Captain Sam Warburton has winning ways with the referees

Warren Gatland has revealed that a crucial component in his appointment of Sam Warburton as captain of the 2013 Lions was his ability to get on with referees.
The Lions head coach pinpointed the Welsh flanker’s handling of the controversial Aussie-Kiwi referee, Steve Walsh, during the Six Nations decider between Wales and England at the Millennium Stadium, as a prime example.
Gatland also cited Warburton’s rapport with Craig Joubert, the South African who will referee the second Test against Australia in Melbourne.
Gatland said: “I saw something happen in the Wales-England game when Sam wasn’t even captain. It was a big signal to me that either referees have been talking, or Walsh had respect for him. Walsh penalised Sam and allowed him to go to him three times to question that decision.”
Gatland continued: “ Walsh does not allow that from anybody – and there are only two or three players in the world that referees will allow to do that. It’s an ability that Sam has to communicate, and a rapport he creates with referees.”
Gatland said that it had helped to persuade him that Warburton should lead the Lions. “It really stuck in my mind from that game that this guy can do a job for us, and potentially have a positive influence for us because of his relationship with referees.
“We’ve had Craig Joubert on a number of occasions, and I think he’s got a really good relationship with Sam. Having spoken to Craig, I know he regards Sam as one of the best 7s in the world, and on a par with McCaw and Pocock at the breakdown. When a referee says that he likes refereeing Sam, has a good rapport with him and respects him as a player, they are easy decisions to make in terms of appointing him as captain.”
Joubert will be joined as a Lions refree by New Zealander Chris Pollock, who takes charge of the first Test in Brisbane, and France‘s Romain Poite, who will referee the third Test in Sydney.
Gatland added: “It’s about understanding referees, and that you will get different interpretations. The best example of dealing with that was the comment by Richie McCaw that he looks at the first 10 minutes, assesses how they’re going to referee the game, and then plays accordingly.”
Lions manager Andy Irvine lambasted modern refereeing trends for making a lottery of results. Asked whether the tourists would be seeking pre-match clarification from referees, the former Scotland and Lions flyer said such meetings highlighted the problem.
“Why should we have to have that meeting? The laws are quite simple. They should be consistent whether you are in the Southern Hemisphere, Ireland or France – but they are not.”
Irvine said: “We need a radical think on how we run the game, because one game in four or five probably goes to the wrong side because of goal-kicks, marginal interpretations from referees.”
NICK CAIN