Ref Watch: Any doubt around Mathieu Raynal is over
If any doubt did remain, French official Mathieu Raynal secured a place at his home World Cup later this year with an accomplished Six Nations display in Cardiff.
Raynal previously showed his ability to withstand a pressure cooker environment when picking up the baton during the 2021 Lions series in South Africa directly after Rassie Erasmus had savaged first test referee Nic Berry.
While this was – perhaps unusually for a Wales-England encounter – a low-key affair which saw two struggling sides offer little to provide France, Ireland or the Southern Hemisphere heavyweights with any sleepless nights, the weight of history, local rivalry and a packed Principality Stadium still test the mettle of even the most experienced match officials.
And Raynal rose to the occasion superbly to produce an extremely consistent display during which his accuracy at the breakdown and the scrum really stood out.
Management
It was very obvious from the lack of input from Owen Farrell or Ken Owens that both sides were comfortable with Raynal. The French official equally had no need to speak to either captain as both sets of players worked well within the framework he provided. A final penalty count of 9-6 in England’s favour reflected a job well done.
I especially liked his confidence to give Kyle Sinckler’s second-half try without consulting TMO Brian MacNeice, and the absence of any subsequent dispute from Wales confirmed that Raynal had this crucial call spot on.
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Consistent Mathieu
Raynal allowed a contest on the ground but managed to achieve this without the breakdown area becoming a mess. From the moment that Tauupe Faletau reached over the tackle area to scoop the ball from the England side, both sides knew where they stood and in the area which defined the match vultures Jack Willis and Lewis Ludlam picked Wales off on the ground a number of times as a result.
Scrum Detail
Despite what pundits like Andy Goode would have us believe, French officials tend to referee the scrum more accurately than most since the setpiece is such a big part of the Top 14.
Raynal clearly picked up that the contest between Tomas Francis and Ellis Genge was the point where the scrum may become destabilised and as a result positioned himself on the Wales tight head more regularly than would normally be the case.
As Nigel Owens mentioned in commentary, Raynal correctly penalised Francis for binding incorrectly then – after a brief conversation with the Wales no.3 prior to the next scrum – Genge was pinged for ‘hinging’ and causing a collapse.
Both decisions looked correct in replay and were the only penalties directly awarded during 16 scrums. Both sides also conceded a brace of free kicks, with Wales then suffering an upgrade to a penalty due to their identical offences being deemed ‘repeat technical infringements.’
Anorak Corner
The second half brought one real curiosity in law when Owen Williams collided with Anthony Watson in the air as the pair contested a high ball.
The Wales no.10 was injured enough that he took no further part in the match – albeit his substitution by Dan Biggar appeared planned anyway – and touch judge Chris Busby immediately flagged foul play.
However, he was instantly overruled by Raynal who not only adjudged Watson’s aerial challenge to have no reckless element to it, but also saw no need to even have a discussion with his assistant or ask MacNeice to check his view.
Italy v Ireland
Scotland’s Mike Adamson is part of the tightly-contested battle to claim a spot in the 12-strong refereeing team at France 2023 which will see three of this season’s Six Nations officials miss out.
As such he will be pleased that his last opportunity to impress in the Six Nations passed without major incident. However, I find it hard to escape the feeling that he slightly lacks the presence and composure of some of the more experienced officials currently around the international game and it won’t be a huge surprise if his involvement in the World Cup is as a touch judge.
TMO Use
A big tick in the box here, as Adamson worked superbly with experienced South African TMO Marius Jonker to ensure the officiating team produced the right decisions unobtrusively and without unnecessarily delaying the game.
It was especially apparent when Jonker called in a second half off-the-ball obstruction by Ireland’s Andrew Porter which saw play recalled for an Italy penalty and when Bundee Aki had a ‘try’ ruled out for his juggled knock-on.
Harsh Calls?
Adamson’s natural manner is less communicative than many, which works well for those who like their referees to be seen but not heard.
However, I felt he lacked a bit of empathy with the players at times which is perhaps surprising given that he is a relatively recent ex-professional.
For example, the decision to penalise Josh van der Flier when ball-carrier Andrew Porter collided with him immediately after the flanker had staggered back to his feet following the previous breakdown, could easily have been downgraded to accidental offside.
Similarly, the penalty awarded against Niccolo Cannone for his collision with Ireland’s Craig Casey seemed harsh. The Italian lock stood his ground defensively and wasn’t looking at the Irish no.9 at the point when Casey ran into him when pursuing a kick. Cannone’s shoulder undoubtedly hit his opponent firmly in the upper chest/throat area, but he has no obligation in law to move aside in this situation.
Scrum
With six of the first seven scrums failing to complete, the match was well into the second half before the front row contest settled down.
By this point three free kicks and three penalties had been evenly split while two scrums had also needed a reset.
Indeed, it was well past the hour mark and multiple replacements were on the field before Adamson got involved in sorting out the issues being caused by the gap between the front rows and their willingness to work with his engagement timing.
Simply repeating the phrase ‘stay high’ was not working – a big part of refereeing is identifying problems and proactively finding solutions to them – and this took much too long.
Give them an inch…
At international level players quickly spot every opportunity to gain a marginal advantage and Adamson’s approach to refereeing the breakdown gave Ireland’s defenders a chink which they were quick to exploit.
Of course, the players will have previously seen plenty of Adamson in provincial rugby and Ireland’s analysts will probably have picked up how the Scottish whistler’s positioning sometimes creates a ‘blind spot’ which allows the second, third and fourth defenders to steal a couple of steps beyond the offside line.
This is caused by Adamson getting very tight to the breakdown and sometimes beyond the attacking side’s hindmost foot. While this gives him a very good view of the contact area, the tackler’s release and the actions of the ball-carrier it also reduces his wider field of vision.
Although his touch judges will control the outside backs, those defenders positioned between the guards and the wide channels are some distance from them and as a result keeping them onside is the responsibility of the referee.
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
20 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
9 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
72 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
20 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
9 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
20 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
20 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
20 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
2 Go to comments