Video Ref Almost Ruins Final

In the end Australia won the 4 Nations with a scoreline that was true to their dominance. After only being in front 8-6 at half-time it was looking nervous for Australia and England were not the reason many Australian would have been nervous.

It seemed that England had picked the perfect player for their team and he wasn't even on the field.  Video referee Ian Smith gave a performance that will be talked about for a long time and should warrant investigation by Rugby League officials.   Smith did all he could to keep England in the game to such an extent that one can only say that he favoured England to such a point that he should never be allowed to officiate at this level again.

When the try to Australia was denied I was left scratching my head whilst trying not to yell abuse at the TV in fear of waking up the family in the early hours.  How he managed to pick out an offside player within ten metres is beyond belief.  Then to back that up with a penalty try to England for an incident that clearly under the rules should have been ruled as a penalty was confirmation that England were getting all the help he could give them.  At this point I was yelling but thankfully the sound proofing in the room muffled the noise.

Imagine how bad the game would have been if he was on the field with the whistle in his mouth.  It is bad enough we have to listen to the English commentators who would be the most one-sided commentators going, but to have to have a game affected to such an extent is not good for the game. 

I have never been a fan of Ian Smith and he has had a history of making poor decisions but his decision making in a game as large as the Tri-Nations Final makes you wonder how bad all the other officials are if he is the best they have.  All the talk will end up being about Lockyer's farewell and how he has gone out the champion he deserves.  Yes Lockyer deserves all the media hype and I for one will add to that hype but it should not be forgotten when an official is blatantly biased and action needs to be taken to ensure that Ian Smith is held accountable.