Under-fire Kiwi refs in charge

Sanzaar has appointed under-fire Kiwi referees Ben O’Keeffe and Mike Fraser to officiate Super Rugby matches this weekend that again involve New Zealand teams.

Fraser, who had a complaint made about him following the Stormers-Chiefs fixture in Cape Town, has been put in charge for the Sharks-Chiefs clash in Durban.

O’Keeffe, who made a number of blunders in the Waratahs-Crusaders match on Saturday, will take the whistle for the Hurricanes and Queensland Reds match in Wellington tomorrow.

Perhaps even more remarkable is the match will feature an all Kiwi refereeing team of O’Keeffe, assistants James Doleman and Richard Kelly, as well as TMO Glenn Newman.

The referee appointments come just days after O’Keeffe was crucified in Australian media for missing a deliberate elbow from Joe Moody on Waratahs playmaker Kurtley Beale in the lead-up to a crucial Crusaders try.

Sanzaar later deemed the offence had met a red card threshold and Moody was subsequently suspended for two weeks in an incident that could have had a major bearing on the outcome of the match.

There has been plenty of debate in recent days as to whether Sanzaar needs to consider appointing neutral referees in such games, so as to ensure there is no perceived bias.

Meanwhile, Fraser has been chosed for the Sharks-Chiefs match this weekend in what some believe is an almost inflammatory appointment by Sanzaar.

The Stormers were so furious after their 15-9 loss to the Chiefs they threatened to complain to Sanzaar referees boss Lyndon Bray about Fraser’s performance.