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SPIRO: Why don't SANZAR referees get punished for bad mistakes?

19th March, 2014
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Rugby fans everywhere have a gripe about the ref. Maybe, just maybe, that is what holds us all together? (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)
Expert
19th March, 2014
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We all know refereeing a rugby match is a taxing job. The laws of rugby are complex. Dozens of events are taking place at any given time.

A referee has to have the depth of knowledge of a High Court judge and the ability to make instant decisions with the accuracy of a sharp-shooter.

As such, we can tolerate the occasional mistake made on the run. But what is totally unacceptable is mistakes made after the use of the television match official.

The TMO effectively takes the instant decision-making out of the equation and provides the referee and the TMO official with the time and the evidence to make accurate decisions.

This is the context in which Lyndon Bray’s intervention in the controversy of three tries, two awarded against the Blues – one in the match against the Bulls and the other in the match against the Lions – and another try in the Bulls-Force match, needs to be considered.

The SANZAR referees boss made this comment about the Lions ‘try’: “Lions 13 is carrying the ball and about to score a try. Blues 13 effects a tackle and Lions 13 lose possession…”

Bray also made it clear prop Marcel van der Merwe’s try against the Blues, which gave the Bulls a crucial bonus point and secured a victory, was a “clear double movement”.

In the Bulls-Rebels match there was another clear double movement, with the body of the scorer being pushed forward a second time before the try was scored.

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Anyone with knowledge of the laws (which excludes most commentators!) watching these incidents had to come to the same judgment. Yet three sets of referees and TMO officials came to different conclusions.

Bray seems to imply that by explaining mistakes have been made this makes things OK. This is as unacceptable as the actual mistakes themselves.

In the case of the Bulls’ player having the ball knocked out of his hand, the referee, Stuart Berry, went out of his way to tell the TMO (incorrectly) the ball was not knocked on but “knocked out of the hand”. Even the commentators found this comment hard to accept.

The Blues have been deprived of valuable tournament points by these officials making elementary mistakes. Nothing can be done to bring back these points. It is cold comfort for Blues coach Sir John Kirwan that his unusual (I wish it were more usual!) criticism of poor refereeing has been acknowledged.

However, another boot in this controversy needs to drop. The referees and TMO officials need to be stood down until Bray becomes sure they are competent to referee in the hardest, most competitive provincial rugby tournament in world rugby. And Bray needs to look once again at the policy of having local referees in mixed conference matches.

The integrity of Super Rugby results lies with the integrity of the refereeing process. Part of the integrity of the process is referees and TMOs must be accountable for their mistakes, not just the unfortunate team that has been punished by them.

Over to you, Lyndon Bray: justice must be done for the Blues and seen to be done.

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