I’d have blown my top over Farrell’s tackle...

IT DEFIES belief that referee Jaco Peyper did not award Australia a penalty try just before half-time for Owen Farrell’s challenge on Izack Rodda, and it could have been a very different game if Australia had gone in 17-13 up and England were forced to play the first ten minutes after the break without their talisman fly-half. If I had been Michael Hooper, the Australian captain, I would have blown my top on the pitch. Hooper was much too diplomatic. As skipper, he was entitled to press why the tackle wasn’t looked at by the TMO. I’m sure I heard Peyper telling Hooper it was all okay because the Australian lock used his shoulder as well. Of course Rodda did: as the ball carrier, he’s entitled to! If I had been Michael Cheika, the Australia coach, I’d have marched down to the touchline and made a protest there and then. The decision was that bad. Throughout the game, I felt England were getting calls they might not have got on the road, with the crowd reacting noisily to replays on the big screen, replays that had not been ordered by the referee, which is increasingly a problem as big stadiums try to replicate the TV viewers’ match experience. I’d love to know who controls this because the crowd’s reaction to them, or nonreaction, has a huge influence on referees and the TMO. Teams should be refereed the same, home or away, but the home crowd still plays a big role. It is time for referees to be required to attend postmatch press conferences and explain their decision-making.