England's ref complaints rejected

About time too. The IRB and local unions need to do more of this slapping down

BBC SPORT England's ref complaints rejected

We don't want to go down the soccer route with managers/coaches openly undermining referees.

England hit out over refereeing concerns

England hit out over refereeing concerns - The Independent

The simple answer to this question is that teams under pressure cheat. England's only answer against Wales was to slow down the ball and this is always going to be borderline, with International referees you are going to get less time than with me. This year we have been asked to police the breakdown to the letter of the law, this means you can not protect your ball by sealing it off by going to ground over the ball. Much of the latitude players may have got in the past, off or on the feet has been removed.
From watching the Wales game, a couple of times, I think the yellows were spot on, Tindall was a tad unlucky, he was on his feet when he started to play it but went off as he played it back. Goode was banged to rights, I think he was lucky that it wasn't a penalty try (but then I am Welsh). If Wales had quick ball there then they were in, no doubt.
The next point I want to make is communication, referees will talk to captains and let them know that the penalty count is mounting and something needs to be done. One the field Borthwick looks like a petulant child and the behaviour of the off-field management does nothing to dispel the view that camp is behaving in a similar manner. Other teams are obviously be better at influencing referees, many would consider it one of the arts of being captain, ask Sean Fitzpatrick. If you don't like how you being refereed, work with him to give him the game he is trying to give you. Don't sulk like Borthwick.

John Wells is a cheat

Finally, rather than complain about other coaching teams 'getting' to referees, ask yourself why international referees approach England with a jaundice eye?

London Welsh Occies Vets vs Haslemere

I'm still laid up as I wait for my ankle to heal, so I thought I would pop along and watch my old team play.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to chat to the referee as his assessor was present so he disappeared early.

Enjoy

England to Win Wooden Spoon?

Gordon 'Jonah' Brown has endorsed the England RWC bid, could this brush with the unlucky one be the dark influence that tramples the green shoots of England's recovery?

Gordon Brown backs RFU World Cup bid - Telegraph

Think how well England's RWC 2007 campaign was going until the One-Eyed Scotish Idiot turned up at the Stade de France?

Light Blogging Continues

There hasn't been much refereeing to write about since November. My ankle problem turns out to be a couple of pieces of bone floating around were they shouldn't. Tomorrow, the nice doctor will be wiping them out and a week-end of ankle elevation beckons (feet up watching the TV). Hopefully, I will be back in action by the end of February, when the weather should be looking better and Wales are the home stretch for another Grand Slam(and I'm not on the drugs yet!!)

Don't Do Drugs

The boy's brain has obviously been fried by all the drugs that he has been taking for the pain over the years.

Wilkinson eyes Lions return - The Independent

By July he won't have played international rugby for nearly 20 months and then he was a shadow of his former self. He has only had a handful of first class games for a team propping up the Premiership, not even Heineken Cup action. In front of him are O'Gara, Stephen Jones and James Hook.

He'll be watching it on the TV, just like me.

Softy backs show us up again!

I bet the forwards weren't feeling the cold!

Match abandoned after players get hypothermia

HT The Dude