I find this unacceptable that both sides for Saturdays crucial World cup game are more worried about the referee than the opposition. When I mentioned it in my post yesterday I knew it could be a massive issue. All the talk today is about Garces. Maybe Jerome Garces thinks he is like a Napoleon or something and is trying to make a name for himself. When a referee takes centre stage then there is something seriously wrong. If you don't believe me Google him and there are pages where pre match talk is all about the bloody ref and not the game.
The All Blacks are concerned as they have only had 4 red cards in their history and Garces has sent two off them off. The last one was in their last game that he took charge of when they played Australia on August 19th last month.
South Africa are far less comfortable with him as their record is dismal with Garces in charge. This will be the 14 th game he takes charge of a Springbok game and if you look at what has happened before then they need to play smart.
They have only won 4 out of the 13 tests with him so far and it is actually worse than that in reality considering they won the first 3. I am a referee and quite honestly I say things as they are and don't sugar coat things. His first sending off that he did on Bismark Du Plessis was a shocker and the next time it was Damian de Allende in a 25-24 encounter.
I tried to find the stats for this referee but came to a dead end but it is not only these two teams that are worried about him they all are. His record of sending players off is quite substantial and tells me there is something seriously wrong with his game management.
The main issue I have with him is that he doesn't understand the scrums and what is actually happening. What may look clear and obvious to some is quite the opposite. England pulled the wool over his eyes in the Six Nations when the prop lifted his opponent and swivelled the scrum.This is illegal but Garces saw the opposite and repeatedly blew up the wrong side. That was in 2015 in the match between Wales and England which Wales should have won. The sad thing is he hasn't improved. He never played rugby and quite literally has no clue.
When you take charge of a match you have a meeting with both teams beforehand during the week. This may not be possible now, but it allows both teams to understand how you will blow the game and what is expected. You lay down the law so there is no confusion and by doing this it makes for a smoother game. When a referee takes center stage he is doing something seriously wrong as like the old saying with raising kids "seen but not heard".
I just don't understand why they chose this guy for this game. It is one of the biggest games in the competition and he gets it. There are 12 referees and 7 assistants along with 4 television officials. There is another muppet amongst that lot as well which I wont mention.
Saturdays game will be a stop start affair as the weather report is for torrential rain. If I was a betting man it wouldn't be on the win but how many cards he will dish out. I can see at least one red and maybe two yellows as this man plans to lay a marker down for the tournament. A prized dick who should never have any power and certainly has no place anywhere near a rugby field.
