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As a fan (of the Lions and England), I find my enjoyment of rugby union is being adversely affected by seemingly random refereeing decisions that could and sometimes do affect results.
I have never refereed a game of rugby in my life, so I can only imagine how hard the task is, especially in an epic Test match such as we saw on Saturday between the Wallabies and Lions.
However, these referees are professionals and as such they need to be performing at a higher level than many currently are.
Sure they will make mistakes, they aren’t robots, but provided they don’t impact the overall result of the game then that isn’t an issue.
Thankfully for Lions fans across the globe, Chris Pollock’s guesswork at the final scrum didn’t cost the Lions the game. I have watched the scrum a few times now, and although Mr Pollock would have had a much better view than any I have seen, I cannot see what the penalty was awarded for.
Clearly the scrum was a mess – and he needed to take some action – but when you are not sure, don’t guess and award the penalty. A better decision would have been to re-set the scrum.
In the past a free kick was an available action for refs, a real shame that is no longer available.
Poetic justice was served (I am sure Kurtley Beale won’t feel that way) when the kick failed to go over and the final whistle blew.
Looking at it in terms of behavioural logic, the decision still makes no sense. Why would the Lions offend in that situation, unless forced to do so? Perhaps they were forced to do so by superior scrimmaging from the Wallabies, but that seems unlikely.
A more logical approach, if they were being forced by the Wallabies, would have been to ease the pressure and let the Australians get more of a nudge on to release the ball their way. Not to collapse.
Clearly that is very oversimplified, and there are many more intricacies I have not considered, but you see my point?
I don’t mean to single out Mr Pollock, as he is by no means the only one of his peers to be guilty of guessing, or refereeing by numbers.
The IRB, seemingly on a weekly basis, change the rules/regulations on scrums, with the aim of eliminating ambiguity and promoting player safety. Very noble ambitions, shame they have come nowhere near being realised.
One suggestion has been to move to uncontested scrums. Very extreme and something that would ruin rugby – we might as well merge with rugby league if that happens.
That said, the ongoing situation needs to be looked at (again). I do not profess to have the answer, but surely improvements to the refereeing of this vital part of the game are possible.
Could the elite panel spend some time with some of the bright members of the front row union who are still involved in the game (Ewan McKenzie, Graham Rowntree etc.) to better understand the mechanics and therefore interpret the situation better? Couldn’t hurt.
The thing that irks me most about the guesswork that seems to be going on is that it flies directly in the face of what should be the mantra of every referee – the players decide the outcome of the game, not the referee.
With 20 seconds left and two points in it, don’t make a call that could change the outcome unless you are absolutely 100% sure you are right.
No doubt Chris Pollock would say he was sure, as I would in his shoes, but had the kick gone over – and the press outside Australia been all over him – would he be quite so sure? Unlikely.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.