RFL chief asks for video change

SUPER League’s controversial ‘on-field call’ could be refined next season as part of plans that could also see the captain’s challenge introduced.

Currently, when a match official sends a decision to the video referee, they must inform their colleague whether they believe the incident is a try or not, with the video referee then tasked with making a final decision. However, they must have conclusive evidence that the onfield decision is incorrect to reverse the decision.

Stakeholders in rugby league have regularly debated the merits of having a referee provide their opinion when seeking clarification on the incident.

Over the years, there have been countless instances where major decisions have been determined by the match official’s decision due to inconclusive evidence.

However, it’s claimed that on-field officials are essentially determining games on a gut feeling without the line of vision to make an educated judgement. Phil Bentham is the RFL’s new head of match officials and he is keen to change the process, which would allow the official on the video to communicate with the one with the replays.

“I’ve worked in both scenarios,” said Bentham, who was a Super League match official for 15 seasons. “So when I was on the field in the early part of my career, it was basically just send everything up to the video referee. I think there’s some merit in us not necessarily having a fixed live call but having a conversation between the guy on the field and the guy in the video ref booth, which is very similar to rugby union, to make sure they work together as two experts to make the right decision. Rather than ‘I’ve got this live call, I’ve probably not seen it very well but that’s what I’m going to go with, now you go and disprove it.’

“Why do we cut the conversation at that point? Why can’t we have a conversation between two people who are experts, one on the ground.”