PRO14 coach upset at SA ref’s performance

Cape Town - Cardiff Blues coach John Mulvihill was not happy with the performance of South African referee Stuart Berry during his side’s 16-12 defeat to Ulster at the weekend.

Mulvihill told BBC Sport he will talk to the tournament’s referees boss Greg Garner about the display of Berry and his fellow officials in the game in Belfast.

Mulvihil said the Blues were not happy with the way the game was officiated and he was “getting sick of it”.

The Welsh club’s mentor said he was upset that their lock Seb Davies received a yellow-card and two incidents involving Ulster centre Stuart McCloskey.

"The way the game was officiated towards the end of the game was not right. If you have a referee, two officials and a TMO surely some of those breakdown decisions have to be better. Under the goalposts at the end there were three (Ulster) players off their feet, one in particular, but the referee calls holding on,” said Mulvihill.

"We get a yellow card for someone clearing someone out and it was not a shoulder charge, he wrapped his arms. Their 12 (McCloskey) was allowed to come in during a push and shove, grab our nine (Lloyd Williams) and initiate his head which is a head-butt and a red card.

"When Tomos Williams made a break the ball was knocked out of his hand, Jason Harries was going for the ball and he was tackled five metres from their line without the ball by McCloskey. No penalty try, no TMO, just a scrum.”

The Cardiff Blues are currently fifth in Conference A, having won four out of 10 games. Only South Africa's Cheetahs and Italy's Zebre are below them.

The Blues' next clash is against compatriots the Dragons at Cardiff Arms Park on December 21.