Wales v South Africa
Gatland declines pre-match meet with referee
ESPN Staff
November 5, 2013
Lions coach Warren Gatland raises a smile in training, British & Irish Lions training session, Anglican Church Grammar School, Brisbane, June 20, 2013
Warren Gatland: no meeting © Getty Images
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Wales coach Warren Gatland will ignore protocol and not meet referee Alain Rolland before the match against South Africa on Saturday.

Rolland will officiate his first Wales game since sending off captain Sam Warburton in their World Cup semi-final defeat by France in 2011.

It is traditional for coaches to meet referees before a Test, but the BBC reported Gatland, who said he was "gutted" by Warburton's dismissal, will not do so. Warburton, who was shown a red card for a tip tackle on Vincent Clerc, later said Rolland's decision was correct

It is usual for coaches to meet with officials to clarify their interpretation of the rules and so be able to adjust styles to suit.

In 2009 Gatland, responding to claims he had put pressure on officials before a game, said: "The meetings are commonplace and something that, in my experience as an international coach, often prove invaluable. We tend to talk mainly about how we want to play the game and also listen to the referee's views."

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