Exclusive: Bring in NFL style coach's challenge is the call from top English club chiefs
Top English rugby bosses are calling for the introduction of a coach’s challenge in the Gallagher Premiership to allow them to overturn game changing errors by the referee.
Wasps’ Dai Young, Gloucester’s Johan Ackermann and Sale’s Steve Diamond are unhappy with the current Television Match Official protocols that see the referee ask for help, particularly when a try is scored. These three leading directors of rugby want their own input and believe two coach’s challenges – one per half – would significantly help their cause and correct decisions they believe are wrong.
This kind of challenge system has been used for 19 seasons in the American NFL and was introduced into basketball last year. In the NFL it has been reported that around 37 per cent of the nearly 6,000 reviewed plays were overturned with each review taking an average of two minutes and 45 seconds.
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World Rugby confirmed to RugbyPass that the introduction of a challenge system had twice been rejected by their ruling Council and that any amendment to the current TMO protocol would require the Rugby Football Union to apply for a trial.
Ackermann also wants the TMO to look a more than the two phases prior to a try that are currently part of the protocols with decisions using slow motion and repeated replays having an increasingly significant effect on results in the Premiership also European matches.
When Wasps were beaten 28-22 at home by Harlequins last month, a possible game winning try opportunity was lost when Elia Elia, the Quins hooker emerged from the maul with the ball to clear the danger with just two minutes remaining. Anger at the time could not influence the decision which RugbyPass understands was later seen as a mistake and should have been a penalty try and yellow card. If a coach’s challenge had been in place, Wasps would have called for a ruling at that time with the help of the TMO.
Young said: “I agree with the idea of a coach’s challenge because we have laptops in front of us during the match and if there is there something they have missed then I don’t see why we can’t have one challenge a half.
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“I don’t think it would have a negative effect because you wouldn’t challenge just for the sake of it because it could be wasted and we have seen that in cricket. In the Quins game we were going bananas on the bench and wanted the incident to be looked at. We have the technology and want to get decisions right so why not use it in that way and it should be considered. On the wider question of the TMO, I think it is important that the referee controls the game and I feel that asking the TMO repeatedly to rule on is it a try or not is a cop out.
“Reports come back from the RFU and the assessors and you find that one decision they believe was wrong cost us a game and another almost did. That kind of thing doesn’t help directors of rugby! I know people say bringing in a coach’s challenge needs to be agreed by World Rugby but the Premiership can do what they want – it’s their league. I understand why they only go two phases back when a try scored otherwise the time it takes – and people moan already about that – so if it goes back to the origin of possession it will add time.”
Diamond is equally supportive of bringing in a coach’s challenge and would have used it in the recent 16-14 defeat by Bath when England flanker Tom Curry was penalised for a no-arms tackle which was later deemed a legal hit when officials reviewed the match.
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This is why Diamond wants to be able to highlight decisions he fundamentally disagrees with at the time rather than find out days later he was right. The Sale director of rugby said: “I would 100 per cent support a coach’s challenge being introduced. Why in the case of the Tom Curry tackle did the referee not check that right away? Why aren’t we using the technology available and a coach’s call would have allowed us to ask the question at the time.
“In my book we employ some people to do the TMO reviews who have never been a referee. You might say why does that matter but it does because they need to know what they are looking for, particularly in the build up to a try and I believe far more things get missed than are picked up. We see things at the time that are missed by officials. I am not sure World Rugby would like the Premiership to introduce a coach’s challenge because they think we are getting too powerful.”
For Ackermann extending the number of phases that are examined by the TMO is an important change that needs to be considered and he said: “ The frustrating thing is that other things get missed at break down, line outs and whatever you want to call it. To me it is a bit funny that things get missed in the general build up to a try but yet we worry about the last scoring part of it.
“That is why the TMO power is only when they go up to it and to me the margins are so slim that it should be from the moment the ball is thrown into the line out until the ball is put over the try line and if there is a mistake in between it can cost you a position in the league table so why not if you have the (video) footage refer back to it?”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Wasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
3 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
30 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
30 Go to comments