Don't blame the man with the whistle

Bledisloe Cup referee Steve Lander does not subscribe to the theory that Northern and Southern Hemisphere whistle-men have different philosophies.

Englishman Lander, who will control his 14th test - "the biggest of my career" - between the All Blacks and Australia at Carisbrook today, says the perception is no longer valid.

That is despite criticism of Irish referee David McHugh for his pernickety officiating, especially at the breakdowns, of the test between Australia and South Africa in Pretoria a fortnight ago.

"I don't buy into the view there's a difference between Northern and Southern Hemisphere refereeing styles any more," Lander said.

"There's a difference between individual referees and I don't think you'll ever eliminate that.

"But since the International Rugby Board has been appointing referees to top matches, we have a lot of meetings and we know each other pretty well.

"It's very much now a case of three international referees coming together and refereeing according to how the IRB are managing the laws."

Lander will have South Africans Tappe Henning and Mark Lawrence as touch judges today.

Lander, aged 45, believes the continuing controversy over rulings at tackled-ball situations has been "stirred up a bit by the media" and he was clear on how to officiate.

"The tackler must move away and allow the tackled player to exercise his option. Any player who arrives on his feet and enters the tackle from the correct direction must be allowed to play the ball," he said.

"I've got those three in that priority - tackler, tackled player and arriving players. That's how we're all interpreting it."

But Lander acknowledged that it was not always that simple.

"It's easy to talk about. What happens in high speed, dynamic situations may not be seen so simply.

"The fourth element is any arriving player. If he looks like he's going straight to ground - diving into that situation - he will be penalised. If he's driving upwards, but ends up on the ground away from the ball, he won't be penalised."

Lander said being appointed to control a Bledisloe Cup test was the ultimate for any Northern Hemisphere referee.

"It's the biggest tick on my wish list. It's the fulfilment of an ambition," he said.

"Everybody would like to say they've refereed the All Blacks and Wallabies in a Bledisloe Cup test.

"My philosophy is that the game's for the players. It's not a game for the referees.

"The difference between the best referees and the rest is that the best make less mistakes."

Lander refereed a colts match in Dunedin this week, his first since he controlled the English premiership final at Twickenham in May, but he was not concerned over his lack of lead-up games.

"Not really. In modern rugby I'm lucky to get a bit of a break.

"I've made sure I've maintained my fitness and I've been to several meetings and conferences," he said.

Lander refereed the All Blacks' 102-0 romp over Tonga at Albany last year and he has been a touch judge several times for Wallaby tests.

He controlled his first test, between Scotland and Wales at Murrayfield, in 1995, and has been a professional referee for 2 1/2 years.

"Before I became a professional referee it was a question of balancing family, work [schoolteaching] and rugby. You were trying to keep all three plates spinning," he said.

"At the time I thought I was doing a good job but, looking back, you realise just how difficult it was.

"I'd arrive back at Heathrow from overseas at 6 am on Monday and be teaching a few hours later," he said.

He and his wife, Pippa, live with their children Thomas, 10, and Grace, 6, at Wirral, near Liverpool, and he is a big fan of the Liverpool soccer team.

- NZPA