‘Poor performance’ of Mike Adamson bashed by ex-referee who claims ‘I struggle to see the benefit in continuing with this official’ after Sharks-Munster debacle
Scottish referee Mike Adamson has been criticised for his performance last Saturday
Scottish referee Mike Adamson has been lambasted for his handling of last Saturday’s Sharks versus Munster quarter-final in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
A penalty shootout was needed to separate the sides in Durban after the match finished 24-all after extra time.
The contest ended in controversy with Munster furious about the gamesmanship used by Sharks during the shootout they won by six kicks to four. However, retired Irish referee Owen Doyle reckoned that Adamson wasn’t just lax during the shootout but all through the last-eight encounter.
So dire was Doyle’s verdict on Adamson that he couldn’t see the benefit in the URC continuing to use him. Despite this withering putdown, the Scottish whistler will be involved in this weekend’s semi-finals as he has been appointed as the television match official for the all-South African fixture featuring the Bulls and the Sharks in Pretoria.
Writing in his latest Irish Times refereeing column, Doyle lambasted the efforts of Adamson as the man in charge of the fractious Sharks-Munster quarter-final.
“Grumblings were heard on both sides of the equator when referee Mike Adamson was appointed,” he suggested.
“I don’t know why the URC insists on persevering with him. In my view, this was a poor performance, which was way below the standard required. When players from both teams frequently look perplexed, something is definitely wrong. I struggle to see the benefit in continuing with this official.”
“A despicable, unsporting attempt to distract Crowley…”
Moving on to the result-deciding penalty shootout, Doyle added: “Before Jack Crowley could prepare his second shootout kick, the previous kicker, Sharks’ Jaden Hendrikse, suddenly collapsed with apparent cramp. Conveniently, he fell beside the mark for the kick, successfully delaying the attempt.
“Adamson dealt with this as if the match was still going on. It was over and Hendrikse had no further part to play. The referee should have insisted he be removed immediately, rather than indulging him. Hendrikse even managed a sly wink at Crowley.
“The whole episode came across as unwelcome, unacceptable gamesmanship. It has rightly been widely condemned. An opportunity has presented itself to stand up for the game and sanction Hendrikse under misconduct laws, but don’t hold your breath. It was a despicable, unsporting attempt to distract Crowley.”
