England accuse ref of 'blatant bias' while springbok fans claim he 'hates south africa' - ruck

THE ABUSE OF REFEREES ONLINE HAS REACHED A FEVER PITCH, WITH SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS FACING LEGAL ACTION FOR TARGETING WAYNE BARNES DURING THE 2023 RUGBY WORLD CUP FINAL. While we won’t delve

into the darker side of things, it was amusing to see both English and South African fans rage at Andrew Brace on Saturday night. __ RUCK’s Autumn Nations Series coverage is proudly powered

by the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, dedicated to creating a world free of MND. Join the the fight against MND here. ENGLAND FANS FIRST: “BIAS? WHAT BIAS?” England fans led the charge. One

wrote: “Barely worth watching an England match when Andrew Brace is referee. Doesn’t even try and hide his bias.” Another asked, “Not saying he’s biased, but have England (or English teams)

ever won a high-profile game when Andrew Brace has refereed?” SOUTH AFRICAN FANS: “HE’S DEFINITELY PLAYING FAVOURITES” But wait—South African fans weren’t shy either. One supporter joked,

“Andrew Brace is doing his best for England like always.” While another took things further, claiming, “Andrew Brace HATES South Africa! He should never officiate a Springbok game, or any

URC game that involves a SA team!” THE TRUTH? HE’S ONLY HUMAN In reality, Brace got some calls right, some wrong—like every ref. He’s only human, after all. It’s time fans, like players,

respect referee decisions and get on with it. After all, none of us can keep up with the constantly changing World Rugby laws! EDITORS PICKS: FIVE ENGLAND PLAYERS STEVE BORTHWICK SHOULD DROP

– AND WHO SHOULD REPLACE THEM RUCK’s Autumn Nations Series coverage is proudly powered by the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, dedicated to creating a world free of MND. Join the the fight

against MND here. Here’s how each player fared, with ratings from multiple outlets: #1. FREDDIE STEWARD – HIGH BALL HERO, DEFENSIVE ZERO? AVERAGE RATING: 4.75/10 * EVENING STANDARD (5/10):

“Handed a first start this autumn due to his ability under the high ball, but struggled. Williams and Kolbe skinned him for their tries.” * TELEGRAPH (5/10): “Definition of sublime and

ridiculous. Left clutching thin air for both Grant Williams’ and Cheslin Kolbe’s tries and at one stage did a face plant. Also some brilliant high-ball takes.” * EXPRESS (4/10): “At fault

for tries by Kolbe and Williams as he endured a difficult return to starting line-up.” * RUGBY PASS (5/10): “Exposed defensively for two tries, despite strong aerial work.” REPLACEMENT: 

_George Furbank_ – He shouldn’t have been dropped in the first place. ------------------------- #2. ELLIS GENGE – THE GENGE ROLLERCOASTER AVERAGE RATING: 4.5/10 * EVENING STANDARD (5/10):

“Let Williams slip past him as the scrum-half went over for South Africa’s opening try. Improved after that, though, and was bright in the loose – but not at his best.” * EXPRESS (4/10):

“Scrum problems in first half, usual full-blooded commitment for an hour.” REPLACEMENT: _Fin Baxter_ – Genge’s leadership was strong, but a change may be needed in the tighthead role.

------------------------- #3. OLLIE LAWRENCE – HITS, MISSES, AND A BIT MORE OF THE SAME AVERAGE RATING: 5/10 * TELEGRAPH (5/10): “Barely used as a ball-carrier again. Put one huge hit on

Manie Libbok but also wasted a good attacking opportunity with a needless kick. Disappointing.” * PLANET RUGBY (5/10): “Solid in attack but caught out in defense, continuing the trend of

inconsistency.” * EXPRESS (5/10): “Hit hard and carried hard, but in this fixture that is a minimum requirement.” REPLACEMENT: _Alex Lozowski_ – Needs to step in to provide more stability

and spark in attack. ------------------------- #4. WILL STUART – SCRUM WOES AND PENALTY TROUBLES AVERAGE RATING: 4.5/10 * TELEGRAPH (4/10): “Difficult to overlook the succession of three

penalties, even if the third seemed harsh. Did get one back at the scrum in the second half.” * EXPRESS (5/10): “England again unable to build any sort of attacking platform from their scrum

against the mighty Boks.” REPLACEMENT: _Dan Cole_ – Still England’s best tighthead. ------------------------- #5. JACK VAN POORTVLIET – STRUGGLING TO FIND HIS RHYTHM AVERAGE RATING: 4.5/10

* EVENING STANDARD (5/10): “Shaky at times and repeatedly had his box-kicks charged down.” * PLANET RUGBY (5/10): “Never fully recovered from a shaky start, with multiple box kicks charged

down by du Toit and Etzebeth.” * EXPRESS (3/10): “First start in a long while and it showed. Repeatedly charged down at the base.” * TELEGRAPH (5/10): “Etzebeth made him his bunny, charging

him down twice in a hesitant early performance.” REPLACEMENT: _Ben Spencer_ – Should’ve been given more game time from the start.