This week we will mostly be concerning ourselves with TMO stuff, the curious situation in Germany, and an extraordinary lack of bums on seats…
Video nasties
So while soccer lauds – mostly – and champions its shiny new Video Assistant Ref during its global showpiece tournament, rugby once again is rumbling with discontent about its own replay officiating. A sad state of affairs indeed.
But in a bizarre break with tradition, soccer does seem to be able to claim the high ground in this particular situation. It quite clearly states when the VAR can call for something, what infringements it can call for, and how the referee should react.
Rugby seems at the moment to have no such clarity. Perhaps the biggest problem we have at the moment is what seems to be conflicting guidelines in the protocols, which SANZAAR have this weekend decided to contest and voice need for approval.
For example, in the opening guidelines is the very – to use protocol language – clear and obvious statement: “The referee should not be subservient to the system.”
Yet later on we have a paragraph that states: “When the TMO has concluded his analysis, he will provide the referee with his advice and recommendations….the TMO will then advise the referee as to when he may go ahead and signal his decision.”
This seems to be the problem. It seems that the act of the TMO advice is clouding the issue in an age where big screens abound and/or where it would not be a big problem to have a screen or screens at the side of the pitch as they now seem to have in soccer where referees are able to make their own advice. Some referees are good at looking at screens and making up their own minds – Nigel Owens is the best example. Others seem to rely too much on the TMO advice.
The problem with TMO advice is that it is very much removed from the intensity and speed of the game on the pitch. Our favourite Owens TMO moments are always the ones where he insists that a potential foul is replayed at match speed so he can get a feel for exactly how instinctive or not a potential foul might be, meaning he is making his own decision under his own criteria. But those referees who are more subservient to the system seem loathe to do this and far happier to rely on advice without really examining it in the context of the flesh and blood thundering before their eyes, which in our opinion is creating the largest number of inconsistencies.
“A major concern for us at present is the practical implementation of the Television Match Official (TMO) protocols. The protocols are clearly not working and a specific review is required in this area,” said SANZAAR’s statement on Monday.
“SANZAAR believes the appointed referee needs to remain the key decision maker on the field and that TMO interventions only provide context to the match officials’ decision making.
“We need better consistency in the application of the protocols and most would agree that perhaps this is not the case. The aim of the review will be to drive some operational changes to the protocols to ensure this consistency so that better outcomes are delivered.”
Yes, these would be welcome. Power back to the referees please – we have the technology to empower them properly now and we need to use it, as there have been too many TMO howlers and too many bizarre decisions made from people nowhere near the action this past couple of years. And if we may make so bold: Get Owens to coach the referees in decisiveness…
He’s back…
Although the result was eventually a fairly resounding 42-28 defeat, Germany were within an ace of upsetting Samoa on Saturday.
In itself a huge achievement, but German rugby has even more cause for hope after Saturday’s belting game: namely the return of its benefactor.
We’ve covered the saga of Dr. Hans-Peter Wild in these columns a couple of times recently; a month or so ago, it seemed as though the man behind Capri-Sun really had walked out on the German rugby XV for good after European Rugby refused to let his Heidelberg team play in the European Challenge Cup (because Dr. Wild would have owned two teams in the same competition: Heidelberg RK and Stade Francais). This after one false exit already last year in a dispute over fund mismanagement.
But in Heidelberg’s sunshine on Saturday, Dr. Wild had his Capri-Sun flags flying alongside the pitch, had a banner of gratitude unfurled to him by the German fans and slipped into the ground more or less incognito shortly before kick-off.
The repechage tournament, featuring Canada, Hong Kong, Germany and the runners-up from the African Cup of Nations currently taking place, will be a close-run thing. Germany’s chances surely hinge on Dr. Wild relenting and putting his backing back in place. If he does – the vital signs since Saturday have been good as well – don’t bet against Germany taking their first World Cup place. They really were terrific on Saturday.
Quo Vadis Super Rugby?
The Sharks-Jaguares match was a do-or-die affair for the home team, but you’d never have guessed it from the crowd. Rain be blowed, this should have been at least a half-decent Kings Park occasion.
The popularity of the tournament is at an all-time low, going on the vast swathes of empty seats all over the participating countries.
SANZAAR’s attempts to get the TMO right are laudable, but some energy needs to be spent on sorting out the current convoluted mess of a conference system. It’s making nobody happy.
Loose Pass compiled by Lawrence Nolan