DUNEDIN - Experienced New Zealand rugby referee Paddy O'Brien is firmly in favour of the introduction of the video referee for in-goal decisions.
O'Brien and other Super 12 referees wear wired-for-sound harnesses which enable them to communicate directly with touch judges and the television official.
O'Brien "went upstairs" three times for in-goal decisions during Saturday's game between the Highlanders and Hurricanes at Carisbrook.
"I suppose I was a wee bit cold on the concept until it came into operation, but now I'm a great fan of it," he said yesterday.
"What it has done is get rid of a lot of the public pressure on those goal-line decisions."
O'Brien said the harnesses were a bit bulky but the benefit was the quality of the sound system.
"The communication between me and the other officials is crystal clear, and it makes a big difference," he said.
"When you first put it on it's weighty, but once you get used to it, it's part of your skin.
"You don't have to worry about the crackle in your ear [that] you got with the old equipment."
O'Brien said he could not bleep out any utterances to the television audience. "What I say is what they hear. It doesn't worry me and the television commentators are very responsible about it. I guess the better informed the public is, the better."
O'Brien, an 18-test veteran, will referee the Super 12 round-four match between the Brumbies and Stormers in Cape Town this weekend. - NZPA
Rugby: Video referee wins O'Brien's approval
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