Month: September 2019

A win for Ernesto Valverde’s side against the relegation-threatened Valencians will wrap up the title with three games to spare

With just four games left to go in the 2018-19 La Liga season, Barcelona are playing for the title as they host Levante at Camp Nou on Saturday.

Ernesto Valverde’s side lead Atletico Madrid by six points heading into the weekend while also enjoying a better head-to-head record, meaning that a win will put them in an unassailable position at the summit.

With the potential of a treble still alive thanks to their Copa del Rey final berth and place in the semi-finals of the Champions League, Lionel Messi and company look set to reap major success once again this year.

Their visitors however are still embroiled in their own battle near the bottom of the table for survival and Paco Lopez will be determined to see his side preserve their top flight status with a potential upset.

Game	Barcelona vs Levante
Date	Saturday, April 27
Time	7:45pm BST / 2:45pm EST
Stream (US)	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

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In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with  fuboTV (7-day free trial).

New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.

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US TV channel	Online stream
beIN SPORTS CONNECT	fubo TV (7-day free trial)

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on ITV 4 and will be available to stream on the Eleven Sports channel.

UK TV channel	Online stream
ITV 4	Eleven Sports

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Position	Barcelona squad
Goalkeepers	Ter Stegen, Cillessen
Defenders	Semedo, Lenglet, Jordi Alba, Pique, Vermaelen, Umtiti, Sergi Roberto
Midfielders	Busquets, Coutinho, Vidal, Alena, Arthur
Forwards	Messi, Dembele, Malcom, Suarez

Barcelona starting XI: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Arthur, Busquets, Vidal, Coutinho; Dembele, Suarez.

Position	Levante squad
Goalkeepers	Oier, Koke, Fernandez
Defenders	Cabaco, Rober, Benito, Chema, Coke, Vezo
Midfielders	Jason, Rochina, Campana, Bardhi, Tono, Prcic, Vukcevic, Samu Garcia
Forwards	Roger, Morales, Mayoral, Simon, Dwamena, Boateng

Levante starting XI: Fernandez, Coke, Vezo, Pier, Luna, Campana, Vukcevic, Jason, Rochina, Simon, Mayoral.

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Barcelona are the odds-on favourites at 1/4 with bet365 to take the three points. Levante are available at 10/1 while a draw is 11/2.

Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

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The last few weeks of the 2018-19 La Liga season are well and truly in sight and Barcelona look all but set to make it another domestic crown as they continue their domination over Spanish football’s high table.

With a six point lead and 12 to play for across the final four games at the top of the table, coupled with a superior head-to-head record against their title rival, the Blaugrana are all but certain to become champions once again.

In fact, they can make it official against Levante, providing that they are able to match Atletico Madrid’s result, with Diego Simeone’s side beating Valladolid earlier in the day.

A win would see Ernesto Valverde’s team retain a their nine-point advantage with three games to go, confirming them as victors for another campaign.

With a potential treble still on the table too, thanks to Copa del Rey and Champions League prospects, the tail-end of the season is looking promising for fans and players alike.

They will still have to overcome Paco Lopez’s side however, with the visitors determined to both avenge a hefty defeat earlier from last December while also giving their survival hopes a shot in the arm.

Levante sit three points and three places clear of the relegation zone ahead of the latest round of fixtures, though their chances of an upset remain more of a footnote with the impending plaudits destined for their hosts.

Key figures at Barca have contrasting emotions over how they would best like to emerge with the title, with midfielder Carles Alena stating that he would like to lift it in front of a home crowd.

“I would like to win the league on Saturday at the Camp Nou and be able to celebrate with our fans,” the 21-year-old spoke earlier this week.

Valverde however was less concerned with the date and time providing his side prevails, stating: “I love this question because if they do it to me in August and I would say however and whenever.

“The truth is that I do not care where I become champion.”

The last time these two sides met in the top flight, a Lionel Messi hat-trick inspired Barca to a 5-0 demolition of their hosts, with Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique also finding their way onto the scoresheet in a game that saw Erick Cabaco pick up a late red card.

The Ajax captain refused to be drawn on speculation linking him with a move to Camp Nou

Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt said “there is nothing to announce” following speculation linking him with reigning La Liga champions Barcelona.

De Ligt – who is certain to leave Ajax at the end of the season according to head coach Erik ten Hag – is one of the most sought-after defenders in Europe, where Barca are among the clubs reportedly interested.

Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu refused to rule out a move for the 19-year-old Netherlands international in an interview during the week.

After scoring the winning goal as Ajax shocked Juventus 2-1 on Tuesday to reach the Champions League semi-finals 3-2 on aggregate, De Ligt was tight-lipped on his future.

Asked when he would announce his transfer to Barca, De Ligt replied: “Announce? There is nothing to announce.”

When the reporter pushed him further, a smiling De Ligt said: “We’re in the semi-finals of the Champions League and we’re first in the league. That’s enough to play for.”

The teenage centre-back’s midfield team-mate and international compatriot Frenkie de Jong, 21, has already agreed a move to Barcelona at the end of the season, and De Ligt is widely expected to follow in his footsteps.

The Eredivisie side have proven their worth against a clutch of top teams in Europe so far, playing some scintillating football along the way.

They recorded two entertaining draws with Bayern Munich in the group stages and knocked reigning champions Real Madrid out in the last 16 before their recent triumph in Italy.

De Ligt and Ajax will face either Tottenham or Premier League holders Manchester City in the semi-finals of the competition as they bid to reach the final in Madrid, where a meeting with Barcelona is distinctly possible.

The Catalan giants eased past Manchester United 3-0 at home to record a 4-0 aggregate victory and earn themselves a spot in the last four, where they will face either Porto or Liverpool. The Reds hold a 2-0 advantage from the first leg and are widely expected to advance.

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The Reds’ under-18 captain reflects on his injury hell and his unusual family history ahead of this week’s final with Manchester City

Training rhythms mean Jurgen Klopp is unlikely to make it to the FA Youth Cup final, but Germany will be strongly represented nonetheless.

For Paul Glatzel, captain of Liverpool’s under-18 side, this is the biggest night of his career. A showpiece occasion, in front of a capacity crowd, with silverware on the line. Throw in the fact that it’s Manchester City who stand in the way, and that the game will be played on their home turf, and you have the makings of a very special evening indeed.

“Everyone is buzzing,” says the 18-year-old, who in February signed his first professional contract with Liverpool. “It’s a big tournament, one you look at and want to be part of.

“If we were to win it, it would be unbelievable.”

Glatzel, like many within Barry Lewtas’ side, has been at Liverpool since the age of six – ‘pre-Academy’, they call it here.

As the surname suggests, however, there’s a little more to his story than most.

His parents, Peter and Julia, are from the city of Bochum, in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany. They came to England looking for work, and initially planned to stay for just a year. The arrival of Paul – pronounced ‘Powell’ – in 2001 meant they made it a permanent home. Paul was born in Liverpool, the family have settled in Parbold, near Wigan, since.

“It’s just me and my parents in England,” says Glatzel. “Everybody else is in Germany so I go back quite a lot to see family. Germany is quite a big part of our family, and I will have a few people over to watch on Thursday. They’re looking forward to it.”

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Glatzel, a strong, left-footed forward with the ability to both create and score goals, has represented England as a schoolboy and more recently Germany at under-18 level, but smiles when asked if he has made a decision on where his senior international future may lie.

“I’ll just focus on club football and see where that takes me first,” he says. “And if I have a decision to make in the future I’ll have to make it then.”

If he continues to play as he has this season, you suspect, then that decision will need to be made sooner rather than later. Glatzel’s form has been remarkable, with 28 goals for Liverpool’s under-18, under-19 and under-23 sides. He’s already trained at Melwood with Klopp’s senior squad, and on Thursday could lift the most prestigious trophy in English youth football.

“It’s been everything to me, really,” he says, unable to contain a smile. “In pre-season I was thinking to myself that I just need to keep fit and play as many games as I can. That was my aim.

“To then play games, captain the team and score goals and assist goals and help the team as much as I have, it’s a great feeling. But it is all about the team.”

Glatzel’s story is made all the more impressive by the two years which preceded this one, when his entire career was threatened by injury.

“It was tough,” he says. “I had a hamstring injury at under-16s which went from January to the end of the season.

“Then I was on my way back and then broke my leg, which then put me out for the start of the next season, my first year as a scholar.

“Then I had niggles throughout that season, so I didn’t play as much under Steven [Gerrard] as I would have liked, which was obviously tough because he’s a legend and a role model.

“To not be able to play under him as much as I would have liked was quite tough mentally. But I seem to have come through it quite well, and I think it has shaped me into the player I am.

“Mentally it has helped a lot to know you can overcome those things.”

Glatzel admits there were times when he wondered if his luck was out, but speak to anyone at Liverpool’s Academy – or indeed Gerrard – and they will tell you the faith in his talent and character was always absolute. Lewtas is among his biggest fans, while under-23s coach Neil Critchley has spoken of his “rock solid” mentality.

“The support I had from the staff was great,” Glatzel says. “They were basically telling me that they know what I’m capable of and they know that, when I get back from injury, they believe that I will be able to get back to the same ability that I was before.

“They just told me to focus on my rehab, to get stronger and use it as an advantage in the gym, to be able to come back bigger and stronger.”

He’s done just that. Lewtas had no hesitation making him captain when taking over from Gerrard last summer, and his faith has been rewarded. Glatzel’s partnership with Bobby Duncan, which has yielded 59 goals so far, has been the feature of the season, as far as the under-18s are concerned.

“We both like to score goals but at the end of the day it’s all about the team,” he says. “We both see that, so there is no rivalry.

“We work for the team, all the players work for the team, and it doesn’t matter who scores as long as we are creating chances and winning games.”

He laughs when asked to compare himself to the more extrovert Duncan: “I think I’m a bit more reserved! He likes his social media and all that, but he’s a good lad. We all like him here, we’re mates as well.”

As for Thursday, Glatzel knows a tough test lies in wait. Liverpool beat City when the sides met in the league in October – Duncan scored – but the rivalry between the two teams is fierce, even at this age.

“I think what’s happening with the first-teams gives it an extra edge,” he says. “They are fighting for titles, and we want to be emulate what they are doing. It gives us that push to win titles as well.

“We will be prepared, we will be ready. We want this.”

The Burnley boss says there was little to a clash between players and coaches following his side’s draw with the Blues

Sean Dyche played down an incident at the end of Burnley’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea as both teams saw coaches collide in a post-match confrontation.

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri was sent off in stoppage time, prompting what ended up being a hot-blooded ending to the match with a melee on the pitch between both sets of players.

The incident boiled over  after the match, as players and coaching staff from both clubs came close to trading blows after the final whistle.

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But Dyche played down the incident after the match, saying there was little to it.

“I was over clapping our fans…There was something going off on the edge of the pitch when I turned round, but then it went off in the tunnel,” Dyche said.

“But handbags, bumbags, manbags… I don’t know what you’re allowed to say in this day and age. But bags of some kind, that’s all.”

Dyche and Burnley were criticized after the match, with David Luiz labeling their style as “anti-football” following the frustrating draw.

Chelsea enjoyed 77 per cent possession on the day, firing 22 shots to Burnley’s six while also completing three times as many passes.

And Dyche wasn’t worried about Luiz’s assesment, instead pointing to the fact that Burnley scored the two goals needed to seal a point.

“They can have whatever opinion they want. Everyone is allowed an opinion. If we could afford the players they have, I’d love – all managers – to play 600 pass football and win all the time,” he said.

“But it’s simply not that easy. You have to do what you do to win and be successful. Look at the amount of players we’ve developed, the diligence of the group, where the players have come from to play in the Premier League… You have to enjoy the moment, and we certainly enjoyed the moment.

He added: Well, for a £58m wage bill, making the most of the players to find a way to get 40 points in the Premier League, I’m pretty pleased to be fair. 28 points from 16 games: you can’t do that with anti-football.

“You have to play some football to get that many points. We’re in a super strong position, but you work on facts. We know it’s a big marker, 40 points, but we have to see it through.”

Meanwhile, Dyche also took aim at Sarri, saying the Italian boss repeatedly encroached on his technical area.

Sarri’s assistant, Gianfranco Zola, played mediator, having developed a relationship with Dyche after replacing him at Watford in 2012.

“I know Zola a bit, a fantastic fella, and I’ve always got on with him,” Dyche said.

“He said at half-time [Sarri is] not quite getting it. I said he was going over into my box. He just said he didn’t quite get the reality of it – they’re bigger in Italy. Okay. He’s been here a while, mind. I said fine and accepted it.

“I don’t think the coaches’ language skills are that good. It wouldn’t have been a deep conversation. Woany’s [assistant-coach Ian Woan] from the Wirral.”

Pedro Aldave claims his client has emerged as a transfer target for the Liga giants, with the summer market set to reopen at the end of May

Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen striker Lucas Alario, according to his agent Pedro Aldave.

The Argentine moved to the Bundesliga from River Plate in 2017 and quickly adapted to the rigours of a top European league, contributing nine goals and four assists during his debut season at Bay Arena.

Alario, 26, has been a key member of the Leverkusen squad once again this term, notching 11 goals in 34 appearances across all competitions.

Peter Bosz’s side are still in contention for a place in next season’s Champions League, sitting fifth in the table on goal difference behind Eintracht Frankfurt.

Alario has found himself on the fringes of the starting XI recently and his future at the club is unclear amid ongoing transfer rumours.

 Aldave revealed in an interview with La Pagina Millionaria Radio that his client is on Atletico’s radar, stating: “There are several prospects for Alario from Spain, one of which is Atletico Madrid.”

Atletico are reportedly on the lookout for a new frontman due to the struggles of Nikola Kalinić and Diego Costa over the last 11 months, with Alvaro Morata’s future still up in the air after his arrival on loan from Chelsea.

Antoine Greizmann has shouldered the goalscoring burden for Diego Simeone’s men on his own for much of the year, as Los Rojiblancos have slipped out of contention for silverware.

Alario remained coy on speculation when quizzed by reporters at the end of April, as he said: “I want to give everything to the team and I’m very happy to be here. In June, you’ll see how things go on.” 

The Argentina international is contracted to remain with Leverkusen until 2022 and he hit a brace during his last outing, helping the team secure a stunning 6-1 win over Frankfurt on Sunday.

The German giants host Schalke in their penultimate game of the 2018-19 campaign on Saturday, before taking in a trip to Hertha Berlin on the final day.

Atletico, meanwhile, will be looking to consolidate second place in La Liga with wins against Sevilla and Levante over the next fortnight.

 

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The midfielder has been an integral part of the club’s season this year but could be forced to miss out against the Serie A side with injury

Frenkie de Jong remains doubtful for Ajax’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Juventus, says Erik ten Hag.

De Jong limped out of an Eredivisie defeat of Excelsior due to a hamstring injury but was included in Ajax’s travelling squad for the trip to Turin.

The Barcelona-bound midfielder’s agent Ali Dursun insisted De Jong’s substitution was a precaution, telling De Telegraaf that he would be fit.

But Ten Hag cast doubt on De Jong’s ability to face Juve when he appeared at a pre-match news conference on Monday.

“De Jong is still in doubt,” said the Ajax coach. “After tonight’s training, we will see.

“The fact that he is not training yet is not decisive in terms of whether he will play. We don’t test it that way.

“We live hour by hour, day by day. We are willing to take a responsible risk.

“Frenkie has to listen carefully to his body and ultimately I make the decision. We are in a positive way.”

The tie is finely poised at 1-1 after David Neres struck to cancel out Cristiano Ronaldo’s headed opener in the first leg.

In the last round, Ajax lost 2-1 at home to Real Madrid before stunning the three-time defending champions at the Santiago Bernabeu with a 4-1 victory.

“Juve are the favourites, especially after the Amsterdam result,” Ten Hag said. “If we play well, we can overcome any limit.

“[Massimiliano] Allegri is very knowledgeable and has certainly thought of a different way to approach this game compared to last week. We need to improve our tactical plan.”

Nicolas Tagliafico misses out through suspension, but Ten Hag was unwilling to give Allegri any clues as to who could replace the left-back, or which player could be tasked with marking Ronaldo.

“[Noussair] Mazraoui can play there, but so can [Daley] Sinkgraven,” Ten Hag added. “We can also move [Daley] Blind. We are not going to put a permanent man on Ronaldo – we will never do that.”

Ajax’s season is about more than the Champions League at this stage as well, with the club currently joint-top of the Eredivisie with PSV on 70 points.

The last time they triumphed in the league was back in 2014.

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Brumbies cult hero Josh “Bongo” Mann-Rea has re-signed with the Brumbies until the end of 2019.

A late bloomer if there ever was one, the 36-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down this season and has been duly rewarded with a two-year extension.

The two Test hooker made his debut against the Rebels in 2013 and served as a perennial understudy to Stephen Moore.

But Moore’s return to Ballymore this year has paved the way for Mann-Rea, who has been one of the first picked in Stephen Larkham’s team each week.“I am pleased to be able to extend my deal with the Brumbies,” Mann-Rea said.

“My time at the club has been memorable and I still feel I have a lot to offer the franchise.

“I felt that I have played some good rugby this season and am looking forward to repeating that next year.

“We have a strong culture at this club and have some exciting young talent coming through.

“I am delighted that I will be able to play my part in helping to mentor the up-and-coming Brumbies.”Larkham said Mann-Rae was a “stalwart” of the club that would provide invaluable experience for a Brumbies group short on Wallaby stars.

“Josh brings a lot of experience to the squad and is a real leader of the group,” Larkham said.

“He has been a stalwart of the franchise for several years now and has always given a fully committed performance.

“His will and determination are well known and he leads by example from the front.

“Hooker is a tough position to play and Josh’s experience in that role and his desire to keep on getting better and improving year-on-year are admirable qualities and the Brumbies are fortunate to have secured his signature.”

The Brumbies have also named a youthful squad led by Aidan Toua and Jarrad Butler for their tilt at the Mauritius World Club Tens.

The coaching staff have identified several club players from Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra that have been selected to play next weekend, along with a handful of Brumbies U20s players.

SQUAD

Brumbies squad for the Mauritius Tens

Charlie Hancock (Uni-Norths Owls)

Samuel Thomas (Tuggeranong Vikings)

David Bennett (Uni-Norths Owls)

Angus Wagner (Tuggeranong Vikings)

Oscar Cunningham (Gungahlin Eagles)

Brodie Leber (Westerns Districts Lions)

Darcy Swain (Tuggeranong Vikings)

Joshua Fenner (Queanbeyan Whites)

Issak Fines-Leleiwasa (Sunnybank)

Jackson Duffey (Gungahlin Eagles)

Len Ikitau (Tuggeranong Vikings)

Jamie Kotz (Gungahlin Eagles)

Joshua Turner (Manly)

Ben Johnston (Royals Rugby Club)

Jarrad Butler

Aidan Toua

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Coastal Sharks and Springboks fly-half Patrick Lambie is unlikely to play again this year because of recurring concussion injuries, his provincial team said Tuesday.

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The 26-year-old had been expected to challenge Elton Jantjies and Handre Pollard for the No. 10 jersey in the three-match Test series against France, which ended last weekend.

But a second concussion injury this year ruled him out as the resurgent Springboks completed a 3-0 whitewash over Les Bleus.

Pollard was also injured before the Tests, leaving Jantjies to play a star role as South Africa got back on the winning trail after a calamitous eight-loss 2016 season.
Lambie was sidelined by concussion in a Super Rugby clash with the Australian Waratahs this season and again during a match against fellow South African side Southern Kings.

“We are in the hands of the medical experts, but it seems unlikely that Patrick will play again this year,” said Sharks chief executive and former Springboks skipper Gary Teichmann.

“It is very sad that our captain cannot play, but the matter is with the concussion experts and it looks like Patrick must take a long rest from rugby.

“We can only hope that he will fully recover after a long break, and we leave the matter in the hands of the professionals.”

Lambie landed a monster penalty kick to give South Africa victory over arch foes New Zealand in Johannesburg three seasons ago — the last time they beat the All Blacks.

Frustrated by the amount of attacking ball they gave away against the Highlanders, the Reds won’t be making the same mistake against the Waratahs.

Queensland captain Scott Higginbotham was exasperated after the 18-15 loss, summing up the mood of the fanbase in saying his side did everything they could to lose the match.

It was hard to argue with him after the Reds halves, in particular, kicked the ball away with reckless abandon, sacrificing several opportunities with the match on the line in the second half.

Coach Brad Thorn has responded by pushing Hamish Stewart back to flyhalf and handing Moses Sorovi his first start, with the directive to keep ball in hand.

“It’s obvious to see when you’re off the field where those opportunities are when we’ve got the ball and a decent opportunity to attack from, we give it away,” Higginbotham said.

“That’s more frustrating for someone who’s not on the field than it is for the boys who are on there.“That’s something we have talked about training and as we are doing the 15 on 15 attacking stuff.”

Stewart steered the team to an upset win over the Lions in his only start at 10 this season and while he brings a fresh look to the team’s attack, he will also be a valuable commodity in front line defence.

“He’s a strong footballer and I think with both Jono and Hamish you get that same element of defence,” Higginbotham said.

“Which, in a Super Rugby team, you don’t often see these days.

“When you’re defending your line to get Hamish out of the 1-2-3 next to the ruck, you have to actually drag him out.

“It’s good to have that mongrel in a game controller like that.”The Waratahs have won the last eight starts against the Reds – the average winning margin a whopping 19 points.

But Queensland were mighty unlucky not to break that streak in the corresponding fixture at Suncorp Stadium last year, another outing in which the Reds were outsmarted late.

That’s no longer good enough, according to Higginbotham, who demanded a big result against Queensland’s oldest enemy.

“For older blokes like me who have played NSW a number of times you have that win-loss record,” he said.

“But at this point in our season and where we’re at, we’re looking to get results.

“That’s what we need to achieve this week.”

It’s one of the high points of his career but Angus Gardner would love nothing more than if the Super Rugby final came and went without people remembering he was ever there.

Along with Wallabies flanker Pete Samu, the 33-year-old referee will be one of two Australians on the field when the Crusaders take on the Lions in the Super Rugby decider in Christchurch.

With 15 Tests under his belt, Gardner has progressed past his former status as rising star of the whistleblowing ranks but the final will still be a significant milestone for the Sydneysider – and Australian refereeing in general.

The last Aussie to handle the Super Rugby decider was Wayne Erickson way back in the competition’s inaugural season of 1996, when the Blues beat the Sharks.

The fact SANZAR used neutral referees for many years may have worked against more appointments but no Aussie had been deemed worthy since 2008, when the organisation moved to merit-based system. 

Until Gardner. 

“To do these games is a massive honour really,” Gardner told RUGBY.com.au.

“You just pinch yourself and think wow, I am involved at the important part of the tournament with great players and it’s just a massive honour really. It’s very humbling.

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“‘Gus’ (Erickson) and his era really led the way as far as refereeing went, back in the day. It has been a while between drinks but we’ve got great young guys coming through and that is a testament to the program we have got with refereeing in Australia and the hard work put in there.”

Gardner’s appointment is a firm endorsement by SANZAAR for the Australian after time in the spotlight in June, when his controversial decision to red card Frenchman Benjamin Fall early in the second Test against New Zealand was later deemed “wrong” by the World Rugby-appointed indepedennt judiciary.

But Gardner appeared to be the right ref for the right time for SANZAAR after the organisation recently responded publicly to fans’ frustrations with excessive TMO use.

After reaching a peak of ridiculousness with Sunwolves’ flanker Ed Quirk sent off for a “love tap” punch against the Reds, SANZAAR boss Andy Marinos issued a release saying the TMO protocol was “clearly not working” and in need of official change by World Rugby.

A few days later Gardner reffed the change anyway with an instinctive, old-school performance in the Waratahs-Highlanders quarter-final, and he’d done much the same thing a week earlier in the Tahs-Brumbies game. Compared to many his season, both matches flowed and fan feedback was positive.

Gardner says referees were pleased to get the public backing of SANZAAR that the TMO should be only called upon “for the big ticket items”.

“The influence of the TMOs, it is kind of driven on a case-by-case basis, and it is really the responsibility of the on-field referee to lead in terms of the referral process and what we actually want to have a look at,” he said.

“I don’t think too much changed, to be fair, for me (in the Waratahs-Highlanders game). 

“It was good having SANZAAR come out and support that we are really only looking for the big ticket items. To be fair, at finals time the fans and people watching the game, we don’t want the game slowed down. 

“They have come to see a flowing game and I suppose that’s where us as referees want to fit in, really; making sure we are getting the things that matter in the game and not bogging the game down unneccesarily for minor things that happen as part of the game, and that people accept as part of the game.”

Gardner, who moved into refereeing as a teenager after being diagnosed with diagnosed with Scheuremann’s Disease (a hereditary disc condition), carries no baggage from the June All Blacks-France series and the red-card reversal by the judicial panel.

“I think when people are aware we are independent of each other and we do different jobs, it makes it easier to put in perspective,” Gardner said. 

“We have to make a decision out there with five or six camera angles, in the heat of the moment, and the judiciary have 30-plus camera angles in a completely different environment to review it. 

“To be fair, the challenge in the air in that Test match, it’s an area of the game that is so dynamic and there are so many factors and mitigating factors that go into those things.

“Sometimes as referees we just have to make a call on the field with what we see and we can’t worry about if the judiciary will have a different opinion.”

Gardner hopes there is no need for TMO intervention or the judiciary in the Super Rugby final, and that his sole job will be to facilitate a cracking game of footy.

But don’t mistake that desire for a soft touch. Sometimes a ref is needed to make sure the playing field stays level.

“People are coming to see the players and to see the teams play. I suppose you see your role as a facilitator and hopefully the teams play in a manner that enables you to do just do that,” Gardner said.

“Obviously, there are games and have been games in the past where the teams haven’t neccesarily come to play so you do have to get in there and make some calls. 

“But mate, for me to not be in the spotlight at all and no-one mention my name, that’d be ideal.”