WATCH: Assistant referee wins bizarre exchange with Bok hooker
Stormers and South Africa hooker Joseph Dweba and assistant referee Sam Grove-White made quite a strange bickering couple in the United Rugby Championship semi-final on Saturday.
The pair butted heads on the 32nd minute as the Stormers set up for a lineout. Dweba was about the throw the ball in when Grove-White told him to take a step to the side. Bizarrely, the hooker was in line with the Connacht lineout rather than his own, but he did not appreciate the assistant’s intervention.
The 27-year-old was repeatedly heard shouting “you’re coaching them” to the touch judge, as he battled to get Dweba to stand in the middle of the lineout. We are not entirely sure what level of coaching the Springbok has received throughout his career, but we are fairly surely that it is a step above correctly implemented the laws of the lineout, which is all Grove-White did. But the assistant made sure he was not going to be pushed around by a player, which is a good thing, and had to resort to standing in front of Dweba to prevent him from throwing the ball in.
It was an odd exchange between the two, but one where the referee fortunately prevailed. Had he not, it would have sent a pretty bad message.
Take a look at the mini battle:
“You coaching them” 😂 pic.twitter.com/QRqLoU2qrg
— DummySwitchPod (@DummySwitchPod) May 16, 2023
Dweba was clearly brimming with enthusiasm and passion on Saturday, as shown a couple of hours after the Stormers’ victory with his celebrations at the sight of Munster beating Leinster. Munster’s victory means the URC final will be played in Cape Town rather than Dublin had Leinster won.
“We’re gonna f*** them up,” were Dweba’s cries into the camera as the Stormers celebrated getting a home final. No doubt he will be on top form for the final as well.
Stormers squad reaction after the 2nd URC semi final
by u/Vandrg in rugbyunion
