Refs must regain authority on pitch

JEFF PROBYN

A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE GAME

AS GOOD as last week's Premiership final was, I can't help thinking after reviewing the game it was once again a game where the result on the pitch was decided by the match officials rather than the players.

After the TMO interrupted the game to tell referee Christophe Ridley that he had missed an illegal tackle by Beno Obano and needed to review it we got into a situation which is all too common now.

After a boring long deliberation between the TMO and the referee, Ridley finally decided to send Obano off despite the fact that it was Northampton's No.8 Juarno Augustus who dipped into the tackle in an attempt to knock Obano away causing the head contact.

With just 21 minutes of the match played, Bath were reduced to 14 players but they did really well to contain Northampton to narrowly lose by just four points.

Watching the game, I thought that the referee had seen the tackle and decided it was okay and didn't need any action on his part until the TMO intervened, which once made seemed to leave referee Ridley no option but to issue a card whether red or yellow. The referee could have chosen a yellow card with the potential of a bunker red which would have given the TMO longer to review the incident and make a fairer decision.

However, the red card forced Bath to play with 14 players for the remaining 59 minutes making a difference to how the game was played and probably influenced the result, despite Northampton's Augustus, right, showing no sign of any injury as a result of the tackle, or being sent from the field for an HIA.

Although there are many times when action by the TMO has been shown to be necessary which, although it stops the flow of the game, has provided help to the referee to make the right decision.

However, on this occasion I don't think the right decision was made, even after what seemed a prolonged review of the incident.

TMOs were bought into the game to enable all referees to clarify passages of play where they were either unsure or unsighted as to what had happened, but have now assumed a position that can under mine a referee's authority.

Since their inclusion, the number of yellow and red cards have increased virtually season on season, making it appear that rugby is becoming a game less about players and more about the referees, TMOs and touch judges who will then decide who will win or lose.

“It's time to review the role of the TMO as to what and when he can call a halt to the game”

The match officials are becoming less tolerant of contact in the game and are pinging every incident except those that obviously occur in set-pieces like crooked feeding at the scrum. Their influence on the game has always been an important factor in creating a watchable and safe match but now instead of being virtually invisible when a game was played, they dominate every aspect of a match.

A great game of rugby was a game where the fans were enthused by the continual action of players on the pitch with a virtually non stop game (apart from the half-time break) for 80 minutes.

When the games were over those watching would talk about the players and not the referee with many not even knowing the referee's name.

From the players perspective the game was played with the understanding that the referee was in total control of the game and had the last say on any actions (illegal or not) on the pitch and nobody was allowed to question his decision and if you did, it would result in a 10 metre move back down the pitch closer to your own posts.

Now we have a game that is all about the match officials, not necessarily just about the referee as his initial decision can now be questioned and influenced by the TMO. We also have players calling on the referee to check his decisions with the TMO in an attempt to gain the advantage of either a penalty or a card issued to an opponent.

The number of cards issued during a season now in the hundreds changing how the game is played and potentially the result of those matches even at international level with a number of cards issued during the World Cup, Six Nations and other inter national competitions.

Added to that is the unspoken potential for increased risk of injuries to the players in the team that loses a player as they try to cover for that loss.

It has always been illegal to tackle at head height but players were not automatically sent off with a referee taking into consideration any action by the ball carrier that could have contributed, e.g. changing his height as the point of contact.

Unfortunately now it always seems that the referee and TMO see it as the tackler's fault even if he has taken a low position to make the tackle which is then compromised by the actions of the ball carrier.

The time taken to review these incidents impacts on the entertainment factor of the game and reduces the spectator enjoyment, particularly when at the game.

It's time to review the role of the TMO as to what and when he can call a halt to the game and instead allowing the referees to regain their authority in controlling the game.