merged Ben Thaler Thread

[shaunedwardsfanclub]

All referees have a job to do, they make calls as they see it, and the same for each team. Every ref has bad days, and yesterday was several combined into one.
There is a fine line in going to the VR for every single decision, and not going there enough.
If Thayler was certain in what he had seen, albeit mistaken, and no call comes from eithe touch judge, you can understand him not going to the VR.

I would like to propose the following to help referees, and its hardly contraversial. As per tennis, give each team one challenge per half. Demand that the last play go to the VR even if the ref awards it. You must specify the exact nature of the challenge, ie knock on, foward pass etc.
Get it right, your get another challenge. Get it wrong, and you are once again at the mercy of the officials as per usual.
It works in tennis, so why not adopt it.
It would have chalked off at least two tries yesterday, if not three.

On that basis Jules he would be incompetent just as with the forward pass for try 1 yet he saw Wigan's forward pass, ruled a crossing obstruction etc Why did he get 1 teams decisions correct but the other teams wrong. Surely, bad refereeing should be random?

We need to get rid of arrogant officiating whereby not going to a VR is seen as great, a badge of honour somehow ABOVE making the correct decision.

At the minimum Thaler should be dropped from the next round of officiating.

1 decision I have yet to reach a conclusion is BJB cross field fumble / catch try. If the ball touched the ground before he regained control was that not a knock on.

I can forgive a referee for getting a decision wrong, but what I can't forgive him for is not using the technology at his disposal. VR was introduced to reduce human error, yesterday made a mockery of the RFLs decision to introduce it. How many times, this year, have we seen a decision reversed on the intervention of the VR? How many times have we seen the TJ spot a minor offence or error? Millions of people clearly saw the knock-on but the people that mattered didn't or chose not to!

[cpwigan]

I note you have not mentioned the other try where Leeds knocked on to a Wigan player and subsequent scrum given to Wigan. That said line defence was abysmal. Jim

What incident was that Jim?

Wigan deserved to get beat yesterday. No argument from me. However, win or lose, the match officiating was inept.

[cpwigan]

I note you have not mentioned the other try where Leeds knocked on to a Wigan player and subsequent scrum given to Wigan. That said line defence was abysmal. Jim

That would be the right call then. If Leeds knock on to a Wigan player it's a Wigan scrum for a knock on?

I concur with Cherry

[slimshady]

Bent Haler had and Iam giving him benefit of the doubt here the worst refereeing display of Rugby I have ever seen. He was terrible at the play the ball and missed crucial things throughout the game. He was bad for both teams but slightly worse for us as the decisions affected us in field positions that really hurt us. The thing is as someone said earlier he will suffer no consequences over his officiating.
This goes back to the way Referees are told to control games, RL wants high scoring games that teams win by a small margin, they dont want to see teams nilled and officials try their best to even games up because they want exciting games. A mate of mine has just done a refs course and some of the stuff he's told me beggars belief.
The sooner we get back to the old style ways the better for me none of the stupid benefit of the doubt crap or downward pressure with the merest touch of a fingertip. Bring back John Holdsworth FFS and sack Cummins after that display yesterday RL is fast becoming a laughing stock!

[mike binder]

sooner bentham back the better lol , i still beleive the bradford game was fixed as was the salford and wire game on the same night, dont any 1 ever tell me again a ref cant influence the result after thAT bull we got yesterday yes we were poor , but for the mcquire try i still feel we would of won

[cow yeds]

Cost / availability etc etc precludes 2 referees. Mind you two Cummings produced referees would be no better than 1, maybe worse.

One things for sure we need to give Thaler hell whenever he officiates Wigan. Re Cummings and co; the acid test will be, is he dropped from the next round. Alibert was dropped for miscounting (1 mistake), Thaler made several

He's every chance of being dopped from the next round cos it's the FINAL,

[mike binder]

fast becomeing a laughing stock wat do u mean becomeing the rfl r the most bent organiastion i no other than bankers lol

[cpwigan]

sooner bentham back the better lol , i still beleive the bradford game was fixed as was the salford and wire game on the same night, dont any 1 ever tell me again a ref cant influence the result after thAT bull we got yesterday yes we were poor , but for the mcquire try i still feel we would of won

The media will cover up for the RFL (they all pee in the same pot) but I would like somebody to ask Thaler how he can be 5 yards away and looking directly at the ball being knocked on by Mcguire ad not get an inkling that he needed to go to the VR?

Tomorrow, Cummings should be in the press at the very least apologising and stating the standard of officiating was below the standard exepected.

BTW, the crossing / obstruction penalty awarded against us early. Finchy saw what could happen, decided not to throw the pass and they still got a penalty. How :conf:

[Alex the Warrior]

Don't know what knock on is referred to above, but in the build up to the try they got for O'Loughlin's alleged offence, we threw an awful pass onto the ground, they knocked-on and got the scrum.

Further to CP above, I can't temember which official at refereeing school (feeling it might've been Ian Smith) was reported to have said, 'If you want to know how go knock Wigan off the top, just make me a referee'.

Frankly, this game can be so bent, I wonder if it's worth paying to watch it sometimes. One season, a mate of mine said that Hull KR got every decision at Knowsley Road. 'They want a humberside team in the play-offs' he said. At Wigan, they got everything as well. Another season it was Catalan who got everything - remember their knock-on to win with the last play of the match having been given everything prior to that? Leeds semis always being in Yorkshire since losing in Lancashire a decade ago, Catalans choosing Wigan for their first game and clearly being guaranteed a win. Seen it too often.

[highland convert]

I note you have not mentioned the other try where Leeds knocked on to a Wigan player and subsequent scrum given to Wigan. That said line defence was abysmal. Jim

That would be the right call then. If Leeds knock on to a Wigan player it's a Wigan scrum for a knock on?

I concur with Cherry

Wrote hurriedly going out to work meant to say Leeds try. second Leeds try. The possession for four Leeds tries were from poor refs decisions. However, defence on line should have topped three of them. Leeds were walking through at will. Jim