There are some official changes to the Crusaders vs Sharks clash in London.
Okay they are actually changes to the officials, but they are official so why not call them official changes?
The originally appointed referee Garratt Williamson of New Zealand will not be making the trip to London to officiate in the match. Instead fellow New Zealander Steve Walsh, who is now refereeing for the Australian Rugby Union, will now take charge of the 1st Super Rugby match to be played outsite of the SANZAR home unions.
SANZAR have wisely decided to utilise Walsh for this game as he is already in the UK having refereed the 6 Nations encounter between Scotland and Italy in Edinburgh this past weekend.
SANZAR communications manager Anthony Mackaiser have confirmed to Sharksworld that the match will use a local TMO and local assistant referees. Wayne Barnes and Stuart Terheege, both from England, will be the assistant referees and and TMO calls will be handled by Dave Pearson of England.
The full list off offficials is:
Ref: Steve Walsh. (Australia)
ARs: Wayne Barnes, Stuart Terheege. (Both England)
TMO: Dave Pearson (England)
Walsh is bad, but at least it isn’t Stuart DICKenson…
Walsh is okay, I’m happy with this.
Walsh..eish..
not so sure..
@KSA Shark © (Comment 2) :
Nice heading..
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 4) :
@KSA Shark © (Comment 5) :
Did it take you all day to think that one up?
This is not a good move – Hope the Sharks can do it!!! Walsh is definitely not a Sharks fan. Only hope that he has a good game and is fair to both sides.
Is a comminications manager smaller than a communications manager?
@rhineshark (Comment 8) :
Well spotted!
I dont like this Garrett fellow after Friday’s result
But this Walsh fellow….. No Comment 
This is not good at all, I’ll never forgive Walsh for the 2007 Super 14 final. In my mind he will always be a coward of a referee, someone who isn’t brave enough to make the big calls with all the sympathy for the Crusaders I feel he may not have it in him to blow this one fairly.
We already have to play out of our skins, now we hacve to play against the ref too…:( not good!
He’s NZ born , so how can he ref the game , it should be a neutral reffing the game
it’s gonna be 16 v 15 on the pitch 
Mmmmmmmmmm…
@Ice (Comment 14) : Mmmmmm indeed. My guess is his Kiwi roots have not been diluted one bit by all of that watery Australian beer… Why couldn’t we have had an English ref? There’s not much point in having the match on neutral territory if you’re going to appoint a non-neutral referee.
@war1 (Comment 11) : perhaps he will feel guilty …..
@rhineshark (Comment 8) : Well he uses less ink
@war1 (Comment 11) : Coward? brave enough to make the big calls?
huh? when? where?
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 6) : took me all of 5 seconds.
Started out as “Officials change” and then I thought no let’s mess with the readers.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 20) : When I read the title I knew exactly what was going on
@Jarson (AddicteD) (Comment 21) : This would put you on the same wavelength as KSA, you sure you wanna admit that
@Jarson (AddicteD) (Comment 21) : You are smarter than the average poster though.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 19) : 2007 final he didn’t have the guts to give habana a yellow card for taking Monty out, he also didn’t have the guts to blow the Bulls for hands in, playing the ball on the ground, knock on in that infamous ruck before Habana’s try. A more recent example is sending Bekker and that Highlanders lock despite Bekker only trying to block. In my mind those are calls that he should have been more decisive on.
go stevoo! 2007 s14 final boy
@KSA Shark © (Comment 19) : 2007 final he didn’t have the guts to give habana a yellow card for taking Monty out, he also didn’t have the guts to blow the Bulls for hands in, playing the ball on the ground, knock on in that infamous ruck before Habana’s try. A more recent example is sending Bekker and that Highlanders lock despite Bekker only trying to block the punches coming his way. In my mind those are calls that he should have been more decisive on.
@rekinek (Comment 22) : @KSA Shark © (Comment 23) : Truthfully, I thought there would be actually changes to something, didn’t even come close to thinking about match officials
But thanks for the compliment.
At least we know what we are up against and can prepare in advance to be the equivalent of choirboys for whom butter wouldn’t proverbially melt… If that’s at all possible given the amount of solid gold testosterone that’s going to be flying around!
@war1 (Comment 24) : I and many others believe that Habana didn’t deserve a yellow card.
There WAS no hands in or playing the ball on the ground at that last ruck. YES it was knocked on but if he didn’t see it he couldn’t blow it. He was on the OTHER side of the ruck when they knocked it on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6130DtEtuv4&feature=related (25sec)
You don’t think pulling out TWO yellows was decisive? Was the call right? I don’t know. Was the call biased? NO
Be careful what you ask for you might just get it?
Next time he gives a yellow against a player for something marginal then you got the decisiveness you’ve asked for. 
Should have been neutral refs for this game.
Walsh cost us the cup in 2007.
@rekinek (Comment 22) : Grrrrrrr
@Puma (Comment 30) : walsh is neutral, he refs for Australia.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 29) :
Habana himself said that he was lucky not to get a yellow.
Walsh may not have been biased, but was he competent, Hundreds of thousands will say NO.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 32) :
You can’t kid me….hehehe. He is kiwi born.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 29) : Why you get us to look at that again…
Probably the worst I have ever felt after watching a game ever. 
Never want to be reminded of the final minutes of that game. 
Actually watching that just have to wonder what has happened to Habs?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 29) :
Habana himseelf said that he was lucky not to get a yellow.
Walsh may not have been biased, but was he competent, hundreds of thousand s will say NO.
@Salmonoid (Comment 36) :
@KSA Shark © (Comment 29) : read Matfield’s book when it comes out. In it, he admits that he felt Kuun deserved a penalty against him for hands in the ruck
@Salmonoid (Comment 36) : And hundreds of thousands of Bulls supporters will say he was.
it is ALL subjective.
@robdylan (Comment 38) : Ooooooohhh i must read that, I REALLY value Matfield’s opinion.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 40) : just for you
I’ll get it for you for Christmas
@KSA Shark © (Comment 29) : @robdylan (Comment 38) : Also see the interview with John Smit in the new Sharks mag – stating how difficult it was, being on the sideline, seeing the hands in the ruck and our title beeing taken…
And the other day a BB guy said to me he watched on Classic clashes – watch it over and over to see what we were bitching about, and has to admit that we were done in…
@robdylan (Comment 41) : it’s okay thanks.
Unless it comes in 2 ply then I’ll accept it.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 43) : bb cleared of charges…
some more bad news peeps
lambie out for 3 weeks
@sharks_lover (Comment 45) : saw that ja
@KSA Shark © (Comment 43) : I am sure you respect John’s word…?
Walsh is a muppet who has been barred in the past for being such a muppet.
On top of that, I still completely disagree with having refs officiating games for their countrymen… Walsh will screw us, you can count on it!
@Nhumrod (Comment 49) : Walsh is an Aussie now… allegedly.
Just play the game…The Sharks can take it ! GO SHARKS !!!
@robdylan (Comment 50) : on paper….
Bloody Hell. Craig Joubert is also in the UK. Refereed France vs Scotland. Would’ve been much happier if it was him rather than this guy.. Steve.