The NZ plot was very obvious. Get OZ and SA to meet in the quarters and eliminate the Boks. Bryce achieved both objectives for them. Paddy ensured he would be reffing both these games and no doubt Brycy’s dad had a hand in it all as well. NZ having choked in every world cup bar the initial one in nz where they won (Boks did not play in that one) were DESPARATE FOR A WIN -an dwoul ddo anything to win.
Comments by TrueBlueNZ Its been a source of wonder to me that Bryce Lawrence has held his job for so long (So why did paddy hav ehim there and give him these crucial matches). IMHO, his performances from day one of his refereeing career have been lamentable. I was shocked to see his name on the list of referees for the RWC (Its obvious why and how he was part of the ref panel at the WC). My apprehension was well founded. Lawrence’s appearances were as bad as ever. What is wrong at the IRB (What is rong with Paddy?)that they are apparently so blind to the incompetence so many others can so plainly see? Today I came upon this little known fact- Lawrence is of course, the son of New Zealander Keith Lawrence, who is the former boss of referees in the country and now heads the IRB’s refereeing development office. Wel, well, well!!!! TrueBlueNZ Referees and rules are destroying rugby. The IRB is a bureaucratic disaster and should be disbanded. One of the worst outcomes of its management is that games are now won or lost based on the capricious judgments of referees and their wildly changing approaches to the rules. Very few referees do a good job. A few do, but too many are hopeless, and the most hopeless of all IMHO is Bryce Lawrence. Way back when Lawrence made his debut into upper level rugby, I laughed when I heard him complaining about Andrew Merhtens constantly sledging him during the game. Lawrence claimed that after one decision that upset Canterbury, Merhtens said loudly- “Don’t worry guys, he’ll be back reffing second division next weekend” Well, he should have been, but sadly he’s moved on upwards and is now a top official at the world cup. What a disaster. I reckon Lawrence is the worst referee there, and with Stuart Dickinson also present, that’s saying something. (Dickinson could also be totally shocking) Its only my humble opinion of course, but Lawrence, Dickinson and Steve Walsh are the three worst referees in the tournament, and I’d put Lawrence as the worst of them all. They make the game difficult to watch. If not impossible. Lawrence is averaging 6.3 scrum resets per game. This is the highest number of resets per game for any ref in the RWC. For scrum penalties, Lawrence is 3rd highest in the RWC with 4.3 per game. Here though is the killer statistic- During Lawrence’s three Wallabies games the penalty count is 33 awarded to the opposition and 18 awarded to the Wallabies. This is a figure that has to say something about his judgment. The Daily Telegraph reports today the Lawrence himself has admitted to many mistakes- Many of the Kiwi referee’s decisions in the 15-6 win by Ireland at Eden Park – particularly at the scrum – appeared to baffle the Wallabies, and allowed Ireland to knock over decisive penalties or repel Australian pressure. But in a crucial twist, The Daily Telegraph understands Lawrence later made admissions he had got several calls wrong at the scrum – including one that led to an Ireland penalty goal – and conceded other decisions were also inaccurate. Lawrence needs to up his standards for the Aussie Springboks game tomorrow, but I don’t think he can. As Merhtens said way back, he’s only ever going to be a second rater. Shouldn’t ever have made it to the world cup. SO LAWRENCE HANDED THE MATCH TO IRELAND FORCING AN OZ VERSUS BOKS PLAY OFF. NOW COMES PHASE TWO. Update 1: Another disastrous error filled display that made a farce of the game of rugby. Lawrence should be fired along with the IRB officials who appointed him to officiate at a level that is obviously far beyond his capabilities (Well what happened afterwards – bye bye Paddy and bye bye BL – they were quietly given the boot). If it was up to me, I wouldn’t let him ref a district high school final. Johannesburg - No visible action will be taken against New Zealand referee Bryce Lawrence after his refereeing performance in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final on Sunday.Lawrence, who many South Africans blame for the loss for failing to control the breakdown and allowing Wallaby flank David Pocock the freedom of the park will no longer be involved in the World Cup, but the International Rugby Board will not allow any comment on his performance.
IRB Referees boss Paddy O’Brien seemed more than willing to chat about Lawrence, but asked that all enquiries go through IRB Communications manager Dominic Rumbles on the matter.
Rumbles simply repeated the IRB mantra of “We don’t comment on individual refereeing performances”. (Yes even their dismissals werE quietly done and they were never publically disgraced)
However, behind the scenes it seems that Lawrence has been hauled over the coals for his performance, which was seen as one of the worst in the tournament. (Possibly the worst ever)
The question marks are still there whether he should have been at the World Cup in the first place.
Lawrence was lambasted after his handling of the Sharks v Crusaders game in the Super Rugby qualifiers, so much so that SANZAR referees boss Lyndon Bray admitted he probably wouldn’t have got the Super Rugby final if the appointments were announced later.
Lawrence is of course, the son of New Zealander Keith Lawrence, who is the former boss of referees in the country and now heads the IRB’s refereeing development office.
Australia were angry at Lawrence’s rulings in the scrum in their loss to Ireland, so much so that he admitted “making key mistakes” in the game that forced them into the showdown with the Springboks.
And after Saturday Lawrence will not have many fans in South Africa, where days after the loss he is still being blamed for the Boks' exit from the tournament.
A Facebook "petition to stop Bryce Lawrence from ever reffing a game again" had garnered more than 41 000 likes in its first day on the internet.
And the final word was left to outgoing Bok captain John Smit, who summed up Lawrence's performance well.
"Bryce is not difficult to communicate with, he just doesn't seem to listen very well. The one positive is that I won't ever have to be reffed by him again," Smit said on arrival back in South Africa. International condemnation for Bryce Lawrence has continued to gather momentum and he has now been overlooked for the semi-finals, and seemingly the final, by the IRB. Pressure from rugby fans has also led to a Facebook campaign for action to be taken and Bryce Lawrence himself is reported to be considering quitting the game. It says something about the way sport and media (and social media) has changed and referees are under far more scrutiny than ever before. The fundamental difference between Bryce Lawrence’s performances and other refereeing mistakes (Wayne Barnes for example) is that on the whole other mistakes are just that – a blip in the game – and players/coaches/fans are mature enough to realise that their team made more mistakes that cost them the game than a refereeing blemish. Bryce Lawrence has just looked out of his depth for the entire tournament (and in reality before it) and the IRB need to realise they made a mistake in appointing him. All referees have car crash games, where everything goes wrong, but Bryce is a metaphorical regular pile-up! You wouldn’t allow such incompetent drivers on the road and the IRB shouldn’t encourage the same from their elite. Brought-into Disrepute Posted on October 9, 2011 by law23 With England crashing out of the World Cup (and Tuilagi splashing out!), Ireland crushed by an inspirational Welsh side, Australia proving you dont need possession, territory or ability to win a Test match and New Zealand stuttering to a win over the battling Pumas (THE ABS WERE VERY VERY ORDINARY AS THEY WERE IN THE FINAL - NO DOUBT ABOUT IT HAD THE BOKS AND ABS MET IN FINAL BOKS WOULD HAVE WON WITH EASE), the main quarter final talking point was yet again the substandard performance of Bryce Lawrence, who looked inept and like a rabbit in the headlights as he took charge of Australia v South Africa. It appears an odd decision to have a kiwi refereeing a match that would decide the likely team to play the All Blacks the week later. This was compounded by the numerous mistakes and indecision he showed, particularly in the closing stages where South Africa demolished a ramshackle Wallaby team in every facet of the match. (So Mike It would be appreciated if you could stop your nonsensical remarks about Bok geriatrics. This was one of the most dominant performances by the Boks against Oz ever witnessed) However, despite their dominance and the Aussies committing numerous indiscretions, Bryce seemed only interested in awarding scrums, until an innocuous issue at the lineout that he determined was deliberate and gave Australia a lifeline and passage into the Semi-finals. Hopefully, the silver lining means that it is unlikely that Bryce will darken the World Cup again. Hoor Hoor. However the whole plot needs to be uncovered and NZ rugby authorities brought to book. I echo the calls of Prof Tim Noakes that an investigation be done. I am afraid that this whole debacle has been covered up to save face. This was not just a melt down by a ref it is far more sinister than that. Only a proper investigation can clear the air and prove culpability. I propose Saffex be given the case with strict control over his reimbursements! What was also shocking however was how we had that well know case windpomp (Ceradyne) doing whatever he could to convince folk we lost the game because of our poor play. As John Smit said "It's the first time I've lost a game on the scoreboard but won everything else from a stats point of view. That makes it even harder to accept. " (pLEASE NOT EMIKE AS YOU HAVE GREATLY ERRED IN THIS MATTER) Bwahahahahahahahahaha I think ou windpomp is always going around in circles and he gets so confused he can’t see the wood from the treas. Hahahahahahahahaha but we always have a few saffas who are at heart ab supporters – you see them unfortunately at Newlands. The other hilarious thing our ab oaks are coming up with is th attheir recent Rugby championship win proves they are worthy wolrd champs. Thy fail to note the huge changes to the side and new coach and injuries etcx etc. Als othey will no tadmit they wer ethumped in Dunedin in all but the scoreboard. Conclusion: the ab fans are living in cloud cuckooland. They are the world chumps and what they really need to do is clean up their act. Drop mcheat and try and find some honest refs - even if you have to get in some immigrants and train them up. Hahahhahahahahaha.
