Rarely do I involve my own personal emotions and fanfare in these articles. But for the sake of disclosure, I am indeed a Welsh supporter - you can thank my Ebbw Vale-born dad for that. Being a Welsh supporter is rarely easy. Currently, conversations aren’t usually filled with optimism or positivity. In a recent conversation with an uncle who I hadn’t seen in a very long time, our first point of discussion was the healthiness of rugby in Wales, particularly the Dragons’ failings. Not everyone can be as positive as Paul Williams.
Great effort by Wales but you need to reexamine the impact the referee had on the outcome. You are far too soft on the Georgian who made a similar mess of the Ireland v Italy game. The issue is the quality of refereeing globally and is the responsibility of World Rugby. But why give a match in Loftus , the first home Test for the Boks since Covid to such an inexperienced ref. Experienced commentators of the game cannot understand why Rhys Carre and Alun Wyn Jones were penalised , let alone carded. World Rugby has a duty of care to the spectators and media subscribers to put on a sporting event that does not become a farce because of rigid enforcement of rules by arbitrary decision making in the heat of the moment. I know its a tough job being a top class referee , but games like this should be refereed by the best refs. Wales were robbed of a win because of this breakdown in officiating.
Great article. South Africa went through a similar phase of being pessimistic about the Springboks. You can be proud of how Wales performed. You’ll bounce back. This has turned into a great rivalry
Wales Reinject Optimism Against South Africa
Great effort by Wales but you need to reexamine the impact the referee had on the outcome. You are far too soft on the Georgian who made a similar mess of the Ireland v Italy game. The issue is the quality of refereeing globally and is the responsibility of World Rugby. But why give a match in Loftus , the first home Test for the Boks since Covid to such an inexperienced ref. Experienced commentators of the game cannot understand why Rhys Carre and Alun Wyn Jones were penalised , let alone carded. World Rugby has a duty of care to the spectators and media subscribers to put on a sporting event that does not become a farce because of rigid enforcement of rules by arbitrary decision making in the heat of the moment. I know its a tough job being a top class referee , but games like this should be refereed by the best refs. Wales were robbed of a win because of this breakdown in officiating.
Great article. South Africa went through a similar phase of being pessimistic about the Springboks. You can be proud of how Wales performed. You’ll bounce back. This has turned into a great rivalry