Peter Bills weighs in with more on the current state of international refereeing in The Irish Independent.
"A thoroughly positive story with which to end the old year and send us racing into World Cup year. The IRB have decided to put an end to the process of Buggins' turn, which has made the world of refereeing so alarmingly unpredictable.
"In 2011, we will see an elite group emerge among world rugby's officials. The tradition has been to spread the load, to give as many referees as possible exposure on the highest stages, like the Tri Nations and the Six Nations. But the results of this have been too erratic. The mistakes made by officials such as Mark Lawrence of South Africa this year have been so glaring, that they have had an influence on the outcome of Test matches."
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