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Ugly scenes as officials jeered following Super Rugby Pacific final
By Ian Cameron
Booing by fans following the final whistle has marred the Super Rugby Pacific final in which the Crusaders celebrated a remarkable seventh consecutive title with a 25-20 victory over the Chiefs.
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The win not only marked the end of an era of rugby union domination but also signaled the departure of coach Scott Robertson to the All Blacks. However, the jubilant atmosphere was overshadowed by a section of angry Chiefs fans who resorted to booing, targeting the match referee and officials in particular.
The booing could be heard around the FMG Stadium Waikato when Ben O’Keeffe, Angus Gardner, and Nic Berry approached the stage to collect an award before the trophy presentation. Instead of applause, they were met with jeers and boos from disgruntled Chiefs supporters. The hostility extended beyond the officials, as even Crusaders hooker Codie Taylor faced a similar reception when he spoke to reporters on the sideline immediately after the victory over the PA system.
Chiefs fans booing the match officials at the Super Rugby trophy presentation…..#SuperRugby #SuperRugbyPacificFinal #CHIvCRU pic.twitter.com/u1VbkaNEzt
— Philip Bendon (@PBendon) June 24, 2023
The reasons behind the fans’ outburst was apparently in response to O’Keeffe’s refereeing of the game in which the Chiefs were heavily penalised on occassion. While it is worth noting that emotions can run high in competitive sports, particularly during intense rivalries such as this final encounter, it made for an ugly post-match atmosphere.
Codie Taylor booed? #SuperRugbyPacificFinal pic.twitter.com/ndi0jYtyWN
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 24, 2023
While the behavior of a few disgruntled fans tarnished the post-match celebrations, it should not overshadow the remarkable achievement of the Crusaders. Their dominance over the past seven years is a testament to a remarkable era for the Christchurch based franchise.
As a Chiefs fan at the game and yes also one who booed the ref I must say it was right. We saw a good game ruined by very poor officiating.
An example of that is the obvious forward pass (at least 4 meters forward) seen by many at the game and then on the big screen replay. There was a lot of booing then and yet ALL officials still somehow missed it and still failed to check the replay. Crusaders scored a try and still no one bothered to check. Disgraceful.
But well done Crusaders.
As a south africa rugby fan the way the Nz teams go off their feet and in from the side was astonishing,the ref had a bad game but that was all-round,if u guys are not going to sort it out the northern ref's are going to kill u guys with the penalty count like we received when we went north,I also believe the ref's in Nz favor the crusaders like they did with the Bulls in their hay day.
Chiefs get W
Ben is booked
We seem to be slipping into whinging when Ardie Savea insists publicly “I definitely scored it Bro.” No you didn’t. Check the scorebook. Then his coach says “You never get the 50/50 calls in Canberra. One I saying the ref is wrong the other (now an All Black coach )says the officials are cheats.
I hope NZRU and Scott Robertson have a Please Explain in place.
Rugby dynasty’s are based around great lock forwards. The Blues acknowledged that Luke Romano was their biggest loss this year. Whitelock and Scott Barrett have been magnificent in the finals. Committed inspirational and intelligent. I just hope that Sam and Brodie have enough left for the World Cup
Well the crusaders showed the guts to win but as usual when you play them your playing against the officials there definitely take over Auckland as the most hated team in NZ well dunn. Hopefully next year you get what's coming
Having read the comments that have been posted I am appalled at the criticism of the ref, there is always decisions that will go either way viewed by whichever supporter, the thing that concerns me most on this blog is the appalling language voiced by Isaac. Surely you could use some moderated language when posting on a public forum such as this. Or maybe your education doesn't go as far as using other descriptive passages to get your message across. The Crusaders were the better side on the day and that is that. The Chiefs have been probably the best side for this years comp but on this day they didn't get the chocolates.
well thats sad sure the players made mistakes as well and the match offical watching the gameon tv should point out things as well. thought kirsty stanway gave samc ane to much time a the preserntation. the crusaders made less mistakes
Lack of class booing Cody Taylor. Refs? Well, they're always fair game aren't they lol?