Gatland left confused by new rule decisions
FORMER Wales coach Warren Gatland was among those left perplexed by the new rule interpretations in Super Rugby Aotearoa.
Gatland’s Chiefs were frustrated by the refereeing of Ben O’Keeffe in their 24-12 defeat to the Blues at the FMG Stadium Waikato despite getting the better of a 12-9 penalty count.
Officials have been instructed to adjudicate tough on the breakdown, along with the offside line, in the anticipation of speeding up the game and providing a quality spectacle.
Gatland, though said: “It was a little bit frustrating, because I thought tonight was refereed quite a bit different to last week at the breakdown. So we’ve just got to get used to the interpretations.
“It’s hard because from an attack perspective you’re trying to win 100 per cent of ball on attack, and then from a defensive perspective you’re trying to turn the ball over and slow it down as much as you can.
“So it’s a challenge, but as long as they keep being consistent on the tackler... there were times there, and fair enough, they got us for side entry, and they were pretty hot on guys going past the ball and off their feet as well. We’ve just got to keep reacting to that.”
The Blues dedicated their victory over the Chiefs to policeman Matthew Hunt, who attended their match the previous weekend.
All Blacks star Beauden Barrett paid an emotional tribute to the 28-year-old, who was shot and killed while carrying out a routine traffic stop in Auckland on Friday morning.
“It’s tragic and condolences to his family,” Barrett told Sky Sports. “We were aware he was at our game last week and he planned to come next week, so we wore the black armband for him.
“I want to thank all the brave policemen and women doing their best in the communities to keep us safe.”