Concern grows over ‘third eye’

Sanzaar to have rethink on the TMO influence

After several seasons of rugby referees gradually ceding more and more power to TV match officials (TMO)‚ World Rugby is reviewing the influence of the man behind the screen.

World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper confirmed this to the media at the Sevens World Cup in San Francisco on Sunday.

“There is probably too much reliance on the TMO at the moment‚” 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.”

Controversial TMO interference has become a staple of modern rugby and in Super Rugby there has been inconsistency over red card and yellow card sanctions‚ as well as other decisions.

It’s forced a rethink of the influence of a TMO with SA‚ New Zealand‚ Australia and Argentina Rugby (Sanzaar) chief executive Andy Marinos also admitting that the organisation were studying TMO decisions.

“A major concern for us at present is the practical imple-

“The major concern for Sanzaar at present is the practical implementation of the TMO protocols”

mentation of the Television Match Official (TMO) protocols‚” said Marinos.

“The protocols are clearly not working and a specific review is required in this area. Match officiating is a very important component of our game that undergoes continuous review to keep abreast of law changes and specific directives passed down from World Rugby.

“The performances of the guys in the middle and those on the sidelines‚ and behind the TV monitor‚ are regularly reviewed and appraised.”