Rugby: Shelford calls for neutral linesmen

By CHRIS RATTUE

Northland 15 North Harbour 21

North Harbour coach Wayne Shelford wants neutral touch judges used in NPC matches after his side squeaked a win over Northland in Whangarei yesterday.

Shelford claimed that local touch judges had shown "slight favour" to Northland in the fourth-round clash at the Northland Rugby Stadium.

It was the sort of victory that should warm the heart of a side with title aspirations - even though the match itself had all the appeal of cold pie and warm beer.

Northland were playing their first home match of the season at a ground most visiting teams left in defeat last year, and a week after they had caused a boil-over by defeating Wellington in the capital.

A shapeless, messy match was hardly helped by the officiating of Taranaki referee Brian McDonald, in his first division debut, and Northland touch judges Peter Nock and Tony Reader.

To be fair to McDonald, the policy of having local touch judges for most NPC games meant he had inexperienced officials at his side in his first division debut, even though Nock is Northland's No 1 and Reader is also on their top panel.

And the New Zealand Rugby Football Union's decision to scrap video referees for the NPC, because not all games are televised, has also left the officials high and dry.

Yesterday's match could be called as Exhibit A in any case for re-introducing the video calls.

Some around the Harbour camp were seething about the touch judges' performance, and said other NPC games - including ones they were not involved in - had been similarly affected.

Harbour were upset at the awarding of a try to Northland first five-eighths Tony Monaghan, who was deemed to have pressured the ball in the 44th minute after scrambling for the touch ahead of Mark Robinson.

Replays showed a no-try decision would have been fairer, but the home viewer is getting a better look at such incidents than the referee.

Said Shelford: "There were some dubious decisions out there ... the referee was having his first NPC game and he's got a long way to go.

"Both touch judges and the referee said he [Monaghan] got the touch, but our players said there was no way. Still, there's no video replay."

He had good reason for complaint.

Apart from the Monaghan decision, Harbour were on the wrong side of two bad calls which led to Northland's first try, to their ever-impressive captain Glenn Taylor.

Firstly, McDonald and his official missed a Northland lineout throw that would have made a dog's hind leg look dead straight.

And after Northland fed a scrum near the North Harbour line, it screwed way past the angle which should have brought a reset and Harbour feed.

Instead, Taylor crashed over for the try, which levelled the scores at 5-all in the 25th minute.

Both sides appeared to be on the wrong end of other mysterious calls.

And a question is why, if we have neutral referees, the same shouldn't apply to touch judges, who have been given an increasing role in the modern game.

Harbour led 12-8 at halftime. Their first try was finished by Silao Leaega after a big Slade McFarland run, although wing Karl Te Nana looked very close to being out when he fed the final pass to the fullback. Another case for the video ref?

The second try went to McFarland after Rua Tipoki held up the ball expertly in a tackle near the Northland line.

Three second-half Leaega penalties got North Harbour home.

Harbour now challenge Waikato for the Ranfurly Shield, a trophy the province has never won.

Northland coach Bryce Woodward was disappointed his side could not give the crowd of 6000 a home victory, and thought his players were a bit flat after the big effort against Wellington.

He believed North Harbour could take the shield, although he would not predict a result.

"Their forwards have improved hugely," Woodward said. "They are capable of doing it."