Brendan Nel, writing on Supersport, believes that whining about the performance of Alain Rolland against New Zealand will not help the Springboks' cause come the World Cup.
"Baying for Referee Alain Rolland’s blood after Saturday’s defeat at the hands of New Zealand won’t get us anywhere. Rolland was not at his best on Saturday, and that is an understatement. For a referee who handled the 2007 World Cup final, he clearly is no slouch. But on Saturday he was the type of referee we all complain about – inconsistent.
"The Boks have the right to ask questions about the breakdown, where the All Blacks slowed the ball down, went off their feet and fell over at will, while the same indiscretions by the Boks were penalised by the ref.
"They also have a right to ask why Richie McCaw can get so many “official” warnings while Bakkies Botha was yellow carded last weekend for his first breakdown offence. But here’s the problem with whinging over the ref. One, it papers over the fact that the Boks simply weren’t good enough in both games. And two, it won’t help much as the Springboks will encounter these same refs at next year’s World Cup in New Zealand."
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