A look back at controversy

Honiss in the same league?

Down the years there have been many controversial refereeing decisions, starting with a flashpoint moment in 1884 which led to a cessation to the Calcutta Cup.

Paul Honiss's decision to award that try in Dublin on Saturday will stick in the mind long after the score is well forgotten, and looks set to be accepted into rugby folklore.

Let's look at a selection of refereeing controversies - just seven of them. There may well be more!

It may well be worth noting that in no case - well, besides one sober voice amongst the rejoicing millions - did the side benefitting from the "error" complain. In every case, the other side did!

In not one of the cases did the score change, which is a simple lesson history - and good sense and sportsmanship - teaches.

1. 1884: England beat Scotland by a goal to a try at The Rectory Ground, Blackheath
Referee: George Scriven (Ireland)

Wow! The Scots were upset. So upset that they did not play England in 1885 or 1886. Then England refused to play Scotland, till the Irish - mirabile dictu - became the peacemakers and the International Rugby Board was born.

Scotland had their try, when Richard Kindersley scored the one that caused the controversy. The Scots protested when the Irish referee, who had ended his playing career only the previous year, awarded the try. The debate raged for more than ten minutes and the Scots played on only reluctantly.

England's Wilfred Bolton turned the try into a goal, which won the match.

The Scots were incensed and refused to play England.

In those days there were umpires, one for each team. If they disagreed about a decision they referred to the referee. If there was still a dispute the matter could be referred to the union under whose aegis the match was played. But for an international match there was no union. That is why the International Rugby Board was formed in 1886.

The try by the way was "tried" by three Irish High Court judges who proclaimed that it was a try, whereupon the Scots conceded defeat.

2. 1905: Wales beat New Zealand 3-0 at Cardiff Arms Park
Referee: John Dallas (Scotland)

The All Blacks had won 27 victories on their first tour to the UK and Ireland - the first team called the All Blacks. Wales led 3-0 after Teddy Morgan's try before New Zealand's Billy Wallace broke clear and gave to Bob Deans who had a run for the line. Two Welshman hauled him down - Morgan and RT Gabe.

When the Scottish referee, John Dallas, arrived on the scene Deans was short.

New Zealanders claimed Deans was pulled back from the line. Gabe said: "I thought he had scored. Then I felt him wriggling forward to reach the goal-line. So I pulled him back."

Wales won, and a record crowd of 47 000 celebrated.

Deans died a few years later of an appendix problem. His dying words were: "It was a try, you know."

3. 1978: New Zealand beat Wales 13-12 at Cardiff Arms Park
Referee: Roger Quittenton (England)

The 'Dive of Shame', the Welsh dubbed it. The player concern admits it. The referee says he saw something else.

Wales kicked four penalty goals and led 12-11 late on.

If you take a Grand Slam for touring teams to the UK and Ireland to mean beating the Four Home Unions, then this was the year New Zealand achieved that feat, but they came close to coming unstuck against Wales in the second of the four matches.

Andy Haden, the diver, enjoyed talking about the incident. He devoted a whole chapter to it in his autobiography 'Boots 'n All'. He and lock partner Frank Oliver were having problems in the line-outs and discussed ways of dealing with them.

Graham Mourie, the All Black captain, had first mentioned the possibility during a practice session and at an injury break Haden thought of it.

He writes: "I walked over to Graham Mourie, who was alongside the injured Doug Bruce, and said quietly in his ear, 'I'm going to dive - shall I?' He looked at me with a somewhat sideways glance, then smiled. That was good enough for me... I walked back to where Frank Oliver was waiting for the lineout, summoning his strength for one last effort, and told him what I had told Mourie. I saw a faint smile break through his deeply concentrating expression."

Bobby Windsor threw in. Haden, at No.4 in the line-out, dived out of the line-out as if shoved though Allan Martin had no interest in him.

Referee Roger Quittenton of England penalised Wales.

Afterwards, and forever after, Quittenton says that he penalised Geoff Wheel at No.2 for getting leverage off Oliver rather than for any incident involving Haden.

If you look at the pictures, you will see my arm is already up before Haden hits the ground.

At the dinner afterwards, J.P.R. Williams had said it was a brave decision but the correct one. I had asked for the lineout to be taken again because there was so much barging going on. I warned both sides not to do anything silly.

On the second throw, there was so much space (between the sets of forwards), I couldnt fail to see what happened. I had breakfast with Geoff the following morning and he was very upset. It was not until the Monday morning papers that an issue was made of it.

Brian McKechnie kicked the goal that won the match.

4. 1974: South Africa and the Lions drew 13-13 at Ellis Park
Referee: Max Baise (South Africa)

The great Lions side of Willie-John McBride cut a swathe through South African rugby and were 3-0 up in the four Test series.

Max Baise was the referee for that match. He prided himself on his in-goal decisions. He certainly got one wrong but the other is the subject of controversy.

The one he got wrong was awarding a try to Roger Utley after Chris Pope had clearly grounded the ball before Utley. The Lions' complaints were reserved for the second decision.

With time virtually over and the scores locked at 13-13 Fergus Slattery drove over the Springbok line with Peter Cronjé clinging to him. The referee decided that the ball was held up, awarded a five-metre scrum and blew the final whistle - to the intense fury of the lines, most vociferously expressed by Phil Bennett.

Baise said in 1985: "Slattery had the ball but it was on Cronjé's legs. He did not ground the ball."

Slattery said in 1985: "It's a question, basically, of did I or didn't I. The answer is simple. In the even years I say yes, and in the odd years, I say no."

5. 1976: South Africa beat New Zealand 15-14 at Ellis Park
Referee: Gert Bezuidenhout (South Africa)

South Africa led the series 2-1 against John Leslie's All Blacks.

The Springboks led 12-11 when a clever pass from All Black flanker Kevin Everleigh sent centre Bruce Robertson racing. He kicked ahead and was obstructed by his Bok namesake, fullback Ian Robertson. The ball went into the Springbok in-goal where the covering defence of Peter Whipp grounded it.

Referee Gert Bezuidenhout penalised Ian Robertson and the All Blacks' Bryan Williams kicked the penalty to make it 14-12.

That was not the end of it as South African fly-half Gerald Bosch goaled a line-out penalty and South Africa won the game.

Afterwards Danie Craven, president of the South African Rugby Board, said to the All Black manager, Noel Stanley: "It should have been a try, Noel. I am very sorry." And he said it in public in his speech.

6. 1981: France beat England 16-12 at Twickenham
Referee: Alan Hosie (Scotland)

France could win the Grand Slam. England, Grand Slam winners the year before, could not as Wales had beaten them two months earlier but they could share the Five Nations championship with France.

Marcus Rose, the England fullback who kicked all England's points on the day, kicked the ball into touch and on into the stand. Pierre Berbizier, the French scrumhalf, grabbed a spare ball and threw it in to Jean-Pierre Rives who set off for the goal-line. Rives passed to his flank mate Pierre Lacans who scored. Fly-half Guy Laporte converted.

The try gave France the win and the controversy arose because the quick throw-in needed to be taken with the same ball, untouched by people other than the thrower.

Legend has it that the ball which Rose kicked into touch had actually landed in the lap of Mickey Steele-Bodger, England player and great committee man, or then RFU President Dickie Jeeps, depending in which account you read.

England skipper Bill Beaumont admitted he was furious with the decision of Alan Hosie, later the Chairman of the Five Nations committee.

He wrote in his autobiography: "As we gathered behind the posts I said to the touch-judge, 'Go tell your mate Hosie that I know and more importantly, he knows that that try should not have been allowed because the French used the wrong ball.' I was furious but I joke about it with him now, although he has, to this day, never admitted that it was the wrong ball."

7. 1981: New Zealand beat South Africa 25-22 at Eden Park
Referee: Clive Norling (Wales)

It was one of the most dramatic Test of all time with the series between the two old rivals tied at 1-1 going into the Third, and final, Test. 

It took place under strained circumstances, anti-apartheid demonstrators chanted and a light plane flew overhead dropping protest leaflets and flour bombs, one of which knocked big All Black prop Gary Knight to the ground.

Bok winger Ray Mordt scored a hat-trick of tries for South Africa and in injury time the scores were tied at 22-all.

In the ninth minute of injury time, referee Clive Norling awarded a scrum to the Springboks, 12 metres inside their half and 18 metres in from touch. He then awarded a free kick against Bok hooker Robert Cockrell for having a foot up. Then he advanced the place 10 metres and changed it to a penalty on the grounds that the Boks were not back 10 metres.

All Black fullback Alan Hewson goaled the kick and ended the match.

There were disputes in three areas - the length of the injury time, the initial free kick and the reasons for the advance!

• Which refereeing controversies stick in your mind? The 1993 1st NZ v Lions Test? Andre Watson in the 2003 RWC Final?