An estimated 450 million people around the world turned on their TV sets to watch the opening ceremony of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, from the die-hard rugby fans, to those who have never watched the sport before.
The spectacular opening ceremony would’ve excited new fans, but by the end of the game they would be forgiven for thinking ‘what is all the fuss about?’.
The opening game failed to rise to the excitement levels of the opening ceremony and pre-match build up. It was a boring affair, a poor advertisement for the sport, as the pace of the game was slow.
There was a lot of pressure on this game, as is always the case for opening matches, and this showed with both sides making a number of unforced errors. This slowed down the game, but that is part of the sport, and there is nothing that can be done to improve that.
It is another aspect of the sport that is slowing down games, and frustrating fans all over the world. It is of course the TMO.
There are many things wrong with the TMO; firstly the dependency on it. The referees are making less decisions by themselves and are doubting themselves more. Referees are so dependent on it that they choose to go back several plays to look at the smallest incidents which do not have any effect on the game.
We saw this happen in the England-Fiji game, when the referee came back to look at a possible illegal clearout by a Fijian player. Not one of the England players even noticed it, they just got on with the contest.
Since the TMO was allowed to be used at any time, the referees’ mindsets have changed. They are looking to penalise people at any opportunity, and use the TMO to help them do so, instead of just letting the game flow.
Another controversial incident in the game was the disallowed Niko Matawalu try. At first everybody applauded as it appeared to be a great try. The South African referee, Jaco Peyper, awarded the try immediately, without referring upstairs.
Later on, however, after watching the big screen, he saw that it appeared the ball wasn’t grounded properly. He then went upstairs to check and after a very long wait the decision was overturned, even though he had already awarded the try.
This leads me to another negative of the TMO, which is the time it takes for them to make decisions. After Peyper went upstairs, the TMO looked at the replay more than 10 times to make a decision. This was completely unnecessary as it was easy for anyone to see that he had dropped the ball. This meant more time was wasted and fans became more frustrated.
It is simple, the use of the TMO must be reduced considerably. Referees should only be allowed to use it if they make a decision there and then. For example, if a referee penalises a player for a dangerous tackle, then I believe that it is okay for them to use the TMO to come to a decision of the punishment.
However, they shouldn’t be allowed to go back several plays to look at an incident. This wastes a way too much, and if we are trying to expand the global brand of rugby, we need to cut time-wasting from the game.
Viewers do not want to see this, they want to see fast flowing, attacking rugby.
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.
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