Referee inaction leaves rugby at a crossroads

Referee Jaco Peyper is a full- time, paid official, and must be accountable for his performance, writes Donal Lenihan.

If one parks the Canadian game, given that an entirely different side took the field against the Canucks that day, it is difficult to recall a time when Ireland put two better, back-to- back, performances together than what we witnessed in those captivating contests against New Zealand this month.

An aggregate score of 50-49, with New Zealand coming out on top, seems just about right, especially when they out-scored Ireland by seven tries to five. Even more telling was the fact that they succeeded in keeping Ireland try-less at home, in front of a magnificently partisan crowd who did everything on the day to inspire another historic victory.