Twenty years ago, rugby ruled that on-field decisions could be clarified and also overturned on the evidence of TV replays. Rugby sat back and relished a life with no controversial calls.
Some hope.
As we find most weeks, and definitely in this Test, it is possible to examine every angle and then take for ever to make the call, with players raising a storm of bickering, and still have no guarantee whatsoever that it is correct. Robbie Henshaw’s disallowed try proved yet again that the TMO is still guessing. Wrong calls often happen — why not accept them in rugby’s imperfect world, crop TMO action and get on with the ruddy game?
Where next for the knob-twiddler? Here goes. For God’s sake get TV to crack on, to be slicker in immediately providing the replay. The next message is to Tom, the referee, and Dick and Harry, the two assistant referees. Whatever happened to you? You are leaving it to people behind screens. Retake control as a team, an equal team.
You as a trio judge foul play, spot the forward pass and the knock-on and rear-feet offside. Take back the responsibility. And referees, stop being pompous and let your assistants have a loud say. They are Test referees in their own right.
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And slash the number of references to the TMO. It has gone way too far. Let’s change protocols so that only foul play can be examined, plus possible technical offences but only inside the 22 of the defending team.
For touchdown rulings, admit that collapsed mauls are impenetrable under 20 bodies, no matter how many cameras. The sport must go back to where it once (happily) was: the ref would have been on the spot, almost in the maul, peering directly down on bodies and even throwing himself to the floor to judge. He would even tear prone bodies away to search for the ball. The other two can sort offside.
Tear down the crumbling edifice. Make TMO calls rapid, reduce what they can rule on, use all three officials as if they were all of the same standing, even if one has a whistle. And tell the players to shut the hell up, or card them. This was like a horde of ranting Rassies.
To have games drag on into the night might be worth it if every call could be concluded correctly. But the TMO cannot be all-seeing. And the sharpest cameras can still tell us lies.
