My Life in Rugby with Steve Lander: ‘Controversy inevitable when you’re a referee’

The former international referee, who took charge of 18 tests from 1995 to 2003, talks about his life in the game

Centre stage: Steve Lander taking charge of the 2001 Bledisloe Cup match
PICTURE: Getty Images

During the build-up to my Test debut as a referee – Scotland’s win against Wales in the 1995 Five Nations – everyone was asking me if I was going to referee the game or go to the birth of my daughter, who was due at any point. Fortunately she was born on the Wednesday and the game was on the Saturday so I got to be at both.
I remember standing there at Murrayfield when the anthems w...

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