Leading Australian rugby referee Stuart Dickinson has warned teams will be able to slow down as well as speed up the game under the Experimental Law Variations to be introduced in next year’s Super 14 tournament.
Administrators anticipate a quicker game with the ball in play more often with free kicks rather than penalties to be awarded for most offences other than off-side or foul play.
In the recent Australian Rugby Championship, teams often showed a willingness to take a quick tap.
Dickinson, who refereed three matches under the existing laws at the recent World Cup, emphasised the canny teams could also wind the clock down with their decisions.
“Everyone talks about it’s going to be a faster game and those sorts of things, yes, teams have the option if they want to play a quick game,” Dickinson said.
“But if you have a team which is very strong at set pieces and gets free kicks, they are still able to have the ability to wind the clock down a little bit I suppose by having scrums and to apply that sort of technical pressure and mental pressure to teams.
“You may well see the good sides, look at first phase play and ball off a scrum with the teams five metres back maybe better ball for them rather than a quick tap and having broken field.”
Dickinson explained the kind of decisions that referees would now have to make because of the new variations.
“I think it just changes the dynamics when you’re actually talking about deliberate infringement versus just a normal infringement and then where are you going to go to, in terms of if you do go to a penalty or card, those sort of things,” Dickinson said.
“There’s just different dynamics in terms of the decision and the consequence of that decision, but it still gives the teams the option of doing what they want.”
Dickinson has yet to officiate in a match in which the ELV’s were being used.
He had the option prior to going to the World Cup but decided against it.
“We sat down and had a chat about it and thought what would be the best preparation for me personally,” Dickinson said.
“The other thing you have to look at when you’re refereeing is what is the fairest things for the teams you are going to referee.
“If I go out and stuff up a game because I’m not use to the change over in laws, it’s unfair to those teams that have been preparing for four years for a World Cup.”
The first Australian referee to officiate at three World Cups, Dickinson was also a TMO for three games including the final in which he made the contentious call to disallow a try to England winger Mark Cueto.
He aimed to earn a spot at the 2011 World Cup, but was also looking for some part-time work with a corporate organisation to prepare himself for life after rugby.
Dickinson joined a select group of referees turned authors, by penning a rugby World Cup diary, which was released shortly after the tournament.
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December 6th 2007 @ 6:03pm
Ian Noble said | December 6th 2007 @ 6:03pm | Report comment
At last a considered view from somebody whose opinion should be respected.
It must be pretty obvious that a strong pack will dominate proceeding and prevent the backs from getting the ball. Infringements that were punished by penalties will become free kicks, with the danger of a greater number of infringements by the pack as they will be not too concerned by a freekick. The only potential recourse by refs will be to dish out yellow cards for persistent offenders, so expect a flurry of yellow cards, particularly by the weaker pack as it tries to stop the advance of the stronger pack.
February 26th 2008 @ 12:04am
gatesy said | February 26th 2008 @ 12:04am | Report comment
I just saw this post and I noticed that it only got one comment from Ian Noble. It’s interesting, because I think that Stuart Dickinson made his comments too early – that is, before we gave the ELV’s some time to gestate. I think that he is right, and he mainly talks about the ability to slow things down when you elect for a scrum, but I do think that he wasn’t taking into account the 5m law that, in effect makes most scrums attacking platforms. Even after 2 rounds of S14 I believe that the scrum is becoming more of an important feature, which serves to validate the Stellenbosch ideals.
However, as I have said before on this site, we needed to implement all of the ELV’s to really test them. It is a pity that we didn’t have the foresight to include all of them.
Time will tell…….