Cape Town — In what will hopefully solve a lot of issues for South African teams with regards to refereeing interpretations, the United Rugby Championship head of referees, Tappe Henning, will spend time with the match officials in Mzansi for the next block of games in March.
Henning spent many years as a referee in South Africa before moving to Scotland as that country’s referee commissioner.
The 60-year-old was appointed as the URC referees boss in December, and the governing body announced on Thursday that there will be neutral referees in the games that will be played between South African and European teams next month.
After all four SA teams complete a week-long trip overseas next week, they will enjoy another bye before getting back on to the field.
On March 11, the Sharks will host the Scarlets in Durban, and the next day, the Bulls welcome Munster to Pretoria. On March 13, the Lions take on Cardiff in Johannesburg and the Stormers face Zebre in Stellenbosch.
The following weekend, the Bulls and Cardiff square off at Loftus Versfeld, the Lions and Munster are at Ellis Park, the Sharks and Zebre at Kings Park and the Stormers and Cardiff at Cape Town Stadium.
On the final weekend of March, the Lions take on Ospreys, Stormers face Ulster, the Sharks tackle Edinburgh and the Bulls will hope to see off the Dragons.
Then there’s one more round on the first weekend in April – Sharks v Dragons, Bulls v Ulster, Lions v Edinburgh and Stormers v Ospreys.
“The two biggest drivers in referee appointments are neutrality and merit, and a balance needs to be found between the two,” Henning said in a statement.
“Preparation for a tournament is always hugely important, and if one thinks back, the SA teams played Currie Cup semis and finals before they went into the URC, and there wasn’t time for specific preparations or to address expectations of the URC, so it wasn’t an ideal start.
“Not having someone at that stage in the (URC head of referees) role was difficult, because the teams were talking to nobody. It is good how quickly we have been able to talk since I’ve been in the role, and I’ve been pleased with the way the South African coaches have approached me for assistance and haven’t played the blame game – they really want to understand… they challenge properly as well.”
But a number of South African coaches have complained in the media of a lack of consistency in decisions from local referees to their European counterparts, where a similar incident can have a different outcome.
The scrums have been a seriously controversial area, even when it’s two South African teams and a SA referee, while the SA sides were heavily penalised at the breakdowns when they toured Europe late last year.
Henning, though, said that the referees also have to adapt to the players’ approach to the game. “There is a difference in the focus areas of the game, and that determines how the game is played. A big driver for me is to make referees understand they need to allow teams to play as they wish,” he said.
“If a team wants to play set-piece and use the scrum, maul and breakdown, they should allow the team to do so. If a team is not fussy and wants to get the ball in and out, they should allow them to play.
“Our job is to facilitate and understand the different cultures, playing styles and philosophies. Refs need to develop their skills to identify and develop what is in front of them, and to manage it appropriately to make sure it is fair under the laws.
“Even from the SA international management – Jacques (Nienaber), Deon Davids and Daan Human – they’ve had a meeting with me and are really keen to make this work, so that teams can do well in the tournament. Coaches engage me on a daily basis, and that is pleasing to see.”
IOL Sport