‘URC officiating is getting worse’

Former Leinster and Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman has slammed the standard of officiating in the Vodacom URC.

Speaking on the RTÉ Rugby podcast, Jackman referred to referee Andrea Piardi’s performance in last weekend’s match between Munster and the Vodacom Bulls at Thomond Park.

The Italian mistakenly reduced the hosts to 14 men in the second half after they had lost both of their tighthead props which resulted in uncontested scrums, before sheepishly rectifying it 15 minutes later.

He also missed Bulls No 8 Cameron Hanekom taking a quick tap with his knee, instead of his foot, which led to a try for the visitors, who won a tight contest 16-13.

“I think it is,” Jackman said when asked if officiating in the URC was getting worse. “There’s rarely a week that I don’t see something in a game that I wonder how they missed that.”

MORE: ‘Refs must be accountable’

Jackman said Piardi, who has been stood down for this weekend’s round of URC matches, should have received better support from his sideline assistant.

“I feel for Piardi here because he has to trust the fourth official to look after that.

“The fourth officials only have to be experts on the rules and replacements. Unfortunately for Munster, it’s the second time it’s happened to them which is quite incredible because it doesn’t happen often.

“It was also quite clear that Oli Jager had an HIA, it wasn’t a marginal one where he went off holding his shoulder, it was literally a clear-cut HIA.