RateTheRef

For live commentary on games, voting on ref's calls & in depth analyses from Jonathan Kaplan to give us a better understanding of where & if the ref went wrong.

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

@TheRugbyIssue Agree here. Never been a fan of Nic berry

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

How is a deliberate knock on not a yellow card?? Bizarre NZviRE

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

How is that yellow card reversed…. Thought they were looking at a penalty try. This ref loves NZ! NZvITA

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

Leinster offsides… ref has blinders on to everything they get away with… #LEIvLIO

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

@thepaulwilliams They def brought the intensity and desire to that game. Unlike the Stormers

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

Stormers were kak, Brace wasn’t great and Cardiff played well. Congrats Cardiff #CARvSTO

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

Brace, it’s called a knock on… CARvSTO

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

@haribaldijones If only it kept getting blown that way

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

Andrew Brace hates SA teams… CARvSTO

[Derek Alberts @derekalberts1]

Massive props to former Protea @johan_botha - who’s currently taking on the incredibly daunting Fastest Known Time on South Australia’s 1200km Heysen Trail. His initial aim was to complete it in 11 days. You can do the math as to how tough that is…

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

@TheRugbyIssue Did you call the same thing with Doak last night…?

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

Holly has lost the game and the players with that decision. Ruining it

[Brenden Nel ⚒ @Brendennel]

Geez what do the Lions have to do to get the rub of the green. Mahashe scored a beaut. Tmo intervention and its not clear. Looked as if the ball was out.
That after the luck Osbourne had in the first try...
Going to be a frustrating game

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

@TinusvS4 You will need to open your DMs to me or send me your email

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

@TinusvS4 I’ll dm you. Been working on a project

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

Zas and Gelant must go… #ULSvSTO

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

Roos… wtf #ULSvSTO

[RateTheRef @Ratethe_ref]

@GaytonMcK What a useless ‘minister’ who would rather fund ‘fans’ to have a holiday in the states than support the Arts community in SA. Remember the Arts is part of your portfolio. Not a slush fund for you to take funds from for F1 or Liv golf or fans at the world cup… joker!

[A-P @rugby_ap]

Refs aside the cold hard reality is that two teams with a budget 3x and 10x that of the South African teams squeaked home victories with a fair amount of refereeing assistance.

[JUST PLAIN SPORT 🎙️ @JustPlainX]

🐝 ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE MAN OF THE MATCH PERFORMANCE BY A WORLD RUGBY MATCH OFFICIAL 🏉

The Stormers essentially threw this game away in the first half through critical defensive lapses and a surprisingly lazy approach that handed Toulon an early advantage.

Even though the second half showed visible effort from John Dobson’s men, they often looked stuck in second gear and struggled to find their usual clinical rhythm.

Nick Mallett, commentating alongside Breyton Paulse, was clear on both the positives and the areas for growth.

He noted that while the Cape side showed phenomenal courage, they must learn to diversify their tactical approach when the try line seems out of reach.

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👉 There are ways and means of winning a game beyond pick-and-go close to the line. – Nick Mallett
⸻

These self-inflicted issues were compounded by massive refereeing blunders. The Stormers were on the receiving end of poor officiating throughout the clash, but the worst was saved for the final minute of the game.

It appeared the visitors had scored a match-winning try, only for the man in the middle to be swayed by the acting performance of the Toulon number 14.

Christophe Ridley was not in a position to see exactly what was happening at the bottom of the ruck, yet he made a call that stripped the Cape side of a hard-earned comeback.

The decision left a bitter taste in the mouths of South African fans as the drama unfolded, as reported by SuperSport.

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👉 I agree 100% with Nick! This was an absolute dreadful performance by a match official! – Jay | JPS
⸻

The officiating has left fans and commentators alike questioning the consistency of decisions at the highest level.

Mallett remained blunt about the situation, specifically describing the maul collapse near the try line as a dreadful decision that cost the game.

🎙️ Story by JustPlainSport .com

#JustPlainSport 🏉 | #TOUvSTO #rugby #SouthAfrica #ChampionsCup #EPCR