NZ Rugby referees boss Bryce Lawrence is pleased with the officiating over the first few rounds of Super Rugby Pacific, but concedes they have to own their mistakes on the field.
Refereeing has again come under the spotlight, with the Highlanders disputing some late calls that went against them in their loss to the Blues last week.
But Lawrence tells Newshub the opening few rounds have been impressive, although referees must continue to put their hands up for their errors.
"Some things have really pleased me," says Lawrence. "I think there's been some cracking games and some close games.
"We've made a concentrated effort to own as much of the stuff on the field as we can between the refs and the assistant referees."
Before the Super Rugby Pacific season began, officials laid out a series of initiatives to help speed up the game - a major one was less reliance on the Television Match Official.
Lawrence feels they've managed to do that well so far.
"We're only using the TMO, on average, once a game, which is massive for us," he says. "It shows a real commitment to getting our work-rate up, and being brave and owning stuff.
"The game's been kept moving as much as possible, that's a real positive"
Lawrence also urges patience, as ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks disrupt build-ups for referees, as well as all Kiwi franchises.
"I think, when the games don't go perfect, we do need to reflect that we're in pretty unusual times at the moment, and everyone's trying their best on sometimes late and very disrupted preparation." he says.
All in all, Lawrence is a happy referees boss five weeks into the Super Rugby Pacific season.
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