Leinster v Munster, URC Final Round, Sat. 21st May, 7:15pm, Aviva

[fourthirtythree]

Leinster v Munster

Aviva Stadium, Dublin – KO 19.15 IRE & UK / 20.15 ITA & SA
Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU, 62 nd league game)
AR 1: Peter Martin (IRFU) AR 2: Oisin Quinn (IRFU)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (IRFU)
Live on: TG4, Premier Sport, SuperSport & URC TV

There is going to be uproar in South Africa when they find out that a Munster Branch Ref (2016 Munster ref of the year and former Munster player) is in charge of this game.
It stinks to high heaven!

Didn't we have Jonker as TMO against Sharks, where is son plays? Don't think they can complain so much

Yeah we did and it was... not good. Not good at all.

So just like Frank Murphy then!

[D4surfer]

I love munsterfans. Someone pointing out that Frank Murphy is a former team mate of Leo at Leicester.

[curates_egg]

I love munsterfans. Someone pointing out that Frank Murphy is a former team mate of Leo at Leicester.

He must have played with some South African at Munster, Leicester or Connacht, so that solves it.

[curates_egg]

He also played with Graham Rowntree, if he played with Leo.

[Oldschoolsocks]

I love munsterfans. Someone pointing out that Frank Murphy is a former team mate of Leo at Leicester.

They’re gas

[wixfjord]

How do they allow this to happen with Murphy? It's an impossible position for him and undermines the credibility of the league.

[Hoofhearted]

Tough spot this for Munster. If they come fully loaded as expected and win against an under strength Leinster team its expected, if they lose to our second string.... where do they turn then?

[joooooe]

Tough spot this for Munster. If they come fully loaded as expected and win against an under strength Leinster team its expected, if they lose to our second string.... where do they turn then?

The fear is that they turn to the second string that just beat them.

[leinsterforever]

I'm sure he'll be professional about it, but I did groan when I saw his name. He's just not a very good ref. But hopefully he'll have one of his better games.

Anyone have the stats for Leinster's win/loss ratio with him in charge?

[blockhead]

There is going to be uproar in South Africa when they find out that a Munster Branch Ref (2016 Munster ref of the year and former Munster player) is in charge of this game.
It stinks to high heaven!

Didn't we have Jonker as TMO against Sharks, where is son plays? Don't think they can complain so much

Yeah we did and it was... not good. Not good at all.

So just like Frank Murphy then!

This is the 6th time in the last 9 Leinster-Munster games to have a Munster branch ref in the middle.
Seems to be a case of BYOR for Munster.

[D4surfer]

I'm sure he'll be professional about it, but I did groan when I saw his name. He's just not a very good ref. But hopefully he'll have one of his better games.

Anyone have the stats for Leinster's win/loss ratio with him in charge?

I'm open to correction but I think he has refereed Leinster 9 time. We have won only 4 so 44%. I would imagine that our overall win ratio over the same timeframe is around 80%.

[leinsterforever]

I'm sure he'll be professional about it, but I did groan when I saw his name. He's just not a very good ref. But hopefully he'll have one of his better games.

Anyone have the stats for Leinster's win/loss ratio with him in charge?

I'm open to correction but I think he has refereed Leinster 9 time. We have won only 4 so 44%. I would imagine that our overall win ratio over the same timeframe is around 80%.

Hmmm...

[RoboProp]

I'm sure he'll be professional about it, but I did groan when I saw his name. He's just not a very good ref. But hopefully he'll have one of his better games.

Anyone have the stats for Leinster's win/loss ratio with him in charge?

Woeful ref, the best refs IMHO are the ones whose names you only partially remember. They go about the job don't make any egregious decisions and let the game flow with minimal input. Frank Murphy ain't that ref

[roarlad]

I'm sure he'll be professional about it, but I did groan when I saw his name. He's just not a very good ref. But hopefully he'll have one of his better games.

Anyone have the stats for Leinster's win/loss ratio with him in charge?

He falls at nearly all of the classic referee failings:
- terrible at understanding the scrum
- ruck time (hands in ruck, off their feet, in at the side)
- yellow/red card inconsistency
- poor overall match management (as a result of the above, frustration creeps in, leads to lots of niggle, players policing the game as the referee has lost control)


Cardiff fans have an excellent resource here on referees, here's Frank's profile.. tells the story really.
https://www.cardiffrfcfans.com/analysis ... ereeID=420

If I was a betting man, I'd be backing yellow cards..

[Blueberry]

Ah come on, not Frank again, seriously !!!!!!!!

For FFS. People have paid good money to watch this, utter nonsense this league at times.

Can we charge them corkage for continually bringing their own ?

Time to role out Leo the Lion, the RDS announcer, couple of the lads who serve burgers and a few the programme sellers in our starting XV. We may as well make a mockery of it now.

This is a total joke and the saffers will be cheesed off as Murphy is gonna ref us off the park just so Peter doesn't have to endure 12 hour flights to SA and back. The power of Angry Face......

[leinsterforever]

Still though... at least it's not Fitzgibbon.

[Avenger]

This is a nothing game for us. Who care's who the ref is. Hopefully we have 5 more games this season and this one is by a long long way the least important.

[Avenger]

Still though... at least it's not Fitzgibbon.

[Hoofhearted]

Still though... at least it's not Fitzgibbon.

A truly awful Ref.

[Blueberry]

Still though... at least it's not Fitzgibbon.

small mercies, although it's taken years of therapy to erase him from my memory..........