Nations Cup

Nations Cup - Day Three

After a two-day break, taken up by a trip into downtown Toronto and the proverbial open-top bus tour around the city, it was back to work on Sunday.

Match day number three saw two touch-judging assignments (assistant referees for the purists out there) - USA v South Africa and France v Canada.
For the record, USA beat SA quite comfortably, although the game will be remembered for the SA's inability to listen to the referee and, if I'm honest, the inability to think for themselves.
Three yellow cards for failing to retreat 10m at a penalty in the attacking 22m was disappointing, but, try as she might, the referee could not get the SAs to listen. And they suffered for it.

The second game, though, threw up a shock result when France beat hosts Canada, who finished fourth at the World Cup in 2006.

And the second game saw a new record for me - a foul play flag less than two minutes in, but it didn't help that the comms broke down and the referee didn't get wind of the incident until the offending team where awarded a kickable penalty.

I wasn't flavour of the month on the hosts' bench, but then I wasn't the one who gave away a needless penalty less than 6ft from the TJ.

But it's all part of the fun and, as they say, the learning curve of officiating.

Another match day done and dusted - it's time for a well-earned pint.