I recently read the Spiro Zavos report on the opening game of the Rugby World Cup, where he stated, “Referee Clancy ruins a brilliant RWC opening event.” Spiro, accurate as ever.
Referees are human and as judge and jury must law enforce the mangled mishmash of rules that the IRB seems to impose on all parties to the game.
I somehow still revert to the thinking that as policemen to the eighty minutes they officiate, the referee has little choice but to interpret these idiotic rules as written, and that it is the players who break them, not the referee.
The referee is then entrusted to be totally one hundred per cent correct in every single facet of the game, bar none, yet players have the luxury of breaking rules constantly, to be hailed as heroes if their discretion s result in the team winning, especially where the win is a result of officials missing a transgression.
We criticise any referee who makes a mistake when we should be sticking pins into effigies of the IRB for making such inanely stupid ones in rule books for everyone to abide by.
Spiro is right in that George Clancy made some clangers in his two referee outing of the All Blacks, but if he had found a fault with the Tongans after the constant scrum practise that wasted seven minutes of game time, a kick up-field would have brought the game back to worth watching, or, in other words, “make a mistake” for the games benefit.
IRB boss Paddy O’Brien has asked all referees in this tournament to be vigilant especially at two of the five areas of notice, the “Offside at the breakdown” and the “tackle roll away”.
Wayne Barnes in the SA v Wales allowed players to “creep off-side” from behind the ruck and slowing the ball down. By not allowing the ball to clear, and allowing players to flop all over the ruck, he clearly was not carrying out O’Brien’s instructions.
At the other end we have Bryce Lawrence and Alain Rolland delivering instructions to the letter and ending up being accused of whistle happy penalty freaks. The other minnow games had great games because referees permitted the games to flow and by the players endeavouring to adhere to the rules.
The big question I therefore ask is; “Why is there so much focus on these breakdown areas and not just as much focus on every other rule?” Simple answer, because the rules under focus are sheer crap and need to be totally simplified, again!”
Rugby is about contestability and both areas, the breakdown/ruck and the farcical utter nonsense whereby a team can retain a ball with grunt and shove, pass, grunt and shove, pass, grunt and shove at a goal line without the opposition being able to contest the ball, needs discarding into the Sydney harbour and sooner the better.
Treat it as a maul, three shots to use it and the ball then goes to the opposition to scrum at five meters.
Round one is now history; minnows have shown they are not just there making up numbers in the big pond, some big fish have found themselves in a frightening shallow watered small pond to swim in, and we can be thankful that the policemen on the field are not in civil law courts acting out all parts.
Round two will bring more of the same I am afraid to say, however, infringements will get less as the game stakes rise, and the policemen will find nothing wrong with the rules.
Footnote: In our opening round the All Blacks had a great first half and crappy second. The Wallabies had a crappy first half and a golden second. All the other senior teams played crap and the minnows played superbly.
I think it is obvious who the finalists at this point are likely be, baring a slip on a sloping NZ paddock.
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