HARD HITTING VIEW

Inconsistency in refereeing should be a worry to everyone

Last year, Gregor Townsend’s autumn campaign report card made good reading.

Scotland had performed extremely well, with a record victory against the Wallabies and an incredibly close match against the All Blacks – a game Scotland could so easily have won with a touch of good fortune. Hopes were high.

This autumn campaign, however, hasn’t gone so well.

Scotland were outplayed in Wales, performed well against Fiji, raised their game against South Africa and then slumped versus Argentina.

It was a curate’s egg – good in parts, but needing attention in others. Townsend rang the changes in the four matches and tried different combinations, some of which worked, some of which did not.

It was, at times, a high-risk strategy. Looking back on the coach’s selections in the past, he could be accused of making errors that could have cost Scotland matches – witness the team selection against Wales for the 6 Nations match in Cardiff.

But he was clearly playing the long game, with an eye on the World Cup.

That tournament will clearly demand the squad is rotated, despite not learning much from the autumn experiments.

Of more immediate concern is how Scotland will fare in the 6 Nations, given their inconsistency this autumn, a perennial issue and one that inconsistency in selection can exacerbate.

There are still injured players to return to full fitness, which may help.

But Ireland, Wales and England seem to be timing their run into the World Cup well, and are all likely to be forces to be reckoned with.

While Scotland’s inconsistent form is cause for concern north of the border, inconsistency in refereeing is something everyone should be worried about, and the autumn internationals brought this to life.

While Willie Le Roux spent 10 minutes in the sin bin for a controversial knock-on – which many considered a genuine attempt at an interception – Brodie Retallick wasn’t even penalised by Wayne Barnes for an obvious ‘pat down’ of a ball which was clearly deliberate in the match against Ireland.

The All Blacks often curry favour with refs and many consider they get away with things other teams do not. This was a classic case of that. Similarly, Owen Farrell’s tackle in the closing seconds of the match against the Springboks split opinions.

To my mind, it was at least a yellow card, something others have endured for far less physical challenges.

World Rugby needs to issue stronger guidelines for referees to ensure the laws are applied consistently.