I think personally I'd have no issue with non neutral refs as most level headed people wouldnt, especially given they're internal review and rankings post game
However as an accountant/auditor, they tell you you need to both be free from bias and have the appearance of being free from bias. This is for the exact reason that Jonker was in a no win situation. Decision goes Lions way = "he overcompensated", decision goes SA way = "he's biased".
Maybe its fair to say that rugby has one main ref watching the potential skullduggery of 30 people with two assistants and a TMO, but its so fast, things will get missed. That being said, the refs will have done their best to create a fair and free flowing game, and they'll do so again this week.
SA lost because they were crap in second half, and also distinctly poor at capitalising on their advantage in the first half. Thats it, the better side won.
The ref is always right, regardless of whether you agree, you're brought up with a culture of respecting the ref in rugby and to hear comments from Gatland re TMO and Erasmus who has taken that and gone way overboard, is just poor form and not the type of behaviour we want to see infiltrate this sport. Yes Watson in hindsight should have had a yellow, but even then SA were **** poor ball in hand so may have done sweet FA anyway with a man advantage
Really, what a sad miserable little life (Jane)
