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Lyndon Bray, a good and unobtrusive New Zealand referee in his day, has made a great start to his job as SANZAR’s referees manager. And as rugby union is a game where complex laws try to impose a pattern on what really is organised anarchy, Bray’s interventions have created an environment where the Super 14 tournament should start with a bang of enterprising rugby.
The most important change to the laws this season, or more accurately to the way the laws will be interpreted by the SANZAR referees, is in the tackled ball area.
Last season, the interpretation was tweaked to allow tacklers to hold on to the ball in a tackle, even when they had their knees on the ground.
This ruling meant that the tackled player had little chance of releasing the ball, unless the tackler was knocked away. Sides became reluctant to run the ball anywhere within kicking distance, which when the South African kickers were playing meant even inside the opposition half.
The result was the aerial ping-pong which drove everyone mad.
Moreover, referees tended to further help the kicking sides by refusing to punish loitering inside the 10m circle where the ball was landing. Also, there was some unjustified indulgence given to chasers bashing into players trying to catch the ball.
Bray has got all the coaches and the SANZAR countries to agree to return to the proper interpretation of the tackled ball law, which is that the tackler must release after the tackle and if he is on the player or on the ground roll away.
He also has instructed the referees to be tougher on policing players advancing from off-sides positions during kicking phases.
Most people think that these changes will help sides that play skillful, enterprising, ball-in-hand rugby. The emphasis in the tackled ball situation, for instance, will come from the second player to ruck, rather than the first player.
Sides may now play two ‘fetchers’ or number 7s.
And the NSW Waratahs are experimenting, it seems, with playing Phil Waugh from time to time at number 8, so he gets to tackles second and can make his dig for the ball legitimately.
The protection of the catcher should enable teams, too, to run the ball back from kicks rather than kicking back themselves.
To ensure that the new intepretations work well, Bray has done something that I’ve been advocating for years – namely, he is starting the tournament with the best referees in the SANZAR countries.
In the past, the weakest referees have been given the early games in an attempt to somehow bring them up to scratch. The result has been poor refereeing that has stymied the play of enterprising sides early on in the tournament.
Thank goodness, Bray has reversed this stupid policy.
All the top referees are at work in the first round: Stuart Dickinson (Blues-Hurricanes); Steve Walsh (Western Force-Brumbies); Jonathan Kaplan (Cheetahs – Bulls); Chris Pollock (Crusaders-Highlanders); Craig Joubert (Reds-Waratahs); Jaco Peyser (Lions-Stormers); Keith Brown (Sharks-Chiefs).
The interesting appointment here is that of the Australian Keith Brown to referee the international match of the round.
Last season, the South African Andre Watson as SANZAR’s referee manager, introduced the scheme of local referees officiating for local teams, even when the opposition was from another country. So we had the nonsense of Jonathan Kaplan, a South African, refereeing the Bulls – Chiefs final at Pretoria.
Unfortunately this scheme has not been thrown away, as it should be.
For those Roarers in the tipping competition, you might like to know that in the second round, the local referee-local team nonsense starts again.
The South African Marius Jonker is refereeing the Lions-Chiefs; New Zealander Vinnie Munro, Hurricanes-Western Force; South African Mark Lawrence, Bulls-Brumbies; Australian Keith Brown, Stormers-Waratahs.