Nigel Owens' questionable handling of the Sinckler incident wasn't the only example of ref inconsistency this weekend
Inconsistency between different referees is the bane of coaches – and supporters – rugby lives.
But with human beings rather than machines blowing the whistle, slight variations in how each individual sees the detail of a fast-moving sport is unavoidable.
However, as we approach the fifth World Cup featuring a TMO within the officiating team, surely it cannot be beyond the wit of man to establish and enforce a rigid protocol for its use? This weekend’s second round of Six Nations action has once again seen subtle variations in the use of the ‘man in the van’ which leaves the armchair fan far from clear on where the technology buck stops.
For example, during England’s demolition of France, Nigel Owens twice required Glenn Newman to check a decision and on each occasion ended his request by appraising the Kiwi TMO of his own real-time view of the incident in question.
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Owens’ equivalent of cricket’s ‘soft decision’ was twice proved correct – but despite this approach adding context to the decision-making process it is not one used by other officials on a regular basis. Similarly, it is far from clear if and when the TMO should take the lead and intervene should something significant be missed by on-field officials.
Two examples from Ireland’s win at Murrayfield illustrated the lack of clarity which exists in this area.
When referee Romain Poite asked Rowan Kitt to check a possible try for Scotland centre Sam Johnson, he immediately got the response: “I’m going to show you a forward pass.” This suggested the review process was already underway and that Kitt would proactively have intervened to point out the earlier offence had Poite not requested assistance.
However, when Connor Murray’s try was subsequently replayed during the half-time interval, the reverse angle camera clearly showed Peter O’Mahony obstruct Stuart Hogg in the build-up to the score. This replay would have been available to the TMO at the time, but was not brought to Poite’s attention and as a result the try stood.
Following hot on the heels of Liam Williams’ disallowed score in Paris last week – a decision which seemed to emanate from a giant screen replay plus whistling from the Stade de France crowd rather than an intervention by the TMO – to many observers it seems confusion currently trumps clarity in TMO use.
Simply put, World Rugby and its officiating team may be clear about how their TMO protocol works, but either this is not consistently being followed or it is not being clearly conveyed to those watching live or on TV around the globe.
And to pick up an earlier theme, once a process becomes technology-driven the latitude for forgiving human error is hugely reduced, which means the TMO must almost always get to the right call.
Unfortunately, this was not the case at Twickenham with Owen Farrell’s second-half try, since the discussion between Owens and Newman did not at any point consider that Jonny May held back Antoine Dupont on the ground.
Since the French scrumhalf was the nearest defender to the loose ball which Farrell pounced on, this was surely material to the situation under review? Even if Dupont seemed unlikely to get to his feet and beat Farrell to the touchdown, in law May’s actions were punishable by a penalty.
Away from the TMO, the question of non-standardised approaches was well illustrated by Owens’ handling of Kyle Sinckler.
The Welshman, who handled the 2015 World Cup final, is regarded as an outstanding communicator and manager of players, and this was clearly shown by the dressing down which Sinckler received for his attempt to belittle an opponent by administering a patronising-but-firm tap to his scrum cap.
Owens is in the twilight of his career, and having taken up the whistle as a teenager learned his trade in an era when the ability to manage players held the key to a referee’s performance level and career progression.
It is safe to say that 90 per cent of current referees would have handed Sinckler – whose inability to channel his fractious nature is a recurrent theme – a yellow card based on either his unsportsmanlike conduct or the slight tug he administered to the scrum cap.
Despite this weight of numbers, Owens’ preferred solution worked for him and had no material effect on the outcome of the match. But the fact remains that other – probably younger – referees would have handled it differently, and therein lies the consistency issue.
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments