Chris Rattue: How today's ref can help Samoa

Time to whistle up some revenge.

Years of Pacific Island rugby teams getting the rough end of the refereeing stick can turn a little corner in what has been treated as a little corner of the rugby world.

If Samoa gets the rub of the green against the All Blacks from South African referee Jaco Peyper today, who knows what will happen?

The offhand way the Pacific Island countries have been dealt with in the rugby boardroom has been mirrored on the field where opponents from the old boys network often get the benefit of any doubt from referees.

I can't prove that of course - although there are some famous incidents - but it is a strong feeling. Paddy O'Brien's 1999 World Cup shocker when Fiji were beaten by France stands out. Technically speaking, and in hindsight, the Samoan fullback Paul Williams probably did deserve to be sent off by Nigel Owens during the close loss to South Africa at Eden Park in 2011. His open hand on Heinrich Brussow was a strike to the head. But had it been the other way round, I'm much less sure Brussow would have received the red card.

Referees are only human, and reputations work on the psyche. A big call that decides a match in favour of a heavyweight is easier to make than one that helps a minnow to a shock victory. And the Pacific island countries have, I believe, also been hampered by a reputation for wildly aggressive tactics.

But more than the big moments, it's all the little decisions which may count most. Put it this way: when Richie McCaw hits a ruck from a strange angle, it somehow looks different to when a lesser known player does it.

Home advantage is a proven phenomenon where - in many sports - things such as penalty counts hardly ever favour the travelling team. Neutral referees and umpires have diluted this advantage in international sport, but it still exists. And when home ground advantage - or never having it - is mixed with the power of reputation, the effect is still quite strong. In football, many teams visiting Old Trafford were convinced that the powerful presence of Sir Alex Ferguson swayed a referee or two over the years.

The continual snubbing of Pacific Island rugby has worked against them getting a fair crack from the referees. Their famous victories have been achieved in spite of the match conditions, not because of them.

Jaco Peyper, the man in charge today, had an excellent Super Rugby final in the main. Officiating a David v Goliath battle in the Apia cauldron will present him with a completely different challenge. Home advantage is just that. It's not about getting a share of the decisions, it's about getting a slight advantage.

And the effect is compounding. The more a team like Samoa can win, and lodge themselves in the mind as a true rugby power, the more they will get those vital decisions going their way.