RICHARD KNOWLER
Last updated 18:16, July 24 2017
If any Glen Jackson voodoo dolls existed before July 15, they are probably in a dishevelled state now.
Jackson, you may remember, was the referee who copped the wrath of a number of Crusaders fans when their team lost 31-22 to the Hurricanes in their final Super Rugby round-robin match in Wellington.The whistler, the red and black army alleged, did their team a major dis-service by penalising them off the park, with the defeat eventually costing them the chance to finish at the top of the competition log.
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Now the Crusaders have to contend with Jackson again, because he has been confirmed as the man who will referee the semifinal against the Chiefs in Christchurch on Saturday night.
Crusaders assistant coach Jason Ryan was never going to fire any verbal death stars at Jackson because, let's face it, who in their right mind would criticise a ref in the days leading-up to such an important match?
"We are happy with Jacko, no problems there at all," Ryan said. "We learned a lot in that game (against the Hurricanes), clearly, and I think it showed in the penalty count.
"This week we will just concentrate on what we need to be better at, and I think we only had two penalties against us in the first half (of the 17-0 win over the Highlanders last weekend) and not a lot for the whole game."
The Crusaders stats showed they lost the penalty count 17-8 against the Hurricanes in the Cake Tin, and when you concede that many turnovers against a team like the defending champions you are destined to land in an undignified heap.
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