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Cape Town - It doesn’t matter where a referee comes from, as long as he does his job.
That is the view of Sharks boss Gary Gold following his side’s 33-18 loss to the Waratahs in Sydney on Saturday - a match in which Australian official Rohan Hoffmann became the centre of attention.
Gold would not openly criticise the referee after his side’s sixth straight Super Rugby loss, and said that he had no problem with an Australian taking charge of a fixture involving an Australian side.
“I don’t mind where the guy comes from, it doesn’t bother me,” said Gold.
“Whether you’re coaching international or where I’m coaching now, we just want a referee who’s competent.
“If he’s the best man for the job, then he can do it. I’d like to believe there is too much at stake… a handful of years ago, they started assigning the best man for the job and the best refs got the best games - that’s how they’ll grow as refs and become the best in the world and go to the World Cup.”
Gold also paid tribute to the work that is being done by SANZAR Game Manager Lyndon Bray.
“A guy like Lyndon Bray is working hard in terms of trying to improve refereeing,” said Gold.
“I have a huge amount of respect for what he and his team are doing. I believe they are trying really hard to get that right. Being in the position we’re in, I’m not in a place to comment on the refs at the moment. I just have a lot of faith in Lyndon and what he’s trying to do.”
The Sharks take on the Reds in Brisbane on Friday (kick-off 11:40 SA time).
