Bray admits to Super Rugby refereeing errors

Publishing the Round 15 appointments earlier today, Head of Super Rugby refereeing, Lyndon Bray admitted that some of the weekend’s decisions had been errors and that officials had been stood down. It appears that Australia’s Rohan Hoffmann and George Ayoub (referee and TMO in the Waratahs v Sharks game) and Kiwi TMO Vinny Munro (Hurricanes v Chiefs) are the main culprits following controversies in their respective games.  None have  been appointed in their main roles to round 15 matches. Hoffmann will AR. 

As per every set of fixtures, SANZAR reviewed each match and announce its referee appointments for the forthcoming weekend. Bray said, “While we acknowledge that the match officials cannot get it right all of the time, there are some basic standards that have simply not been upheld over this past weekend, resulting in some disappointing decisions and selection consequences.

“A thorough and robust system is in place whereby the development and performance of each match official is reviewed by SANZAR and its member unions on a daily basis and like any athlete participating in elite competition, our referees are accountable to performance levels for the competition.

“Appointments are made weekly based on performance reviews from the previous round but also includes an evaluation of the current form of each official over the term of the competition.

“We have completed our reviews from the weekend and have followed strong internal processes as we prepare our team to reach their physical, mental and technical peaks as we head into the critical last four rounds of the regular season and Super Rugby Finals Series.

“Public confidence in match officials is essential to the ongoing success of our product and we will continue striving to enhance the quality and accountability of refereeing across all SANZAR competitions.”