SA refs to meet the press

Post-match press conferences

From now on, at Currie Cup matches in South Africa, referees will attend the post-match press conferences.

There was an experiment with this some years ago, and now André Watson, South Africa's refereeing manager, has reintroduced the attendance by referees at press conferences after Currie Cup matches as a proactive attempt to reduce inaccurate criticism of referees.

It is felt that such attendance at press conferences can serve as an opportunity for referees, touch judges and television match officials to explain what happened and why a decision, right or wrong, was made. It is seen as an exercise in explanation and transparency.

Such an action may well have gone some way to reduce the degree of criticism of the referee after the Super 14 semi-final between the Hurricanes and the Waratahs in Wellington or even between South Africa and Scotland in Port Elizabeth. On those occasions the only voices heard were those of the defeated coaches and their supporters, complaining about refereeing decisions - and getting it wrong. The referee was left silent.

A set procedure has been arranged for attendance at press conferences.

As it at present the teams' representatives will go first. The norm seems to be the losing side's coach and captain first, then the winning team's coach and captain.

The referees will attend after that. The idea is that those who will attend are the referee of the day, his touch judges, the television match official if at all involved and the performance reviewer, the new (fancy?) title for the assessor.

The assessor will give some statistics of the match - penalties, scrums, line-outs, tackle/rucks - that sort of thing.

The refereeing team will then be available to answer questions.