Gaffney: English jibes can’t sway ref

IRELAND backs coach Alan Gaffney and manager Paul McNaughton last night rubbished notions that Craig Joubert, the South African referee at Croke Park tomorrow, might in any way be influenced by complaints emanating from the England camp over the last fortnight or so.

Having had six players yellow carded in the November internationals and four more in the bin in the RBS Six Nations games against France and Italy, the English have clearly decided that they should go down a different route in search of what they perceive to be fair play.

Their attack coach Brian Smith was particularly harsh on Joubert’s fellow-South African Jonathan Kaplan after the defeat by Wales, claiming that Warren Gatland’s men “had done their job at getting stuck into the referee before the match”.