Toyota Verblitz coach Steve Hansen signed off from Japanese club rugby with a withering assessment of the refereeing standards.
The World Cup-winning former All Blacks mentor confirmed his departure after the Verblitz lost their final match of the season to the Honda Heat.
Hansen, in his final press conference, did not hold back in his criticism of officials in Japan Rugby League One.
“The quality of the refereeing was poor and I felt sorry for the players,” Hansen said.
“In the first half, plays that should never have been allowed were permitted.
“In the second half, two tries were disallowed by the TMO and one of them was an unbelievable decision.
“I’m leaving the team so I’m going to say this now.
“I’m saying this because I care about Japanese rugby and the players,” Hansen added.
“Honestly, one of the biggest disappointments of my time in Japan is that the quality of refereeing doesn’t meet the standards of this tournament.”
GENIA: Japan stint sharpening Libbok for Boks
Hansen, who guided New Zealand to World Cup glory in 2015, joined Toyota as director of rugby in 2019 before taking on head coaching duties in 2024 alongside former All Blacks coach Ian Foster.
Despite boasting several high-profile current and former Test stars – including Springbok Pieter-Steph du Toit, Aaron Smith, Mark Tele’a and Beauden Barrett – Verblitz struggled to make an impact, finishing 10th and ninth in the past two seasons.
Foreign coaches and players in Japan Rugby League One have repeatedly questioned officiating standards in recent years.
Former New Zealand Test referee Paul Honiss currently serves as the Japan Rugby Football Union’s high-performance match official coach.
Foster will take over as Verblitz head coach from next season.
Photo: Toru Hanai/Getty Images
The post Hansen takes brutal parting shot at Japan refs appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
