When I started this blog, I was determined not to end up constantly slating officials. Officiating is a thankless task, particularly at grass-roots level, and I wouldn’t do it for all the tea in china.
BUT
Video officials are there, surely, to make sure in certain circumstances that the on-field referee doesn’t make an incorrect decision. Particularly critical decisions like try-scoring opportunities, or potential red/yellow cards.
Over the last couple of weekends there have been examples of TMOs simply bowing down and agreeing with a referee’s incorrect decision, despite clearly being of a different opinion. To the point where they might as well not be there- just allow the referee to watch the big screen and make their own minds up.
In last weekend’s Wasps V Northampton game there was a scuffle at a lineout between Ashley Johnson of Saracens and Alex Corbisiero of Saints. The inevitable melee ensued for a few seconds. Once all players had safely retrieved their hand bags, referee Luke Pearce- perfectly sensibly- asked the TMO to try to make sense of what happened and to confirm if there had been any serious foul play.
It was pretty evident from the replays that Johnson had taken Corbisiero out off the ball. A split second earlier and this could have been extremely dangerous as the saints prop lifted a lineout jumper.
Corbisiero, on the floor and realising the danger of what just happened actually did pretty well to pull out of the strike his instinct had aimed at the South African back row.
It ended up with an open handed semi-strike around the back of the head quickly followed by some seriously high-level cuddling between the two combatants on the floor as they were separated by team-mates.
Following the replays, and before the video ref was allowed to speak, Pearce said “Well, what I can see is Wasps 6 taking out Saints 1, followed by a retaliatory punch from Saints 1”…….. WHAT? It was never a punch.
Video refs are there to ensure decisions are correct, not just to save face for the referee. If they disagree they should say. “No you are seeing it wrong.” They are sat right in front of a tv screen whereas a referee is looking at a big screen often with pretty poor definition and sometimes from in excess of 50 yards away!
In this case the video ref said “Erm…… it wasn’t a punch it was an open hand” (panicking a bit here).
Pearce then said words to the effect of “Well I am yellow carding both.”
The video ref resignedly said “Ok, I agree.”
No, no you didn’t.
theoutsidehalf 