 6 Nations will be really close next year.

Andrew Bryce - good first half but poor second half - he allowed the SA Captain to dictate the decisions - scrum penalties were a guess and inconsistent. The mauls were inconsistently refereed - so poor and inconsistent performance

Appreciate your comments Simon but I actually thought he managed the game well. He impresses me with his calmness and decision making process. I may not agree with all the outcomes but I felt he was generally good. Certainly right up there as a NH referee.

Pickerill did well at Murrayfield, felt a card should have come earlier for repeated offences - a solid performance as he emerges as a contender for NZ #3

Unfortunately I felt Adamson was underwhelming, if ever a game was refereed by a scrum half on one side and a fly half on the other, this was it.
Red spot on, as was Beales yellow after.
I felt the Welsh player in the 2nd half should have seen red, it was a cheap shot and the offended Aussie should have seen yellow for the tackle that got him there. Never felt a comfortable watch as decisions seemed random at best.

I think you are spot on RCG. Felt Brace did a good job; maybe seemed very hard on England at times but the South African forwards were immense and forced a series of penalties from England, whose discipline at times let them down too. His calmness is impressive and he rarely seems to raise his voice. As to the match, what a game and in many ways surprising that England won after that torrid 2nd half.
Adamson seemed to struggle as you say, there is something about him which doesn’t inspire confidence but can’t put my finger on it. Maybe just inexperience?
And as to France and New Zealand, quelle match! France were at times back to their brilliant best, some scintillating rugby from both teams. And another imperious display from the excellent Wayne Barnes whose communication and explanations are second to none and who commands respect from the players. The gulf between him and Adamson was clear to see for anyone watching both games.

Quote from: RCG on Sat 20 Nov 2021 21:01

Appreciate your comments Simon but I actually thought he managed the game well. He impresses me with his calmness and decision making process. I may not agree with all the outcomes but I felt he was generally good. Certainly right up there as a NH referee.

Pickerill did well at Murrayfield, felt a card should have come earlier for repeated offences - a solid performance as he emerges as a contender for NZ #3

Unfortunately I felt Adamson was underwhelming, if ever a game was refereed by a scrum half on one side and a fly half on the other, this was it.
Red spot on, as was Beales yellow after.
I felt the Welsh player in the 2nd half should have seen red, it was a cheap shot and the offended Aussie should have seen yellow for the tackle that got him there. Never felt a comfortable watch as decisions seemed random at best.

I think you are spot on RCG. Felt Brace did a good job; maybe seemed very hard on England at times but the South African forwards were immense and forced a series of penalties from England, whose discipline at times let them down too. His calmness is impressive and he rarely seems to raise his voice. As to the match, what a game and in many ways surprising that England won after that torrid 2nd half.
Adamson seemed to struggle as you say, there is something about him which doesn’t inspire confidence but can’t put my finger on it. Maybe just inexperience?
And as to France and New Zealand, quelle match! France were at times back to their brilliant best, some scintillating rugby from both teams. And another imperious display from the excellent Wayne Barnes whose communication and explanations are second to none and who commands respect from the players. The gulf between him and Adamson was clear to see for anyone watching both games.

Well - What a day of Rugby!!
3 really interesting matches in their own right and 1 absolute belter of a game!!
Here's my assessment (for what it's worth).
Evans - Once again, cool calm and assured. Clearly the Wales number 1 and I fully expect him to get a 6N appointment. He should be really pleased with his performances.
Pickerill - Thought he performed admirably. Set his stall out early on and was extremely consistent in his decision making process. I agree, he is surely the NZ number 3. Good job overall!
Brace - A lot will be made of the sheer number of penalties awarded to SA. In the main, I had no issue with them BUT I am really surprised we didn't see cards earlier. Thought both YC's were correct and also thought SA were lucky to get away with IMHO another yellow card in the last minute. Overall, I thought he did well under immense pressure. He needed this game to really cement his place as one of the leading NH referees and I believe he actually passed the test overall.
Adamson - I think I mentioned before, this was going to be a HUGE match for Mike and a real step up. Crikey, he must have thought   coming off he had real baptism of fire. I have to say, whilst I applaud WR for moving on with the new breed, this appointment stuck out like a sore thumb and was always going to test the Scot and potentially cause issues so Joel and his team must have been prepared for any fall out. Well, it seems that the Aussies are unhappy with his performance and he has received a bit of a battering in the media! I don't think WR will hang him out to dry (like they have done to other officials previously), what the should do is really support Mike and continue to coach him through what will be a tough period for him mentally.
The game itself - So many talking points and once again Australian discipline let themselves down and really have themselves to blame.
The positives - I though Mike after the first 5 minutes (where he needed help from Raynal with the first big call) actually seemed cool calm and assured. He certainly was strong enough to stick with his decisions following the TMO reviews even when others (Raynal & Jonker) were trying to talk him out of some of them. The explanations given were clear for all to understand and actually the RC & YC in the first half were spot on!
The Wales try was correct in the second half and perfectly seen by MA.
Where I had issues - I think the 3rd & 4th TMO review should have been seen in real time by Mike. Far too much over reliance and interference from Jonker which actually caused a stop start game really. There was no real rhythm which was caused by the officiating team. This is an area where Mike has been criticised before in games and he needs to be more pro-active.
Both teams really tested Mike when talking to him. He should have been stronger in his approach with both captains.
Inconsistencies with tackles caused Mike an issue in the second half  (TMO review didn't help him either) and I didn't really agree with some of the decision making on his part or his thought process.
So, a mixed bag from the Scot - Not all bad with some positives and areas to work on. I think he will get a 6N appointment. I'm sure he has learn't a lot from the match.
Barnes - There was a reason Nigel Owens pointed out the need to keep experience in France 23. They only have Jaco & Wayne. I thought this showed exactly why Wayne needs to be involved and was appointed to this match. And what a match!! The stigma from 2007 has clearly gone and my goodness what a great example of how to referee a game of this nature. He was in total control from the off and unlike Mike Adamson, the players clearly recognised his vast experience and more importantly the understand what he's all about which says everything in modern rugby.
He wasn't flawless - I actually thought there were 2 talking points, that could have potentially given a different response if the result was a bit closer. Ultimately. these didn't affect the result. With the France 2nd try (I thought there was an obstruction leading up to it) and my goodness the 50/22 where NZ scored on first glance looked out. We didn't get any clear replays either. Pearce must have been 100% confident in that call. Ultimately, I think the TMO would have got involved with both if they were clear and obvious errors.
The YC was absolutely correct and no complaints really from NZ.
For me, it shows that he is desperately needed still on the big stage. I think he will get a 6N appointment (as it will send out the wrong message IMHO).
Another very good outing from the English team that contributed to a fantastic game of rugby.
I think overall this international window has seen some very impressive performances from a number of officials. WR must be pleased with the overall refereeing!

Just to add
Carley - Thought he had a very strong game today (probably the best I have seen him for a while). Got the RC card absolutely spot on too.
No problem with the use of the TMO - It was used wisely and decisions were made quickly with minimum of fuss.
Very clear with his communication to all players concerned.
Good job by the English team again today!