It seems that barely a weekend goes by without one player committing a fundamental error of skill or judgement in a game, which negatively influences the way the game of rugby is played and decided.
All too often, a player will drop the ball, pass it in the wrong direction or make an error that is so basic and obvious that it defies belief as to why the player thought he could get away with it in the first place.
And I tell you now that us referees are absolutely sick of it. Especially from the so-called professional sports players who are paid hundreds of thousands of dollars per annum to have the honour of competing in the greatest sport on earth.
There is nothing worse for a referee than having to blow the whistle to stop the game, especially if it is a cold day, just to tell off some overgrown lump who, quite frankly, should have known better.
It is even worse when you are condescended and abused for actually knowing, interpreting and applying the law.
For instance, see Nigel Owens on YouTube.
For the better ways to deal with players, and in turn demonstrating why he is the world’s best referee.
But how to fix it?
Well, it’s simple for the professionals.
We scout the country for players who appear to have the capability for higher honours, we train them with the highest quality coaching staff available, put them into specially tailored programs and pathways and eventually let them audition for a coveted Super Rugby contract when the time is right.
Oh, wait…we already do that. We are improving the operation system with a long overdue ‘third tier’ later in 2014.
Astoundingly, these mistakes still occur, even though we have the best possible players, with the best possible training, with the best available resources.
Maybe it is time that we used modern technology, for example, in the clothing so players get more aerodynamic when running, or placing gripping fibres into the ‘cloth’, or with better rugby balls that can be kicked further and caught easier…
Wait…we do that too!
Well, we have given these players opportunity, financial incentive, motivation and workplace-based training.
Yet the closest thing to I have seen to no dropped ball in a Test was in last year’s Wales v Australia Test match with almost 45 minutes elapsing until the first scrum, and that was due to the excellent advantage played by the referee, Wayne Barnes.
Maybe it’s time to look more in depth at a team’s performance, make the players truly accountable (instead of the referee or the coaching staff) as at the end of the day, it’s the players who have taken the field to do the job they are paid for.
Perhaps it is time to stop blaming the referee for ‘losing the game’ when he makes one bad call.
I’m not denying that the referee is human and will make mistakes, but as a referee myself, I’d be abso-bloody-lutely cheering if I only made one error in an 80 minute match!
There is a human element that is still, thankfully, in sport. As said in cricket circles, your luck will always balance out in the end.
Unfortunately, for rugby union in particular, a lot of the refereeing (and coaching etc) happens on a voluntary basis.
Some codes have found ways to pay referees, or at east subsidise some of the costs to entice referees to their sports.
This I completely agree with and it cannot come fast enough.
I was a rugby referee in the ACT. In the 2013 season, I was involved in over 40 games as a referee, assistant referee and Super Rugby match official.
For this, I was paid $0 (some travel costs were reimbursed for games outside of the ACT, and I’ll admit that the experience of working at the Super Rugby games was well and truly worth it).
But that still leaves over 30 games that I have done out of the love of the game.
Even the best referees have off days, or make one or two errors, but I believe that it is part and parcel of the nature of rugby.
Much like life in general, you take the good with the bad.
atlas
Guest
hi - not disagreeing, just noting the fury vented towards Steve Walsh when Wales beat England 30-3 in last year's 6N "England are to complain to the International Rugby Board about the officiating of referee Steve Walsh" Can't keep everyone happy! Many rated SA's Mark Lawrence and Marius Jonker, however they both had one very bad performance Nov 2010 (Ire-Arg) (Ire-NZ) that saw them cut from 2011's 6N and out of contention for 2011 RWC.
handles
Guest
Gold Charlie.
Tane Mahuta
Guest
No no NO.
matthew
Guest
Referees have a massive impact on the quality of a rugby match. The two best refs in the world at the moment are Nigel Owens and Steve Walsh. They understand how detrimental pedantry and over technical whistle-blowing are to the continuity of a rugby match. Stoppages from a ref blowing his whistle put the players out of sync not to mention the game and the more of those there are the worse for all involved. Time to get every ref on the same page as the Owens and Walsh. We barely want to notice you during a rugby match; keep your whistle in your pocket with those 50/50 fine margin decisions, dont be hasty in blowing a team with possesion off the ball and let the players get on with it. The vast majority of teams and players have the intent to get on with things if the refs facilitate this .
Charlie Mackay
Guest
"Her" somewhat lets the cat out of the bag D... What game did I do for you, out of curiosity?
allblackfan
Guest
I blame Suzy!! :-)
Tane Mahuta
Guest
I was watching a game once when one of the players was giving the ref a hard time and the ref said "do you want to be ref" and the player replied "nahh, Ive got mates".
Tane Mahuta
Guest
I dont mind refs but it does frustrate me when the ABs lose and the ref was fair, who do I blame then?
Tane Mahuta
Guest
No, no, us Kiwis may seem much better than you but we are mere humans and are a distant cousin of the Australian, very similar in a lot of ways. The only difference being our obvious superiority at rugby and that we bowl overarm in cricket. And yes our choking is famous, we are always choking on the odd gold leaf that comes loose from the WC, Bledisloe, RC, Freedom cup and Super Rugby trophey. Its our beer I think, its potent and when the cups are filled with it so often it tends to start eating into the gold surface. You guys are lucky that your beer is as weak as and the cups and tropheys are hardly ever exposed to it. 2002 was the last time the Bledisloe was filled with Ausie "beer". Phill Kearns is clearly still suffering from the hangover. I think somebody slipped a Carlton mid is there with the xxxx light and the team got a bit tipsy.
Charlie Mackay
Guest
Interpenetration aye... Surely that's a rugby league law?
RobC
Guest
Refs will always be blamed. That's always going to happen, and you can't do anything about it. But you can do something about their compensation, their training. And if possible put one or two more on the field.
Simoc
Guest
Absolutely Tane. NZers aren't human. They're up with the fairies on cloud 9. Whose Wayne Barnes? Great chokers those Kiwis though.
American Dave
Guest
Exactly, a ref can only allow a game to flow as long as players pass legally, catch the ball, refrain from spear tackling, etc... For example, I can hardly blame the ref for the lack of flow in the Ireland v USA game last year. Neither side seemed overly concerned about passing correctly or catching the ball. Having said that I did, at the time, blame the ref for the close loss.
Tane Mahuta
Guest
See, now the Ausies are blaming human kind, the ultimate authority on earth. Have you no shame? NZers would never blame a ref, like Wayne Barnes for example, for ever being beaten in a game, a WC quater for example. We just wouldnt do it.
Dru
Guest
Bennalong You have it. Almost. No to rucking, but when ref decisions mean 3 points it distorts responses... Because the reward is distorted. I wonder - penalty gives 1points. But the attacking team gets the ball back where they were to continue. Yes hopeless, but still.
atlas
Guest
know how you feel; after I changed my name from Wayne Barnes I felt pretty good, then found out my new one - Bryce Lawrence -wasn't a good idea for my SA holiday either.
atlas
Guest
^ but there are limits - if there are infringements/errors, the ref has no option once any opportunity for advantage (of there was one) is over. So has no choice but to blow the whistle. And be a branded 'whistle-happy ref' Players/teams too have responsibility/role in how a game 'flows'
Who Needs Melon
Roar Guru
PS. The above is too sappy. As in any walk of life, sometimes there are d!ckheads and I reserve the right to whinge about them. :)
Who Needs Melon
Roar Guru
Here here Charlie. Three cheers for all refs. Not just in rugby but in any sport and at any level. It really is a tough gig. Anyone that has never reffed anything should give it a go. I personally have never reffed a rugby game but have reffed many times for other sports and, like most things, it's a LOT tougher than it looks. Personally I freeze up a little once I have the whistle in my hand/mouth. Maybe I'm too used to being a fan and waiting to judge the calls of others than call something myself. Maybe I just get too caught up in the action. Often I realise I SHOULD have called something but seem to realise that a few seconds too late and then feel silly calling the play back with a late call. Some sort of reffing experience (under a proper, pressure situation) should be mandatory for any professional sportsperson I think.
Dtrain
Guest
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