Round 4: Lions v Reds, Sun 19 March @ 1:15am AEST Ellis Park, Johannesberg

[Scrubber2050]

^^^^^^

BH
I'll let you know AFTER the game !

 

[emuarse]

I think you guys are pretty fortunate getting Fraser for this match.

Why??

 

[Braveheart81]

Why??

I think he is a generally pretty good referee and probably less prone to home town reffing as often seems to happen in South Africa.

 

[gel]

AR2 Stuart Berry

Shouldn't be allowed to be involved with any game involving a South African team.

 

[Simon.]

I notice Berry doesn't seem to be in the official list of Super Rugby refs this year. Does that mean he's been demoted?

Getting any non-SA ref is pretty fortunate I reckon. Although now if we get flogged we won't even be able to fall back on that old chestnut for an excuse.

 

[PaarlBok]

Why do you moan and groan about the AR2 and not the ref before hand? Your players are professional and should adopt to any ref or AR? Its primary school basics of rugby.

 

[Simon.]

Because the AR2 is the worst referee I've ever seen in professional rugby in terms of inability to maintain objectivity in front of a home crowd.

If you want to defend him, a Reds-South Africa match thread is about the worst possible place to try and do it!

 

[PaarlBok]

The game haven't even started and you are already looking for excuses.

 

[dru]

I

The game haven't even started and you are already looking for excuses.

Lions have to be unlucky not to take this one. It's nothing to do with the ref.

And I'll be very happy to be proven wrong.

 

[RugbyReg]

The game haven't even started and you are already looking for excuses.

Reds very poor so far. Lions maintaining there amazing form of last year.

Lions by 70.

There you go.

 

[biggsy]

Reds very poor so far. Lions maintaining there amazing form of last year.

Lions by 70.

There you go.

Reg nooooo, don't say that.... you have been bang on latley with your rugby predictions.

 

[gel]

Why do you moan and groan about the AR2 and not the ref before hand? Your players are professional and should adopt to any ref or AR? Its primary school basics of rugby.

By "adapt" did you mean "gain south African citizenship"?

Because that is what it would take to appease S. Berry.

 

[Scoey]

We're getting off track now but it was during the two match fiasco in 2014 where Berry gifted the Lions two come from behind victories against the Blues and then a week later against the Reds that I'm sure I read that he had some reasonably solid link to the Lions. I can't for the life of me find it now but.

Anyway, if you're wondering why Reds fans have a beef against Stuart Berry Paarlbok, have a read of this article and better yet, dig up a recording of the match and watch the last probably 15 minutes to see the worst performance of a referee that I have seen in ages.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...y/news-story/d5e32f67a690df49019f514f51e62ae2

 

[emuarse]

Interesting that the Lions coach only took half of his 'A' team to play the Jaguares away in Argentina last weekend.
That says to me he fears the Reds more.
So I'm pretty glad his 'B' team lost.
If the Lions lose again this weekend, then he will really rue his Argentinian tactics.

 

[Scrubber2050]

George Smith has surprised me.

Playing huge minutes on old legs and doing a pretty good job. Certainly is not the George Smith of old and that's understandable.

Really thought Stiles would have used him in the last 20 to be a huge impact player getting a few crucial turnovers and some great go-forward runs against a tiring opposition.

 

[PaarlBok]

Anyway, if you're wondering why Reds fans have a beef against Stuart Berry Paarlbok, have a read of this article and better yet, dig up a recording of the match and watch the last probably 15 minutes to see the worst performance of a referee that I have seen in ages.

Is he the ref for the game?

There is a moerse difference between the ref and the AR in rugby.

How deep is your love for reasons?

 

[Scoey]

No he's the assistant but it was clear that's what we were talking about.
If you read the link that I posted you'd know exactly why a Reds fan would be nervous with him being anywhere near a match between us and the Lions at Jo'burg.

 

[Simon.]

The game haven't even started and you are already looking for excuses.

No we're not. Totally the opposite. We are saying that since Berry is the AR and not the ref, and we have a Kiwi as the ref, we don't have any excuses.

If the Lions win at home, as most would expect them to, I'm pretty confident it will be a fair win.

 

[Highlander35]

George Smith has surprised me.

Playing huge minutes on old legs and doing a pretty good job. Certainly is not the George Smith of old and that's understandable.

Really thought Stiles would have used him in the last 20 to be a huge impact player getting a few crucial turnovers and some great go-forward runs against a tiring opposition.

Didn't watch or read any reports on the Wasps games last season then?

Super Rugby is still the king of "domestic" comps, but the European comps (and particularly the English) are closing the gaps, and it's a lot more to do with their improvement than it is the dilution of the Super Product.

 

[Scoey]

This game could actually be a bit of a barometer for how the Reds revival is going (or not as the case may be) in a sense.

There was a lot of hype and hope preseason and we've had mixed results now that the season has started.
In 2015, the last SA Tour under RG there were bugger all GaGRers that stayed up to watch the Reds tour matches live.

We came home with 5 competition points but still a lot of mad fans, myself included, just couldn't be bothered to get up to watch live.

Be interesting to see who's going to be up for this one. I reckon I will be.