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'Alex Sanderson slammed Wayne Barnes was not what I was doing'

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Alex Sanderson has taken issue with media headlines claiming that he slammed referee Wayne Barnes in the wake of last Friday’s Gallagher Premiership loss by Sale at Bristol. The Sharks lost out 32-15 at Ashton Gate and what the director of rugby said in the aftermath of a match where his team had two tries ruled out was construed as an attack on the veteran official, who was officiating in his 250th English league game

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Sanderson’s hot take in the immediate aftermath of the loss that left his team adrift in tenth place on the table was: “Any loss is a concern. I don’t see home and away as being any point of difference. It might influence the referee, and I think it might have tonight, maybe.

“He’s one of the world’s best, but I couldn’t fathom some of those decisions around the scrum. I would have to have another look because there are a lot of moving parts to it. I will have a look at it and go through the proper channels.”

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This view of Sanderson resulted in headlines such as ‘Alex Sanderson slams Wayne Barnes over scrum calls’, ‘Sale give referee Wayne Barnes a mauling over scrum calls’ and ‘Sanderson homes in on refereeing after Bristol regain form’. 

It’s the sort of negativity that could pique the interest of RFU officials who this week have called Northampton boss Chris Boyd and Jersey Reds coach Harvey Biljon to account for alleged prejudicial conduct relating to their comments on the match officials following recent games.

Sanderson hasn’t heard if his comments will land him in a spot of disciplinary bother but he admitted he was p****d off with the headlines they generated, insisting that he hadn’t slammed Barnes and might now have to be less forthcoming in his opinions for fear that they get misrepresented again by the media.

Asked by RugbyPass might he have heard from the RFU regarding what he had to say last weekend, Sale boss Sanderson said: “Not as yet because I didn’t slam him. I said, ‘I couldn’t fathom’. It’s not to say he got it wrong, it’s that I didn’t understand his decisions. You take that in whatever context and you write whatever headline you did but Alex Sanderson slammed Wayne Barnes was not what I was doing. 

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“Every coach in the land understands that an away fixture with an away crowd can influence officials and I said, ‘Officials’. It wasn’t insinuating Wayne Barnes because there were two tries there which were called by TMO and not Wayne Barnes yet for some reason, well it’s your job to sensationalise, isn’t it? 

“So I haven’t spoken to him [Barnes] yet. I will speak to him about it. I am still somewhat dumbfounded about some of those decisions but, like I said, I will speak to him. I spoke to him straight after the game and we agreed to catch up this week so that is on the agenda. I am not taking back what I said because what I said was the truth. 

“I am aware that you are not allowed to call officials directly about the decision making which I didn’t, it was about my understanding. If anything you can quote me about being a DoR who doesn’t understand the game well enough. I guess that is another way of writing headlines.”

Asked might it affect his general openness when discussing rugby with the media, Sanderson added: “It definitely opens my eyes moving forward to probably saying less, which I don’t think it should be about. I have always been pretty honest with you guys always and you generally write good stuff but that wasn’t the truth. so I am a little bit narked with how it came across. 

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“I am p****d off with how it came across because it wasn’t in that context and it has been sensationalised to create some headlines. But hey, it’s your job, isn’t it? That’s on me to say, not you guys.”

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J
Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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