England study referee Brace
Forwards coach Matt Proudfoot has urged England to be “smarter” as they attempt to fix their disciplinary problems today against France.
England have conceded 41 penalties in the championship so far, and this week they brought in referees Wayne Barnes and Matthew Carley to try to reduce their penalty count.
“We have spent a lot of the week trying to understand where we have been transgressing and we have had live sessions with referees,” said Proudfoot. “The players have tried to understand where to apply pressure and where the line is.”
South African Jaco Peyper was due to officiate at Twickenham but could not travel because of coronavirus restrictions, so the task was passed to Andrew Brace, a referee with whom England are familiar. The 32-year-old refereed the opening-round defeat by Scotland and England’s extratime victory over France in the Autumn Nations Cup final. France claimed several crucial decisions went against them in December, with head coach Fabien Galthie saying that “the game was won by decisions, not actions … ”. Brace twice ruled against Les Bleus in the closing stages and missed a potential knock-on in the build-up to England’s game-saving try. Proudfoot confirmed that England had reviewed Brace’s performances and that his interpretations and “messages” had been clarified this week. “Every referee has his plan and that was the conversation we had with him,” Proudfoot said. “We’re expecting Andrew to referee the law and his interpretation of it. The laws stay the same. The referee is there to referee the law. In any game, things happen. Andrew is a very good referee and we understand his style.”
The backlash against Brace’s performance in December led European Professional Club Rugby to withdraw him from Exeter’s match in Toulouse, although it was later postponed. EPCR cited “welfare” concerns when making the switch.