In the spotlight: George Clancy
SANZAR are looking to bring in a challenge system in order to combat refereeing errors, with each team allowed three per game.
Following in the footsteps of cricket and tennis, teams would be able to challenge a referee’s decision, while the TMO would be used only for these challenges, leaving the on-field referee to make the rest of the calls.
There are currently concerns that referees are hiding behind their TMOs at the moment, rather than making their own decisions, and the official in charge would now be responsible for deciding on tries and incidents of foul play.
The news comes after a weekend where both Rugby Championship games featured controversial refereeing decisions, with Argentina denied a perfectly good try when Pascal Gauzère called a knock-on on a charge-down from Leonardo Senatore.
Planet Rugby
In Australia’s narrow win over South Africa, George Clancy came in for criticism when he sin-binned Bryan Habana for a high tackle in the second half, having also penalised Duane Vermeulen earlier in the game for what looked a perfectly fair tackle.
That follows a Super Rugby season marked by numerous refereeing controversies, and SANZAR has decided to take action from 2016 after next year’s World Cup.
According to the Australian, SANZAR are still working out the details of the system, in particular whether it would be coaches or captains who decide when to challenge.
What does seem to be clear is that any successful challenge would not result in the loss of a review, but Ewen McKenzie voiced concerns about the amount of time that might be lost if there were too many challenges.
“The only thing I’m mindful of is how much dead time there is in a game,” McKenzie told the Australian.
“If you challenge the call and get it right you can challenge again and theoretically you could have 20 challenges.
“People want to be entertained, they want to be kept entertained, they don’t want to be sitting there watching replays. I don’t know the solution but it is interesting they at least are having the conversation.”
It is also not clear whether the referees would have any input over the decisions, given that Habana’s yellow card last weekend came after consultation with the TMO, so it’s doubtful whether that decision would have been overturned even with the new system.
Good idea in theory but McKenzie has a good point about the time wastage.
Could also lead to unnecessary abuse of a referee if he makes a genuine mistake in all innocence.
They’re only human.
The problem is that referees are royal game. They can make a monumental stuff up that could cost a union millions in revenue, not to mention what could happen to players and coaches and no one can complain publicly. And if a complaint is made, that person is fined, and or suspended, or both, depending on the severity of the criticism. As Johan Ackerman said after the loss against the Bulls that you don’t want the wrong decision on Saturday and the apology on Monday. Why is it that it is only in the last few years that the reffing has become so dire?
@ Lion4ever:
The biggest problem is that 2 sets of supporters will still disagree with a decision.
I’m sure the Bull supporters were happy with how the scrums were reffed against the Lions?
Likewise, we heard no complaints after the Bokke won 2 tight games under Walsh, but last week when the shoe was on the other foot….. 🙄
@ nortierd:
Think I must just add, I don’t like it when one scrum is so obviously stronger to the other, but get penalized for it.
Like the Lions game last week.
They walked with the Bull scrum, but concede the penalty?
I just don’t get that
@ nortierd:
Agree. I know its a totally different sport, but do you remember Stan Christodoulo (sic)? He was a big man, but when he reffed his boxing fights, you hardly knew he was there, and you knew that he would be fair. That’s what I want from rugby refs. They need to be in charge, but not in the spotlight. I understand that they are only human, and that they will make mistakes. That is what the technology is there for. To minimise the mistakes, and to pick up things that they missed. And In George Clancy’s case, to reverse his decision. In the CC game Bulls vs Lions last year, one of the touch judges thought that a kick had gone directly out, and was in the process of awarding the line out back in the Lions 22. He happened to look up at the big screen, and saw that he had made a mistake, and then ordered the line out in the correct place. I cant remember who the touch judge was, but hats off to him for admitting his mistake, and overruling himself.
I have made a conscious decision this year to not get mad at the refs, but they are making it so hard. I know its tough job, but if the laws are simplified and clear cut, and room for interpretation is removed, then everyone, from the refs, to the players and to fans will be far happier.
But I think that offering a review system could help, but only in a situation like the Habana yellow card, or the Lions being pinged when they are pushing the Bulls back at a rate of knots.
@ Lion4ever:
I remember Stan, hell of a ref.
Re Habana, Ashley-Cooper is out of the Puma test with the neck injury he picked up in the tackle, that proves it was a more serious tackle than many thought?
What bothers me about the review is, even the TMO’s, with the TV replays, still make shocking decisions as well
nortierd wrote:
Are you saying one scrum cant dominate over another one using illegal tactics?
6 @ nortierd:
The problem with the yellow card for the habana tackle for me is that JDV got tackled in exactly the same manner earlier in the game.
Not only does the tackle look high, the player infront also dropped his shoulder.
@ MacroBok:
One can see when one is stronger at a particular scrum.
Too often refs try to protect the weaker scrum by ruling in their favor.
I’m no front row expert, far from it, but if I were to scrum against Beast and he has the capacity to shove my head up my arse and the pressure causes me to move in, then he gets penalized for scrumming in?
@ MacroBok:
The difference between the two was that AC bent backwards at the hit, almost like that “clothes line” move they used to have in WWE.
At first glance it looks much worse than the Jean tackle
@ nortierd:
Even the most self proclaimed scrum expert would make 50/50 decisions at scrum time.
@ nortierd:
Jean slipped the tackle but it was still high.
and players fall into the tackle most of the time and the ref is usually lenient, except this time.
@ MacroBok:
I’m not disagreeing the merits, and Jean’s argument was sound, I’m saying that if you look at both in normal speed, AC’s “looked” worse, because of the whiplash motion of his body.
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