HAVE YOUR SAY: Should there be neutral referees at international games?

There has been a lot of debate so far in the 2017 Rugby League World surrounding referees and whether there should be neutral referees at every game or not.

Eyebrows were raised on Saturday when Super League referee Ben Thaler was appointed the referee in England’s game against Lebanon at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney.

Thaler, 36, was born in Wakefield in England and has been an RFL official in the Super League since 2005 and even started his international career in the same year.

England beat Lebanon 29-10 at the weekend and there were a lot of people on social media complaining about the fact that an English referee took charge of a game that England were competing in.

But this wasn’t the first case that someone has refereed a game when their own country is playing in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup.

In fact, there has been quite a few games in the tournament that have been referred by someone who is from the same nation.

However, some argued back, stating that the referees are 100% professional and that they are impartial no matter where they are from or what teams they are refereeing.

We at Love Rugby League want to know if you think there should be neutral referees at international games. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.