Tony Archer appointed as referee of the 4 nations final.

Absolute joke.

There is a neutral referee who has refereed numerous finals and they appoint one of there own.

International rl has no credibility

the aussies won't allow what happened in the RLWC final...

Don't like this, mostly for the fact that there's gonna be a million whingers on here after the game even if he refs the perfect game. This won't change depending on who wins.

The one thing that we can now say is that the top English refs are far superior to their Aussie counterparts. Having watched Silverwood ref Aus v NZ he is head and shoulders above Archer. I think the two ref system in Aus has made individual ref'ing standards drop and it shows!

Archer does not have the rapport or authority with the players that Silverwood, Bentham or Ganson do. Just listening to Silverwood constantly talk and 'instruct' the players around the park and then compare that to Archer or Rehm and you can also hear the difference.

I suspected this was going to happen and their is no need for Archer to ref this game when Silverwood is there.

Given that England won't be playing, why would there be "a million whingers" on here? Our crash-out has made us all (fairly) interested neutrals, hasn't it?

No, the true reason is that it is an obvious and sick joke to have a ref of the same nationality as one of the competing teams. No discussion required. The Aussies know this too, but really couldn't give a flying fsck, it just sums up their attitude to the game and especially what is left of the international game.

Can you imagine the soccer World Cup Final with a ref from one of the competing countries? Obviously not, anyone would laugh at even the thought. Yet the Aussies appoint their own ref and basically everyone from experience expects them to do just what they like, and is resigned to it.

The bigger joke is that, by his antics in the England v Aus game, Archer showed that currently he isn't even fit to ref the game, nowhere near an international class referee. He got a good bagging (and fully deserved) from an English perspective but many will know that he was also roundly bagged by the Aussies who were whingeing endlessly at how poor his control of the PTB was, and how he supposedly let England slow the game right down, preventing the demigods from revealing their true magicality, or some such shoite.

So given he's crap. given they even all think he's crap,. and given he is obviously not neutral - how on earth does he get the gig?

What a joke, the worst thing of all though is that this isn't remotely surprising.

It just cant be right-

Totally invalidates the result if Australia win.

There is absolutely no justification for this whatsoever!

Forget Archers very poor showings in the Eng Vs NZ & Aus Vs Eng games for a minute, there is no way that a credible international sport would ever consider a non neutral ref in a major final.

Even RU would have a ref from anywhere but the two competing nations, it doesn't happen in football, cricket or even netball FFS.

The Ausies are superb at many things but when it comes to making big, crucial decisions that affect the direction or the credibility of the game they're crap.

Why, what happened?

They lost hehehehhe

JOKE.

Shocking decision. Silverwood has proved himself to be the best ref in the tournament, and he's neutral... unbelievable!!

In appointing him for the biggest international game of the year, the RLIF think he did no wrong in the England/Aus game.

Ganson ref'ed the game and his decisions were not to the Aussies liking because he called it like a SL game, not and NRL game... and they lost!

This doesn't make RL a joke, lets get that right. It makes the sport look silly to outsiders, but lets not discredit all involved with the sport and ourselves when we know better.

This makes the ARL a joke and once again highlights their bully-boy tactics in the board room.

When you have one RFL rep, one NZRL rep and two ARL reps on the board of the RLIF Australia are always going to win aren't they? I think its now time to remove one of the ARL reps and give Wales, France and PNG full board member status. A chairman should be elected from the board members, but it should not mean that another rep from their national governing body should be brought in 'to fill their place' as is the case with the ARL in the RLIF at this moment in time. Six member board, comprising of six national governing bodies, three from Northern Hemisphere, three from Southern, end of.

Spot on!

Aussies win then

Apart from making the game look bent, What sort of message dose it send to potential referees unless you happen to be Australian?. If the great Australian NRL refs are so bl**dy good a standard then why dont they have New Zealand, PNG & other south sea refs in thier competition, there would be no problem then. Super league has a French ref(& should have another one plus a Welshman) I blame the other Countrys for bending over backwards to accomodate the Aussies, it was just the oposite in cricket they were the ones who screamed to get neutral umpires.

About 20 years ago the RFL's David Oxley said....

[iAustralians have no interest in the international game. They would much prefer to be left alone to play with themselves...........and we all know what people who prefer to do that are called............[/i

I think that sums it up nicely.

Actually it was Ashley Klein who refereed the final. Ganson was the Video Ref.

I agree with everything everyone has said though; Archer getting this gig is an absolute joke and it makes International Rugby League a shambles!!!

Quel surprise.

We should re-work that old Spitting Image song about South Africans.....

Oooooooooooooooooh i've never meet a FAIR Australian!

I am sorry, you are right. Ganson was the video ref and gave NZ a penalty try towards the end of the game and it was for that reason the Aussies got the hump with Ganson.

I found the highlights here and it is telling to notice that the Gould & Sterling do think it should be a penalty try!

[urlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6SA59d_z5g[/url

They are just bloody whingers when it comes to ref's. Silverwood is far better ref than Archer and is neutral, this should be a no brainer!

NRL ref for NRL final. What's the problem? If we had a SL ref we would have 26 players on the pitch playing to a different rhythm, which would be worse for NZ than an Ozzie ref.