Marks ‘removed’, not axed
11 Mar 2010
André Watson says referee Paul Marks has not been sacked.
According to the Australian media, Marks was fired with immediate effect by Sanzar following their review of his performance in the Sharks’ 25-21 defeat to the Waratahs.
Marks made a controversial call towards the end of the game where he did not award the Durban franchise a penalty try when Tahs fullback Kurtley Beale obstructed a clear scoring opportunity. If the try was scored, the Sharks would have been in a strong position to win the match.
However, Saru head of referees and member of the Sanzar referee panel Watson has confirmed with keo.co.za that this information is false.
‘I’ve read this news in the papers but the truth is he has not been fired or suspended,’ said Watson. ‘He has, however, been removed from the Sanzar panel of referees until further notice following the review of his performance last weekend.
‘He has been sent to a remedial process where he will be able to learn from his mistakes. Should we feel he has learned from his errors, Sanzar might allow him back on the panel. But I don’t think he will ref another game in the Super 14 this season.’
More rumours suggested South African referee Pro Legoete was also suspended. Watson denied this as well.
‘Let me get this straight, Pro has just helped out this season. He has reffed one and a half games, where he stood in for Jonathan Kaplan [second half - Sharks vs Cheetahs] and Stuart Dickinson [Cheetahs vs Highlanders],’ said Watson.
‘Pro hasn’t been appointed for any other Super 14 games this season, but he will be considered in future seasons.
‘It’s ridiculous that people think we [Sanzar] would suspend Pro after one and a half games. Marks is another story. He has reffed more than 10 Super Rugby games.’
By Gareth Duncan
160 Comments
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11 Mar 2010, 06:55 am
I am enjoying my revenge vicariously through the SANZAR refereeing panel! Yeah!
11 Mar 2010, 06:55 am
Can’t wait to hear the comments from the Australasian bloggers…
11 Mar 2010, 06:57 am
They also suspended Pro Legoete – the ref that officiated the Cheetahs-Highlanders game and that came on in the second half of the Sharks-Cheetahs game.
I am glad that referees too can suffer the consequences of poor performances.
11 Mar 2010, 07:02 am
He he he
Hey wallabie, do you still think the saffas are paranoid…?
11 Mar 2010, 07:03 am
This is the best news all year. Now if we had this system just before the 2007 Super 14 final….
11 Mar 2010, 07:09 am
GREAT!!!
Freaking clown.
Glad that they are jydged on their performance and are not untouchable.
11 Mar 2010, 07:12 am
Sad to see Pro go…..
a good bit of humour is always a good thing….
11 Mar 2010, 07:14 am
Well I was expecting this to happen. The independent merit panel fires yet another convict.
Wallabie we told you that Aussie refs are *****!
11 Mar 2010, 07:15 am
@Predawn: I really need another look at the replay before I cast judgement as I only saw the game on replay.
If the pass was not going behind Kanko in flight, and if Beale’s obstruction was a definite slapdown as opposed to honestly trying to get an intercept, then agree a penalty try was warranted.
Marks was going to be in **** regardless of what decision he gave at that point, I don’t envy having to make that call.
Plus after seeing the Stormers get awarded a penalty try (and yellow card handed out) against the Brumbies for holding back a player, despite the final pass having gone out of play before the offence occured, I already think ref’s are way too quick to thinking they ‘know’ a try would have been scored in these situations.
11 Mar 2010, 07:16 am
Well, only Walsh to go and then Saffas cant blame the ref anymore, thats not gonna help the conpiracists is it?
still think Plonker should be added to the hit list too, but its different cause hes helped the Bulls huh?…. hmmmmmm
11 Mar 2010, 07:19 am
Good luck in your new career mr marks…
11 Mar 2010, 07:19 am
@DonutDunning: gees Donut, thats the first time the Stormers try has been mentioned on here, dont add a bit of reason to this site mate… seems its only when it goes against them that they complain…
11 Mar 2010, 07:21 am
@Predawn: ..
it’s wind in the sand broer…. relax, it’s history….
11 Mar 2010, 07:22 am
“Sanzar head of referees Lyndon Bray said Marks should have awarded the penalty try.” Are you reading this Keo?
Anyhow, all us fans want is accountability. I am sure it is not the end of his ref career.
So thats one ANZAC ref dow. How many to go?
11 Mar 2010, 07:23 am
He he ha
Plonker may be bad but he is nowhere near marks league ..haven’t seen such a bad red since Bryce Lawrence and George Ayoub..
We’ll keep Steve for entertainment value..
11 Mar 2010, 07:25 am
Good to see that SANZAR are clamping down on under performing refs. I also heard on the Radio this morning that Pro Legoete has also been canned of the S14 list. EVEN BETTER NEWS !!
Now all we need to do is get rid of the winking wanker, Steve Walsh and we will be a ok.
I still firmly believe that you DONT need independent refs, you need competent ones. Thought Bryce Lawrence (a kiwi) blew the Cheetahs Canes game very well.
11 Mar 2010, 07:29 am
Now hopefully he’ll crawl back into the toilet like the cockroach he is.
11 Mar 2010, 07:46 am
Yes yes yes now sanzar also agree,geez donutdunning remember this was also 2 minutes from time in a match winning situation, 99 persent beale went for the knockdown. The only problem I have is that the points are on the board. Noting we can do.sharks are still 0 in 4.
11 Mar 2010, 07:52 am
haha, all the people who thought it “wasnt a penalty try” can get stuffed, keo included.
in fact, keo led the blinkered mob on that one with his poor knowledge of the laws and subjective reporting.
marks didnt just withhold the pen try, he punished the sharks at the next lineout for an absolutely obscure interpretation that, if employed at every lineout, would see lineouts dissapear as a facet of rugby.
oh ja, he missed 3 forward passes in a single movement and then blew the sharks for a forward that wasnt.
he can cool his heels til next season as far as i am concerned.
this reeks of bryce lawrence, sharks vs brumbies 2008.
11 Mar 2010, 08:01 am
Bryce Lawrence would not have given Nonu a yellow card if Kaplan had not intervened. He was going to “have a serious talk to the player” until Kaplan said “at least a yellow card.” It does not matter which side of the fence you’re on, Nonu deserved to at least have been cited for that tackle. Apart from that, Bryce has potential
11 Mar 2010, 08:02 am
What do you have to say now Keo??? So confident were you in your views that you splashed them on BusinessDay only to be proven wrong!!!! So much for you knowledge of the laws of rugby!!!
Sharks were robbed and the refs pannel agrees, eat humble pie and admit you were wrong Keo!!!
11 Mar 2010, 08:07 am
@rangerman: this incompetent ref also allowed play to go on from an illegal lineout which led to Kankows try.
He is like your average Aussie, clueless about rugby.
11 Mar 2010, 08:11 am
Steve Walsh – we are watching you!
11 Mar 2010, 08:15 am
@DonutDunning:
yeah, i think many agreed the stormers were lucky with that one. as were the brumbies with theirs against the lions.
11 Mar 2010, 08:17 am
@DonutDunning:
if the ref awarded a penalty and a yellow, then he thought it was deliberate. ergo penatly try
11 Mar 2010, 08:19 am
I hope Marks enjoys his gold watch.Dickenson,Joubert are only marginally better than Marks
Aussies, suck it up you lying cheating convicts
11 Mar 2010, 08:25 am
Good – Still wont get the Sharks the extra 3 points that we need so desperately!
11 Mar 2010, 08:26 am
Next one must be Marius Jonker!
11 Mar 2010, 08:30 am
@DonutDunning: Mark Lawrence is skating on ice too, with his favourable reffing for the Stormers.
Kaplan must end his hate tirade against the Cheetah’s and his blatant adoration of the Bulls.
Walsh, is another one that must tread lightly this week.
11 Mar 2010, 08:31 am
KEO KRY VIR JOU !!! BWWWWWAAAAAHHHHHHH !!!
11 Mar 2010, 08:34 am
KEO ! Check this out !
You made some good points but when you started to say that ‘what if Kanko had tripped’ and a couple of other ridiculous what if’s …. you could say that about every ‘would have been scored’ penalty try !
Agree on the point of it being unusual that a penalty try be awarded that far out but the Sharks had worked the play to the point of the final pass and it was as likely to be scored as it was a cynical slap down … remember the word ‘down’ ,that always factors as well as the fact that it was one handed.
Me thinks you were trying to stand out and be the one who knows best.
11 Mar 2010, 08:36 am
Why is jonathan kaplan still reffing then?
11 Mar 2010, 08:39 am
wow…!
kudos to SANZAR….!!
but now they’ve admitted the Sharks were wronged… any chance of given the Sharks the log points they would’ve got…??
11 Mar 2010, 08:41 am
Justice! Now who was the guy who had the final say in Bakkies’s British Lions citing ? He should also hit the f*cking road
11 Mar 2010, 08:42 am
To be honest, Marks biggest mistake was yellow carding Beal. I think that was the first mistake, because i think its clear the arm movement was not a slap down and it looked for all money like an intercept attempt. So after getting that call wrong i think he realised it and was in two minds on whether to follow through with the penalty try.
If he had awarded a scrum for Beal knock on then none of this would have transpired.
The line put call was the right one, but the forward passes was a bit beyond belief.
11 Mar 2010, 08:43 am
@ufo: Come on dude, perhaps the Tahs would have scored from the kick off? There would still have been time left in the game, perhaps Pienaar (or was Kockett kicking?) would have missed the conversion, with the Sharks then only being up by one. The Tahs would then only have needed a penalty, or drop goal. There are lots of things which could have happened after this.
11 Mar 2010, 08:44 am
@ufo: No! No points.
11 Mar 2010, 08:45 am
Kaplan should go for remedial lessons while watson is at it.
11 Mar 2010, 08:51 am
so no one else will get the benefit of marks’s amazing reffing?
what a pity.
remedial classes?
11 Mar 2010, 08:53 am
@wallabie.: haha walla!
markis has been removed for being a kuk ref and now you want to talk about kaplan who is regarded as the worlds best ref.
mate, get your head out the aussie tabloid press and spend more time on keo, we will show you the truth
(not keo obviously, he was in your boat)
11 Mar 2010, 08:53 am
@WOLFMAN21:
Thing is the Tahs did nothing in the last few minutes to score anyway…
if they admit the penalty try should have been given… (and penalty tries are always given under the posts so no chance of either kicking missing the conversion…)
they would have won the game…
same in the olympics… runner gets banned for drugs gold goes to silver… there’s no “well if the gold winner hadn’t been there maybe bronze would’ve tried harder and could’ve beaten silver…”
fact is they have admitted the sharks should’ve got the 7 points… therefore they should get the log points too…
11 Mar 2010, 08:57 am
Lesson for Mr Keohane:
You have become cynical and bitter, its clouding your otherwise good rugby knowledge. It started when you couldnt take Mallet to task about what the **** was he doing for 3 years as a director of rugby at WP, no results, then you went into bed with JWWW, then you joined the bandwagon of “no structure” springboks.
I hope you read this and take remedial actions
11 Mar 2010, 08:57 am
@rangerman: Kaplan is openly biased against te Cheetahs Ranger. Openly.
Thank you Mr Watson for correcting the sensational story about axing and suspensions.
11 Mar 2010, 08:58 am
@ufo: ja, they will never change the result of a game and it wasnt really the tahs fault (besides for beale).
i blame the tmo also for awarding a try that no one could see.
but bygones, whats past is past and the sharks must suck it up and move on. we have had many decisions go our way in the past and the side must win games regardless of who is reffing.
the message to refs like markss is clear though:
if you are awarded a job where you have to take the position of judging 30 players, dont show yourself to be lacking in balls in front of a home crowd.
i am sure he will be back and hopefully next time he wont choke when it comes to making the tough decisions.
11 Mar 2010, 08:58 am
@ufo: The Tahs didn’t do anything at the end to score points because they were in their own 22, defending a lead with the Sharks on attack after being given a couple of penalties. The kick off would have stuck the Sharks in their 22, or perhaps the tahs would have stolen the ball from a short kick off.
There is a huge difference between running in the olympics and a rugby game.
11 Mar 2010, 08:59 am
@ufo:
Did the Tahs admit it? I read somewhere their official view is that Beale went for the intercept.
11 Mar 2010, 09:01 am
@rossoneri: no he is not rossoneri. i cite the bulls fans hatred of kaplan after 2005 or 2006 cc final as proof.
and if you believe that marks hasnt been punished PROPER then you are not taking into account the loss of earnings he incurs by not reffing AT ALL for the rest of the s14.
he has basically been sent to the wilderness to eat roots, shoots and any other **** he can dig up whilst keeping his whistle in his pocket.
11 Mar 2010, 09:03 am
Pro is a real joke. I thought I was the only one that feels Kaplan is doing everything in his power to screw my cheaters. Rossi, you support the Stormers?
11 Mar 2010, 09:03 am
Who would like to take bets on Keo responding on this thread??
11 Mar 2010, 09:03 am
I THINK KEO MUST WRIGHT AGAIN AND APOLOGISE AND ADMIT THEY WERE WRONG ITS ONLY FAIR
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