By
Daniel Schofield, Twickenham
10:23PM BST 18 Sep 2015
37 Comments
There was a wild animal on the prowl last night at Twickenham. Not John “The Bull” Hayes, one of the 20 legends on display before kick off, but a far more dangerous beast –
a Television Match Official with the need to justify his existence.
That’s the problem with technology – the supposed panacea for all football’s woes – once you give someone the access to a television screen and the power to intervene just watch wait for the God complex to develop.
• England vs Fiji, Rugby World Cup - as it happened
Shaun Veldsman, for it was he, was the man with his thumb on the button and boy did he abuse it.
All flow and momentum was sucked from the first half with four referrals going upstairs, only one with any justification.
Then came the ditheringand the eternal replays.
England fans await the TMO's verdict
By the letter of the law, correct decisions were reached but at the price of ruining the first 40 minutes as spectacle. The technology that is supposed to benefit the game, not wreck it. All the electricity and the excitement of the opening ceremony was sucked out of the stadium. You can imagine a fair few of 450 million estimated audience who had tuned in for the match had turned off; some first-time viewers are likely to never return.
The half-time whistle eventually blew at 20.53. If every game follows this pattern then World Rugby may have to reschedule the final for around Christmas time. People pay good money and tune in from their sofas to watch a rugby match rather than CSI. Rob rugby of its flow and it becomes half the spectacle.
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Remember the purpose of the TMO is to only use when the referee has a serious doubt or has missed a serious incident. Note the word serious. Instead we were treated to two early examples of the TMO checking incidents so trivial in the grand scheme of things that it is a wonder that he did not bring attention to a few socks that had not been pulled up.
The first incident occurred when a pair of Fijian tacklers lifted Jonny May up by one leg. Although he was vertical at one point, May was gently lowered him to the floor. No harm was done and Jaco Peyper, the South African referee, had a perfect view of the incident. He saw nothing wrong in it.
South African referee Jaco Peyper refers to the TMO
But then the replay went up on the big screen and of course the crowd bayed for blood. Like a Roman Emperor at the colosseum, Veldsman felt that he had to satisfy the mob and signalled the thumbs down. The only saving grace was that he did not give award a yellow card.
The second incident occurred soon after as Api Ratuniyarawa, the Fiji lock, flew into the ruck with minimal use of his arms on Robshaw. Again Peyper had a view of the incident but chose not to act until the voice in his ear piped up. A slew of replays followed, the crowd groaning with boredom on each one.
World Rugby have recently urged officials to clampdown on such behaviour, but if every such clearout was penalised then rucks would cease to exist. As much as those serious cases should be penalised, physicality is an essential part of rugby’s fabric. Are these the type of incidents that the TMO was designed to police? Hardly.
Its main purpose was to check if a try had been scored, although it again took the intervention of the crowd to alert the officials to the fact that Niko Matawalu had failed to ground the ball after his sensational individual score. One replay told everyone in the stadium that. Instead, Veldsman opted for ten all showing exactly the same thing.
The TMO robs the official on the ground of the confidence to make decisions
Even if the right decision was arrived at, it is highly unsatisfactory that the television replays within the ground are having such an effect on the outcome of the game. If that had been Ben Youngs scoring that try would the same verdict been delivered?
The other invidious effect of the TMO is that it robs the official on the ground in all confidence of making decisions on their own volition. Moments after Matawalu’s try was disallowed, Ben Volavola kicked across field to Nemani Nadolo who rose high above Anthony Watson to claim and ground the ball. The assistant referee was stood no more than centimetres away from the incident but no his eyesight could not be trusted and upstairs it went. Needlessly. Pointlessly. Infuriatingly.
In the second half, Tom Wood was picked up for grabbing Leone Nakarawa around the neck. If the referee had seen it, he would have awarded a penalty. He didn’t but it is hardly the type of incident that needs bringing to his attention.
Then came Billy Vunipola’s try. TMO assistance in this case was perfectly justified if Peyper did not have a clear view. And yet a few phases earlier, Jonny May had knocked on so should it have been disallowed? How far back do you go to ensure nothing is missed?
Therein lies the problem. Rugby is not a perfect game. Players bend the rules all the time, particularly in the dark recesses of the breakdown. You will never witness a game where a referee gets every decision spot on. So accept that, move on and stop interfering.
TMO flashpoints
13 Jonny May goes on a run and has his leg lifted by Dom Waqaniburotu. The England wing is vertical at one point but Akapusi Qera ensures his landing is a soft one. TMO awards a penalty.
19 Waqaniburotu again leads with the shoulder clearing out Chris Robshaw from the ruck. TMO awards a penalty.
27 Jaco Peyper awards a try to Niko Matawalu, but replays show the scrum half failed to ground the ball so he changes his mind. Try disallowed.
28 Peyper again goes upstairs when Nemani Nadolo claims a high ball above Anthony Watson and grounds the ball despite the presence of an assistant referee just centimetres away. Try awarded.
52 Tom Wood grabs Leone Nakarawa around the neck in attempting to clear him from a maul. Penalty awarded against England..
80 Billy Vunipola is pushed over amid a pile of bodies. Peyper is on the scene but has no clear view so he justifiably goes upstairs. However, a Jonny May knock-on in the build up is missed. Try awarded.
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