Ref Watch: The Grand Slam decider and the one call they got wrong
Ref Watch: Luke Pearce is the rising star of international refereeing and as I have previously written, in my opinion, the heir apparent to Wayne Barnes as England’s leading official.
Plenty of controversy has shrouded a Six Nations in which players have struggled to come to terms with the crackdown on contact with the head. In the Covid-enforced absence of Southern Hemisphere officials it was therefore no co-incidence that World Rugby turned to Pearce and Barnes plus leading English Premiership officials Matthew Carley and Christophe Ridley for this potential competition decider.
And at the end of a quite remarkable match which spanned 125 gripping minutes, contained a final quarter with a red card and two yellows plus a huge number of hairline decisions, referee Pearce, TMO Barnes and their touch judges emerged with great credit.
This was reflected in the unanimous praise given by TV pundits Martin Johnson and Brian Moore plus Welsh pair Jamie Roberts and Sam Warburton who said: “They got all the key decisions right.”
This timeline breaks the match down incident by incident from an officiating perspective.
First Quarter
5.00 Pearce set the tone for the kind of fast-flowing match with which he is becoming synonymous by playing three advantages during a French attack.
5.00 Barnes was called into action for the first time to adjudge the French pack held up. Again a standard was set when a lot of conversation took place without stopping the match. Pearce also used a few words of French to Matthieu Jalibert as the home no.10 kicked to the corner.
5.08 No doubt World Rugby’s referee manager Joel Jutge issued behind-the-scenes instructions following Josh Adams’ try for Wales against England. On that occasion referee Pascal Gauzere allowed Dan Biggar to restart play before first checking that England were ready after the official had instructed Owen Farrell to pass on a general warning. Pearce therefore asked Wales: “Are you happy to play?” before restarting the clock.
5.40 France went to the corner and after allowing play to continue following a suspiciously crooked line-out throw, Pearce got in a superb position to award Romain Taofifenua’s try.
France came FLYING out the traps! ?
Taofifenua with the first score of the game. #GuinnessSixNations #FRAvWAL pic.twitter.com/JGUQv43DdJ
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 20, 2021
9.28 Barnes was back in action to rule out a possible Gareth Davies try. Pearce called it held up in real time, perhaps helped by Davies making a second attempt to ground the ball.
11.05 Dan Biggar scored for Wales after a long spell of close-range pressure which included two penalty advantages. “I like how Luke Pearce is letting the game flow and using both languages” former England hooker Moore said in commentary.
15.30 Antoine Dupont, who previously scored France’s second try, was hurried by Pearce to use the ball from the base of a ruck. This approach was consistently applied throughout the match and as a result the tempo never dropped.
17.57 More really athletic movement around the goal-line allowed Pearce to award a try to Ken Owens, who reached to place the ball on the line.
Second Quarter
21.00 “Nine let’s go” Pearce instructed Davies as he paused to find some kicking cover at the base of a ruck. “Luke Pearce is refereeing this so well, he’s making it a really fast game,” Jonathan Davies advised the BBC audience.
24.34 Replacement Swan Rebbadj conceded France’s first penalty when he was caught on the wrong side on the ground. The turnaround in les Bleus’ discipline since the arrival of Shaun Edwards has been a key feature of their rapid development.
28.17 Liam Williams knocked on while trying to recover a pass thrown behind him. Pearce called it very differently to the view Gauzere controversially took of a similar incident three weeks earlier.
30.10 The match’s sixth scrum is the first not to complete at the first time of asking. France’s penalty ended up being the sole set-piece award. Pearce got the front rows well balanced and engaging from a comfortable distance at a good tempo.
31.05 Pearce opted not to reward France when the next scrum also went down but the hosts soon won a penalty for a high tackle. The referee made no attempt to play advantage as is usual with incidents that may provoke retaliation.
Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | |
Pens against France | 0 | 1 |
Pens against Wales | 2 | 3 |
The camera caught France captain Charles Ollivon in conversation with Pearce as the teams came out of the tunnel for the second half.
Having conceded only a single penalty but also finished second best on the gain-line the BBC’s half-time punditry focused on whether les Bleus should push the referee’s tolerance levels harder during the second period.
It is likely that a similar conversation – regarding possible changes to the patterns of play – took place in the officials’ changing room.
42.40 “OK let’s go,” Pearce encouraged both packs who formed a scrum too slowly for his liking. He then shared a relaxed smile with Tomos Francis who clearly responded.
45.04 After playing a long advantage Pearce went back for a midfield offside penalty which appeared to be called in by TJ Ridley. Biggar kicked Wales ahead 20-17.
47.09 Pearce was advised by Barnes that a possible earlier high tackle was in fact legal. He continued to communicate strongly by telling Ollivon: “We checked it and there’s nothing clear for us on review.”
“It’s a great example of the officials working in tandem so we don’t have to stop for it,” said Moore.
49.24 Josh Adams claimed a try for Wales after Justin Tipuric’s superb chip ahead was hacked on then recovered on the ground.
Having ascertained that neither touch judge could assist, Pearce then asked Barnes to check whether everyone was onside, if there was a knock-on and to confirm the grounding which he believed was good.
The TMO ruled the try good since “It is not clearly held up so I cannot overrule your onfield decision.”
TRY STANDS! ???????
Josh Adams scores for Wales. #GuinnessSixNations #FRAvWAL pic.twitter.com/yfUFeWggHv
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 20, 2021
However, a careful study of the replay showed Tomos Williams ahead of Tipuric’s original kick. The replacement scrum half was not immediately involved when Adams subsequently hacked ahead, but does then subsequently recover the ball to feed the try-scorer.
In this Six Nations a number of players have been given offside advancing ahead of the kicker – to the letter of the law Barnes’ decision was incorrect.
50.55 “Taken back in Matthew,” Pearce advised Carley as Dupont prepares to kick from the base just inside his own 22. It is unusual for a referee to assist his TJ in this way, but an excellent example of teamwork between the onfield officials.
52.36 “Get the water-carriers off, no-one’s going to go quick,” Pearce advised the players after France won a penalty for a ‘no-arms’ tackle. This again underlined there would be no repeat of the Cardiff incident.
57.55 Wales’ props led a lineout drive which made eight metres before Mohamed Houas entered the side of the maul to stop it. Playing with advantage Wales moved the ball wide where Louis Rees-Zammit attempted a spectacular mid-air grounding just inside the corner flag.
Ridley’s decision to stay seven metres from the flag behind play left him with an obscured view and therefore unable to make a concrete decision. Pearce initially advised Barnes he saw it as a try and then – showing superb knowledge of the detail of law – told Ollivon: “If it is grounded against the base of the corner flag it is not a try, that is why we have Wayne in the van.”
Louis Rees-Zammit was so close to nailing a brilliant finish!
Watch #FRAvWAL on @BBCOne & @BBCiPlayer: https://t.co/NICgx6f1yL#bbcrugby #SixNations pic.twitter.com/Wh4gF3LLF4
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) March 20, 2021
The TMO eventually determined this was the case so the try was ruled out.
Pearce then returned to the original offence and told France: “The maul moved a distance at speed so it is a yellow card.” He then told Alun Wyn Jones: “I’m not convinced a try would otherwise have been scored.”
In this situation, law requires the referee to believe a try would ‘probably’ result in order to award a penalty try – this is a straight judgement call.
Biggar’s penalty put Wales 30-20 ahead.
Fourth Quarter
62.12 Pearce played two penalty advantages during a long French attack which ended with a penalty being sent to the corner.
63.33 Barnes was called into action to confirm a decision made by the superbly positioned Carley who believed Julien Marchand was held in goal.
64.40 Wales were penalised for offside five metres from their own line. France again opted for a scrum.
66.49 Brice Dulin scored after two more penalty advantages. However, Barnes intervened and asked Pearce to look at a replay of a previous ruck clear-out on Wyn Jones.
“Red one is competing for the ball and he is removed by the hand of blue five which is around his head,” Barnes told Pearce as they watched a replay.
“I am already playing advantage against red five,” Pearce replied to Barnes, “So that neck grab comes while I’m playing advantage.”
The relevance of this was that were the subsequent French offence technical, the try would have been ruled out but play would have returned for a penalty to the hosts for the first infringement.
However, since Barnes then advised Pearce that the second offence was foul play it trumped the first technical offence – meaning play restarted with a penalty to Wales.
At this point the officials were clearly envisaging nothing more than a penalty reverse. But Barnes’ huge experience came to the fore when he insisted on seeing more replays.
“This looks worse than we first thought,” Pearce then stated. “It’s more than a penalty, we’re probably looking at a yellow card.”
? Ref: “It’s a red card” French Captain: “are you sure?” #SixNations #FRAvWAL
READ MORE: https://t.co/Fo2V7o1GQu pic.twitter.com/BdTtRQIYoi
— RUGBYcomau (@rugbycomau) March 21, 2021
Again Barnes’ experience proved invaluable as he stressed: “There is contact around the eye area,” which sent a coded message to Pearce that he believed it was worthy of a card but wanted the onfield official to lead the conversation and to consider whether it should be red.
After seeing more replays, Barnes updated: “It is not deliberate but he has got his fingers around the head and they have made contact with the eye area,” and the officials agreed Paul Willemse would be sent off.
The salient point here is that none of the officials believed there was intent to eye gouge – but under current guidelines for contact with the head intent no longer has to be present. In this respect Willemse’s sending off met the same criteria as those of Bundee Aki and Zander Fagerson.
Importantly for what transpired, while dismissing the French lock Pearce also advised Wyn Jones that Wales were under a warning for repeat offending.
68.21 Willis Halaholo was penalised for being offside in front of a kick – the offence missed earlier.
70.54 Ollivon was held in goal with Pearce playing advantage. Taulupe Faletau was shown a yellow card for his team’s repeated infringements. Incredibly this was Wales’ first Six Nations sin-binning in 15 games dating back to 2018.
72.50 Liam Williams was yellow-carded for diving off his feet at the breakdown. France went to the corner.
73.55 Wales were penalised again and Pearce gave Wyn Jones another warning. France opted for a scrum which Pearce repeatedly encouraged them to set. Amazingly, despite being ten points down they seemed in no hurry.
75.00 Wales were penalised at the scrum. France reset it and Ollivon scored a try that Romain Ntmack converted.
The captain who inspired the comeback! ?? ?
Charles Ollivon breaks through the Welsh wall. #GuinnessSixNations #FRAvWAL pic.twitter.com/tSXFKWxUJY
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 20, 2021
79.03 As 13-man Wales ran down the clock on halfway, Corey Hill was penalised for going off his feet. This is an offence which officials are instructed to closely monitor as teams attempt to close out games. Ntmack switched the ball prior to kicking to touch which should not have been permitted.
81.34 Dulin’s try clinched the match.
Quarter 3 | Quarter 4 | |
Pens against France | 4 | 1 |
Pens against Wales | 1 | 9 |
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