England and France to dispute Six Nations supremacy

By CHRIS HEWETT

LONDON - It would be reassuring to know that at some point over the last few days, the coaches and captains of the Six Nations had been summoned to a quiet boozer in downtown Dublin, treated to a couple of wet ones and informed of the precise rules of engagement covering the next nine weeks of oval-ball conflict.

Very nearly two-thirds of the 15 matches will be controlled by southern hemisphere referees – a cause for concern in itself – and with officials ranging from Stuart Dickinson of Australia, who whistles every time he draws breath, to Joel Dume of France, who does not appear to own a whistle at all, a little guidance would have been invaluable.

Needless to say, there is no such balm for the soul; those charged with running the union game rarely deal in reassurances.

The competing countries must make do and mend by studying video footage of each individual official, collaring their man 24 hours before kick-off for a quick chat about the crucial tackle-ball area and, most importantly, by reacting to decisions on the hoof amid the fire and fury of a championship Test.

At a time when referees are being lambasted from pillar to post by coaches, players, press and paying customers, the Six Nations' Committee has not seen fit to call a summit meeting. Perhaps they could not afford a round of drinks.

There was a formal discussion between the referees and representatives of the governing class in Argentina during last weekend's World Cup Sevens tournament: Tim Gresson, the chairman of the International Rugby Board's referees committee, and Steve Griffiths, the board's referees development officer, took the opportunity to identify a few dos and don'ts in the agreeable surroundings of Mar del Plata. The coaches were not in South America, though; they were in Europe. All they have to work with is an IRB video, highlighting potential problem areas and offering guidelines rooted in theory rather than practice.

It will be little less than miraculous if we get through this championship without a major ruckus over refereeing. England, for instance, must live with Monsieur Dume's determinedly laissez-faire approach in Cardiff this weekend; seven days later, they mix it with Italy at Twickenham under Dickinson the Dogmatic.

Talk about chalk and cheese. Dume can be quite brilliant, not least from the spectators' perspective – his performance in last season's Heineken Cup final at Twickenham was a masterpiece of sympathy and understanding – but his idea of a game of rugby is entirely different to that of his Wallaby counterpart.

"I don't foresee a problem," Griffiths said yesterday. "Our discussions in Mar del Plata were extremely positive and, anyway, the research shows that refereeing interpretations are not hemisphere-based. When southern hemisphere officials control matches in Europe, there is very little difference between their approach and that of northern hemisphere referees."

The Irish, whistled clean out of Twickenham by New Zealand's Steve Walsh during the course of a 50-point defeat by England in last season's Six Nations, might beg to differ.

Walsh is not around this time; neither are Ed Morrison, Brian Campsall (probably the form referee in Britain), Jim Fleming, Colin Hawke, Peter Marshall, Andre Watson, Clayton Thomas or Didier Mene. The cull has been swift and ruthless. If Clive Woodward rid himself of front-five forwards the way the IRB ditches referees, he would go down in history as the Torquemada of the 15-man game.

There is obvious merit in fast-tracking a new generation of officials at the sharp end, but at this particularly sensitive moment in the annals of rugby officialdom, a little tried and tested experience might have smoothed the passage.

Assuming this year's tournament is not distorted by new refereeing interpretations, as last year's most certainly was, the two heavyweight contenders, England and France, should punch their weight. England, unfulfilled champions following a second successive Grand Slam foul-up, have three home games this time around, only one of which, the April set-to with Les Bleus, will test them to the limit.

If they can survive this Saturday's pioneering trip to the Millennium Stadium – of the red rose brotherhood, only Lawrence Dallaglio and Iain Balshaw have played there, Balshaw for all of 14 minutes – they will feel unusually relaxed about Ireland at Lansdowne Road.

France, of course, would far rather travel than hang around in Paris, for their record at Stade de France is on the desperate side of hopeless. But their victory over the All Blacks in Marseilles before Christmas was quite something, and with three-quarters of the superb Stade Français club pack operating in unison at international level, there is an unfamiliar touch of familiarity about Bernard Laporte's side. Ireland in Dublin, second match up, is an itchy one: if they come away with a result, a Grand Slam decider with England on 7 April might well materialise.

By and large, the coaches are in clover in terms of employment prospects.

Woodward and Andy Robinson are untouchable at Twickenham after back-to-back victories over South Africa and a nice little last-minute smash-and-grab job on the Wallabies; Warren Gatland, seriously vulnerable this time last year, suddenly finds himself tapping into a rich seam of Irish talent; Laporte and Ian McGeechan are both involved in fundamental reconstruction work; and no one is in any hurry to ask awkward questions of Graham Henry. They wouldn't dare.

Only Brad Johnstone, the highest-profile New Zealander in the whole of Italy, can be said to be under the cosh, which seems a bit rough, given the old All Black prop's success in producing an Azzurri side capable of standing up to be counted on their championship debut last season. Johnstone did, however, cross swords with the two active heroes of Italian rugby, Diego Dominguez and Alessandro Troncon, so he probably expected a degree of heat.

The current availability of the former Springbok coach Nick Mallett, who happens to speak fluent Italian, adds a heap of grist to the rumour mill.

Johnstone will need the inspirational services of the third member of Italy's holy trinity, the former captain and new assistant coach, Massimo Giovanelli, if he is to get out of this tournament alive.

- HERALD CORRESPONDENT