Tournament organisers World Rugby have issued a damning statement criticising the referees so far at the World Cup.
In it the global governing body for rugby makes a stark admission accepting some decisions over the weekend “were not consistent of the standards set” for the Test level.
Controversy overshadowed the performance of Kiwi referee Ben O’Keefe in Saturday’s clash between Australia and Fiji, where Reece Hodge escaped punishment for a high tackle which left flanker Peceli Yato concussed.
The hit was also reviewed by TMO Rowan Kitt but no action was taken. A decision amplified by the subsequent citing of Hodge who has been defended by Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika ahead of Wednesday’s disciplinary hearing.
“It was clear all the officials dealt with it on the day,” Cheika said. But that’s not how World Rugby views the issue.
In the same match, Fiji were left furious over the sin-binning of centre Levani Botia. When at the same breakdown where Botia was penalised, Michael Hooper got away with a dangerous clearout by coming in at the side.
Numerous other incidents including New Zealand captain Kieran Read taking out Pieter-Steph du Toit in the air at a lineout and Japan lock James Moore escaping sanction for a no-arm tackle on Russia’s Vasily Dorofeev have seen World Rugby publicly address the level of refereeing.
A statement read: “Following the usual review of matches, the match officials team recognise that performances over the opening weekend of Rugby World Cup 2019 were not consistently of the standards set by World Rugby and themselves, but World “Rugby is confident of the highest standards of officiating moving forward.
“Elite match officials are required to make decisions in complex, high-pressure situations and there have been initial challenges with the use of technology and team communication, which have impacted decision-making. These are already being addressed by the team of 23 match officials to enhance consistency.
“Given this proactive approach, a strong team ethic and a superb support structure, World Rugby has every confidence in the team to ensure that Rugby World Cup 2019 delivers the highest levels of accurate, clear and consistent decision-making.”
