Rugby Union refs...

I'm not sure it's that they look after each other as such, but they referee regularly in one hemisphere and due to the utterly ridiculous amount of rules within rules nowadays, are expected to penalise or allow different things..at one time of day it was as though North and South were using different rulebooks, but they have come a long way in recent years tbf.
It's a fiendishly difficult game to referee.. under scrutiny like never before and overall I think they do a pretty good job, especially when compared to the complete incompetents we get in football. As to Ben O'Keefe, he had a pretty bad day in his quarter final, although 90% of his decisions were correct, he got some big ones wrong that affected the result, I am surprised he's been given the match. The only thing to hope is that he is sufficiently embarrassed by his performance that he will be trying even harder to get the crucial decisions right.

 

In the case of 'use it'... its an instruction... without it dominant teams could hold it at the base, whilst taking time to brutalise the opposition front row.. or wind the clock down.. I think that's a positive tbh.
As to your point about players talking, I totally agree, some of the games sound as though there are a dozen refs on the pitch.

 

That's pretty much how I see it, I don't think the Boks are anything special with the ball in hand though, half their points against France came from the French making complete balls ups at two not particularly threatening high kicks, hopefully we can do better than that. If we are to have a chance I think we've got to get the ball out of every scrum and ruck as quickly as possible, unfortunately I think we have a pretty duff scrum half in Mitchell (I hope I'm wrong).. he seems incapable of making the right decision quickly... or at all.

 

That’s probably fair. And I’m not getting my excuses in early, I acknowledge they are a better team than us and should win whoever is in charge.

O’Keeffe is horrendous though and that’s a hill I’m prepared to die on. Him and Gardener getting the semi’s is full mental, it really does make me question how level the playing field is.

 

And just like that…… we get cheated. O’Keeffe didn’t have a clue what was going on in the scrum.

 

....... who has now been picked to ref the final.