Dawes slams N.Z. referees

Press, 19 October 1977, Page 40

Dawes slams N.Z. referees

By

RON PALENSKI,

NZPA staff correspondent

This year’s British Lions in New Zealand could have beaten every side they met by 30 points, according to the coach, Mr John Dawes.

Mr Dawes reaches his surprising conclusion and accuses New Zealand referees of bias in an interview in the first British book on the tour, published yesterday. Titled “Heroes to a Man,” the book has a magazine format and is mainly a pictorial record of the tour; apart from the five-page interview with Mr Dawes. He began by saying that this year’s tour was more successful than that of 1971, when he was captain — an opinion which may leave some of the All Blacks who arrive in Paris today a little bemused. Despite the fact the 1971

Lions won the series against New Zealand and the 1977 team lost, Dawes said this year’s side was more successful because it had to do without some of Britain’s best players, but nevertheless, more was expected of it. He said the Lions forwards this year were the best. The problem, however, was that the Lions could not convert the forward dominance into points on the board. “I thought the forwards were magnificent,” Dawes said, “having beaten every pack we met and played them off the park up to and after the first test, and yet we didn’t put points on the board. "Now If we had put the points on the board in the first 40 minutes we could have beaten every New Zea-

land team by 30 clear points.” Opposition teams were never in the game but got close because of a penalty or a Lion’s failure to find touch.

Mr Dawes also said there was a big difference between the standards of refereeing in 1971 and 1977. “In 1971 it was poor,” he said, “but we accepted it. In 1977 it was biased.” . He said referees ignored New Zealand offside play at line-outs, “including a former international referee, John Pring. It simply went un= penalised." “I saw Pring afterwards and I said: ‘Look, why didn’t you punish this?* The answer was typical — a shrug of the shoulders.” Mr Dawes said he did not

think foul play was a deliberate policy of the All Blacks. “I think that what happened was quite simply the pressures on the inindividual All Black and Lion, at that particular time. “I believe for example that Kevin Everleigh’s job in the second test was to nail Phil Bennett,” Dawes said, “which he did effectively. But I do not believe it was to nail Bennett at all costs. “Such were the pressures put on him bv this particular role that he might have overreacted. That is an individual weakness and it is not a premeditated plan and I do not believe there was premediation. “The basic reason for these incidents was the win at all costs attitude. I would never advocate a win at any cost.