Cape Town - Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett has questioned SANZAAR’s allocation of match referees in Super Rugby.
Mallett was speaking in the SuperSport studio at the weekend where he commented on the match between the Stormers and Chiefs at Newlands.
A New Zealand referee, Mike Fraser, was in charge of the match which the Kiwi side won 15-9.
Mallett was not happy with the performance of Fraser and questioned the policy which allows an away team to get a referee from their own country.
A few weeks ago, New Zealand’s Glen Jackson also copped heavy criticism for the manner in which he officiated the Highlanders’ 29-28 win over the Bulls in Pretoria.
“I do think they (the Chiefs) were assisted by the referee (Fraser). I don’t think he had the best game and I am not so sure about the system where New Zealand referees ref New Zealand teams. I am not saying this as a biased South African supporter,” Mallett said.
The Chiefs surprised the Stormers at scrum time where they won a few critical penalties to put the home side on the back foot.
But Mallett noted: “I don’t think he (Fraser) got the scrums 100% right, particularly when (Steven) Kitshoff was on the field. He got them correct when (JC Janse) van Rensburg was on the field; the penalty try was a penalty try. But before that, I thought Kitshoff was unfairly penalised and it just leaves a bad taste in the mouth. You want referees to be neutral.”
Mallett nevertheless heaped praise on the Chiefs’ efforts.
“The Stormers were held out by an excellent Chiefs performance away from home. The Chiefs controlled the ball well and controlled the territory. I thought Damian McKenzie had an excellent game, his kicking game was good and he is also a threat himself (with ball in hand).
“The Stormers had to make a lot of tackles, more than the Chiefs - it was 179 to 103. It wasn’t a comprehensive win by the Chiefs but it was a well-controlled game.”
