Jones criticises ‘retrospective refereeing’

Eddie Jones has criticised World Rugby for their “retrospective refereeing” of England’s Natwest 6 Nations victory over Wales at Twickenham.

The sport’s global governing body announced yesterday that television match official Glenn Newman made an error by ruling out a try for Gareth Anscombe when Warren Gatland’s men trailed 12-0 in the second quarter.

Jones is uncomfortable when calls made by officials are subsequently corrected, as happened in the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup when it was admitted referee Craig Joubert made a mistake that effectively cost Scotland a place in the semi-finals.

“They( world rugby) have a record of doing it. They’ve done it before,” the England head coach said.

“I’m on a good behaviour bond, so I’ve got to be careful what I say, but I just think that, once the game’s done and dusted, that’s the game.

“You can’t have retrospective refereeing of decisions being done. The game’s done and dusted, so we’ve got to trust the referees and respect their integrity

“When I say respect the referee, that’s the TV process as well. You leave it at that, and then you get on with it. One side’s won, one side’s lost.

“In Japan they have a great saying: at full-time there’s no side.

“That’s one of the traditions of rugby. You get on with it. You respect the decision.

“If you haven’t got the rub of the green, then you know you probably get it in the next couple of games. The TMOS do an excellent job. They make a decision.”