A Kiwi refereeing the Bledisloe? We’d be sweet as, says Rugby Australia

5 days ago 3

Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh says he’d be happy for a New Zealander to referee a Bledisloe Cup game at Eden Park to ensure the best standard of officiating following a winter of Wallabies matches marred by refereeing controversies.

The Wallabies and All Blacks meet in a second clash in Perth on Saturday, but the Bledisloe Cup has already been retained by the Kiwis, after a Kiwi victory last weekend in Auckland that included some contentious calls from Italian referee Andrea Piardi.

Piardi was also at the centre of controversy at the end of the second Test of the British and Irish Lions series in July, where a last-minute clean out on Carlo Tizzano’s neck was ruled legal, allowing a series-winning Lions try to stand.

The refereeing of England’s Christophe Ridley in the Wallabies and Pumas clash in Sydney also attracted criticism for inconsistency, particularly from the winning coach, Argentina’s Felipe Contepomi.

World Rugby’s referee appointment process has therefore come under the spotlight, given Piardi (14 Tests) and Ridley (10) were given major Tests in Australia and New Zealand despite being relatively inexperienced.

In an interview on Stan Sport’s Inside Line, Waugh said he had sympathy for match officials but said World Rugby appointing the best referees for big games was important.

Referee Andrea Piardi shows a yellow card to Australia’s Harry Potter

“I will start by saying it’s a tough job, you’re in the middle and everything is scrutinised, and slo-mo TV picks up everything,” Waugh said.

“That being said, as I think of World Rugby’s role within the rugby landscape, getting that right is probably one of the primary roles. There have clearly been elements of frustration this year, probably more than I have seen in recent history.

“Equally, if you look at our own performances in terms of the Wallabies, you have to eliminate as best as you can the referee from the game. We have probably let them come into the game more than should be. We just have to better.”

Many of the best and most experienced referees in the world are currently from Australia and New Zealand, including Angus Gardner, Nic Berry, Ben O’Keeffe and Paul Williams. But they are not considered for Bledisloe Cup games because of World Rugby’s neutrality policy.

Nic Berry issuing a red card to Lachie Swinton when refereeing the Wallabies in a Bledisloe Cup game 2020.

In 2020, however, when COVID forced drastic changes, Gardner, Berry, O’Keeffe and Williams all refereed trans-Tasman Test matches, and did so without a single moment of controversy.

Asked if he’d be open to Australians and Kiwis refereeing Bledisloe games, Waugh said: “Without having spoken to the high-performance team here, I think we want the best referees in the world, refereeing our Test matches.

“If those best referees are in our market, and it’s a New Zealander refereeing a Bledisloe Cup at Eden Park, I am sure we would be fine with that, as long as it’s (one of) the best referees in the world.”

Rugby Championship future

The Bledisloe Cup was reduced from a three-game series to a two-game series in 2022, but Waugh also revealed he was pushing for the three-game series to return.

“It’s obviously disappointing we haven’t won it since 2002. We’ve had some good teams pressed for it as well since then,” Waugh said.

“Everyone probably wants a three-Test series. If you look at the great series of all different codes all around the world, if you’ve got an opportunity to play a best of three … or an odd number. We just obviously spent the weekend with our counterparts in New Zealand, and they’re very constructive around the path forward.”

Waugh provided some clarity on the future of the Rugby Championship, after it was revealed the tournament would not be held in 2026 due to New Zealand’s eight-game tour of South Africa, and could be replaced by a series of tours in 2028.

Waugh said the Wallabies would still play South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand next year, and the delayed start to the 2027 Rugby World Cup meant a full TRC would also be played that year.

Waugh also indicated the Rugby Championship may still be played in 2028, and not the proposed tours, after the success of TRC this year.

“It’s yet to be finalised, but there’s a consistency now around the TRC and interest in the TRC which you probably haven’t seen for a long time, and so as we think through 27, 28, 29, that level of consistency is really important in terms of fan-centric and fan engagement,” Waugh said.

School stars and Marky Mark

The record 81-48 victory of the Australian under 18s over the New Zealand Schools on Monday was followed by questions around how many of the star teenage players will stay in rugby, and how many will be lost to rugby league. Waugh said RA are confident they will keep most of the squad.

The Australian Under-18s in action against New Zealand Schools on Monday in Canberra.

“Last year we had strong results through the Australian under 18s and schools program as well, and we secured 23 of the 26 players in that squad,” Waugh said. “We are hoping to at least achieve that for this group of young men as well. We are reasonably confident with where we are at with the group.”

Waugh said he was pleased to hear Mark Nawaqanitawase announce he is returning from the NRL to rugby union at the end of next year, in a bid to play at the Rugby World Cup in Australia.

The former Wallaby, who has become a sensation in the NRL, also revealed he’d missed the international aspect of the 15-man game and the space on the field.

“His comments reflect what we see as our value proposition as being,” he said. “Having players like Mark show interest in coming back to the game in Australia is great to hear, and now we go through the process of ensuring that comes to light.”

Waugh was coy on RA’s plans to secure Nawaqanitawase given RA’s push for frugality, however, and he indicated the flying winger playing overseas would not be a barrier to playing at the World Cup: “We will be pretty creative around we establish the best possible team in 27.”

But he did indicate he prefers Australian players to be playing in Super Rugby.

“That is our preference. That being said, to my earlier point around creating a financially sustainable model through 2026-2030, we can only live within the means we have to ensure the game is set up in perpetuity. That’s a long way of saying we will be creative, but we will also be very disciplined financially around how we invest in our players.”

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