Going ‘upstairs’ on the way down
World Rugby to rethink role of the TV referees
● Instead of clipping television match officials’ (TMO) wings, World Rugby should rather enforce universal guidelines in dealing with disputed tries.
A leading South African match official, who did not want to be named, said the TMO protocols in use in Super Rugby were flawed. He argued that World Rugby’s method of arriving at decisions were less prone to error.
“With World Rugby’s protocol, the question is ‘try or no try?’. In Super Rugby the ref typically says, ‘I’ve got an onfield decision, unless you can give me information that suggest otherwise’.”
A universal protocol, he argued, would remove ambiguity, streamline the process and lead to fewer decisions in error.
He then cited an incident involving New Zealand referee Glenn Jackson in last weekend’s quarterfinal between the Hurricanes and the Chiefs in Wellington. “The referee said to the TMO, ‘I have a decision of no try, unless you give me different information.’ The move was reviewed and it is one of those where it could potentially be a try, but equally it could also not.
Protocols less fallible
“The ref, having viewed it on the big screen, realises that it should actually be a try, but he’s already asked the wrong question. If you ask ‘try or no try’ then you remove that possibility from the equation,” the official argued.
He is a proponent of World Rugby’s protocol. “In World Rugby’s protocol an incident is
There is probably too much reliance at the moment on the TMO Brett Gosper
CEO, World Rugby
seen, there is a question asked and there is a conversation between the match officials. You then arrive at the right decision.”
The official appeared to be lukewarm to World Rugby’s plans to reduce the input of TMOs.
“I’m not sure what exactly they want to change,” he said. “At the end of the day you just want to arrive at the right decision. Irrespective of what the process is.
“We were there and they moved to the current system. If they moved back it won’t be unchartered waters. If they change it we’ll all have to adapt. When the TMO had less power, everyone said they should have more. Now that they have a lot of authority, it is going to be taken away. I’m comfortable with the process as it is.”
Break the flow
The fact is, referees, often paralysed by indecision for fear of getting critical decisions wrong, have become overly reliant on the TMO’s input.
Often, however, the TMO’s intervention leads to confusion, if not erroneous conclusions. By habitually “going upstairs”, purists argue, referees enlist the help of someone detached from the action. They say it breaks the flow of the game.
World Rugby’s chief executive, Brett Gosper, last week announced the game’s governing body would look at ways to lessen the influence of TMOs.
“There is probably too much reliance at the moment on the TMO,” Gosper told media in San Francisco. “The feeling in the room is that we would like referees themselves to take a bit more control. That’s something that we are going to work through. We think we have the ability to move quickly, maybe have a different protocol ready to test in November, potentially.”
Gosper’s comments follow a review into the TMO system announced last week by Sanzaar, the southern hemisphere’s governing body, which admitted to “some challenges” during Super Rugby and tests in the June international window.
The June internationals were littered with controversial incidents in which the intervention of the TMO failed to bring clarity. “It wasn’t these particular June tests — although there were some particularly strong views coming out of the southern hemisphere in particular,” said Gosper. “We evaluate everything in each window — protocols, judicial, injury — and that’s part of the process.”
Gosper’s intentions are yet to filter down to the federations. “Nothing has been communicated to us so I can’t comment,” said SA Rugby’s referees performance manager, Mark Lawrence.