Refs escape Sanzar penalty

IT IS business as usual this weekend for the match officials that erred last week in the Sharks v Bulls match at Loftus Versfeld. It is indeed a case of no rest for the wicked.

Johan Greeff, the vice chairman of the Blue Bulls Referees’ Society and the TMO that made unfortunate mistakes that cost the Sharks dearly in their 35-43 defeat, is once more on TMO duty for a Bulls match, this time for the Pretoria team’s visit to the Cheetahs.

And the referee in the Bulls’ win last week, another Bulls official in Jaco van Heerden, will be a touch judge in the same game in Bloemfontein, with Durban’s Stuart Berry in charge.

It appears that the Sanzar game managers in charge of appointing match officials are not culpable for their mistakes – neither Van Heerden or Greeff were equipped to deal with the pressure of a massive Super Rugby match between local rivals and made catastrophic errors that could severely impact on the Sharks’ campaign, and inadvertently gave the Bulls the boost they needed after two home losses.

It could also be a case of the Sanzar referee boss, Lyndon Bray, feeling he has to back his men, and to demote them would be to betray the international refereeing brotherhood of “sticking together”.

The Sharks have to shake off “what might have been” in Pretoria and pull themselves together for a visit to the unbeaten Stormers.

Central to their effort to return to winning ways is in-form flyhalf Patrick Lambie, who was sensational in a losing effort against the Bulls, having been instrumental the week before in the Sharks beating the Lions.

It was not that long ago that Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer challenged Lambie to improve his tactical kicking should he wish to be seriously considered as a Bok flyhalf, and over the last fortnight the 24-year-old’s kicking out of hand has been impeccable, as has his kicking at goal.

Lambie’s form has been one of the shining lights for the Sharks in a faltering start to the Super Rugby season, and coach Gary Gold will be all the more encouraged by the fact that his general is in the form of his life. If the flyhalf is firing, and the forwards are doing their job, the results will surely follow.

After the Bulls defeat, Gold said: “I thought Patrick’s game management was outstanding for the second week in a row, and his goal-kicking was brilliant. His decision-making on when to run and when to kick was fantastic. I thought Handré Pollard did the same job for the Bulls. We are very lucky in South Africa to have two such outstanding flyhalves going to the World Cup for us. I think Heyneke must be a very happy man.”

Lambie, indeed, has the inside track to the Bok No 10 jersey he wore in the Boks’ last game of 2014, against Wales, after Pollard had started the November tour in possession.

Lambie’s efforts in running the Sharks backline will be bolstered this week by the introduction of two certain World Cup Springboks into the midfield in Frans Steyn and JP Pietersen.

The Sharks have the forwards, they have an exceptional talent at flyhalf directing a quality backline ... the rest is in their heads.