KEY POINTS:
The World Cup organisers are about to abandon the appointment of neutral referees because none other than the Australians are believed to be up to the standard required to whistle the final.
There has been no announcement but moves are afoot in the background to sideline the two
Englishmen who officiated in the Australia-New Zealand game on Sunday out of a Kiwis-Kangaroos final, should that eventuate. The Australians have apparently already said they do not want a New Zealand referee if it is an Aussie-England final and no other country can provide one of professional standard.
The New Zealand Rugby League was not stating its preference openly yesterday and did not publicly criticise Sunday's referee Ashley Klein and video ref Steve Ganson.
But it is understood that chairman Ray Haffenden has approached World Cup chairman Colin Love, also chairman of the ARL, with concerns about their performance and the poor run of decisions against the Kiwis.
"The refereeing was always going to be part of the discussions we had after the game," Haffenden said yesterday.
"I haven't let it slip through the cracks.
"I can't go into detail but we have raised it," he said. "I don't want to start World War III."
He would be seeking advice from top referees in New Zealand before putting an official view but his own opinion was that "the best referee, surely, should do the final. If an Aussie is the best referee he should do it".
There will be just one player from Super League, Kiwis halfback Thomas Leuluai, in an Australian-New Zealand final - clearly the players will be better used to the rulings of an NRL referee.
Klein and Ganson conspired to allow Australia a try when Leuluai was incorrectly called for obstruction and to deny New Zealand one when the ball was kicked from Jerome Ropati's hands as he dived at the line, an illegality long punished by the NRL since Matthew Ridge perfected it when playing for Manly in the late 1990s.
Ridge was castigated - but then he's a Kiwi.
Referee reviewer Greg McCallum yesterday warned Australian coach Ricky Stuart and Slater, who has previously been criticised for the sliding tackle, that the fullback will be banned if he does it again.
So if Kiwi Lance Hohaia sticks his boot in someone's face to save a try does that mean he will get let off with a warning too?
