Reports of World Cup referee probe 'nonsense'

SYDNEY - The International Rugby Board has denied Australian newspaper reports that a World Cup referee is being investigated after the large number of "debatable" decisions he made during a match.

Claims the referee made 10 debatable decisions after possible influence from bookmakers surfaced in Sydney on Friday, but the IRB headquarters in Dublin has rejected the allegations, saying they do not intend to launch an inquiry.

An IRB spokesman told the Daily Telegraph: "They're a complete nonsense and are so wide of the mark it would almost be laughable if the implied allegations were not so serious.

"Somebody has put two and two together and come up with this nonsense.

"There's an ongoing process in which the world's elite referees are constantly monitored and assessed, and that, of course, involves playing back videos of their games and the way they handled them.

"Just as national coaches use all the data available when selecting their best starting XV, we take every care to try to ensure we're fielding the top, 'in-form' officials.

"To represent this process in any other light is misleading and dangerous to the game as a whole."

World Cup tournament director Fraser Neill was taken aback by the allegation, reported in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"I'm in the process of checking out the article, because all this is news to me," he said.

"I'm absolutely confident that no one was aware of anything untoward during the World Cup itself."

The Herald report also suggested that at least one referee was approached by World Cup officials at halftime during a cup match to query his interpretation of the laws.

South African Andre Watson, referee for the past two World Cup finals, was astonished to hear of such reports.

"This must be a hoax. We were a close group of referees and I heard nothing of any approaches to any referee during the tournament, or at any other time for that matter," he said.

Australian referees boss Peter Marshall said he would not be surprised if betting syndicates attempted to influence officials' decisions in Super 12 and international matches, but said he saw no evidence of it during the World Cup.

"I would like to think the match officials are above that. It [the report] came as a shock to me," Marshall told the Weekend Australian newspaper.

Wallabies coach Eddie Jones doubted there was any deliberately dubious refereeing in the World Cup.

"The referees were inconspicuous, which shows what a good job they did."

- NZPA