Rohan Hoffmann and Vinny Munro have paid the price for their contentious decisions in Super Rugby round 14, the Australian referee and the New Zealand television match official demoted for the round 15 fixtures.

Hoffmann has been named as one of two assistant referees in the Western Force-Highlanders clash in Perth after his decisions in the Waratahs-Sharks fixture at Allianz Stadium were described by ESPN columnist Greg Growden as "baffling" and "odd". "The crowd didn't know whether to laugh or jeer," Growden wrote on Monday. "They did both."

Munro, the TMO in the Hurricanes-Chiefs game at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, has not been appointed any game in round 15 after he came under fire for his knock-on ruling in the 78th minute that denied the Chiefs a potential match-winning try. Glenn Jackson, who whistled the Hurricanes-Chiefs game, has also been demoted to an assistant referee's role, in the Chiefs-Bulls game in Rotorua.

Australian TMO George Ayoub who officiated under Hoffmann in the Waratahs-Sharks game, has also missed out on a match appointment this weekend. He ruled against a try by the Sharks' S'bura Sithole, and for a questionable try by Waratahs winger Taqele Naiyaravoro that, converted by Bernard Foley, gave the hosts a 20-11 lead with 25 minutes to play.

SANZAR game manager Lyndon Bray said in an official statement that "match officials cannot get it right all of the time [but] there are some basic standards that have simply not been upheld over this past weekend, resulting in some disappointing decisions and selection consequences".

"A thorough and robust system is in place whereby the development and performance of each match official is reviewed by SANZAR and its member unions on a daily basis and like any athlete participating in elite competition, our referees are accountable to performance levels for the competition.

"Appointments are made weekly based on performance reviews from the previous round, but also includes an evaluation of the current form of each official over the term of the competition.

"We have completed our reviews from the weekend and have followed strong internal processes as we prepare our team to reach their physical, mental and technical peaks as we head into the critical last four rounds of the regular season and Super Rugby finals series.

"Public confidence in match officials is essential to the ongoing success of our product and we will continue striving to enhance the quality and accountability of refereeing across all SANZAR competitions."