Gregor Paul: 100-minute epic let down by refs

The test in Dunedin really was an epic. A full 100-minute production that for all that it thrilled and surprised, it also frustrated on account of the TMO being cast in the lead role.

The issue, in the wake of what was a spectacular game of rugby, is not whether TMO Rowan Kitt made good or bad decisions, it is whether he needed to be making them at all.
Added to that is the question of whether, when he was asked to step in, he was given the right brief and an appropriate scale of jurisdiction.

The dramatic and enthralling nature of the contest can't be used to obscure the staggering statistic that this 80-minute test took 100 to play out, which means that a fifth of the period the players were on the field, they were standing around waiting for a decision to be made.

It's just about tolerable when the rugby is that good, but if it's a dour grind against the Pumas, or a slug-fest against the Boks that drags on for that long, the New Zealand Rugby Union might find that down the track the 1,500 empty seats at Forsyth Barr Stadium starts looking like a great result rather than a source of concern.

If there is an easy and quick solution, then All Blacks coach Steve Hansen says it would be for referees to be empowered to back their initial decisions and not second guess themselves.

"I'd like to see the referee back his instincts and ask one question: 'is there any reason why I can't award the try?'. But if there is foul play there is foul play and if someone thinks they have seen foul play then they have got to check it.

"You just want to make sure when they use it [TMO] they use it right. It is not easy is it? If they use it too much they get yelled at and if they don't use it enough we moan at them. They can't win.

"I think if it is 60:40, even 50:50 just award the try. The game is about scoring points and you want to encourage people to score points."

If there is one classic example to illustrate Hansen's point it came early in the second half when referee Nigel Owens awarded a try to the All Blacks when Brodie Retallick crashed over from a driving maul.

Owens was in the perfect position, took his time to peer into the morass of bodies and then made his decision after he was satisfied he'd seen a fair try be scored

The question he perhaps needed to ask was whether the TMO could provide any reason why he couldn't award the try. Instead, Owens asked Kitt to determine whether a try had been scored, a yes or no decision and the difference is significant.

With the second question, the onus goes on the TMO to make the call. With the first, the referee is looking to make sure there wasn't anything he may not have seen in the build-up to the try being scored. If the footage doesn't highlight anything obvious such as a forward pass, knock on or foul play, then it's a try.

Kitt couldn't see the grounding on the footage so said no try, which should never have been an issue as Owens was already satisfied he'd seen Retallick get the ball down over the line.

This system of asking referees to make and own decisions was used in Super Rugby and coaches, players and officials all agreed it worked well.

It certainly helped reduce the time spent waiting for the TMO to wade through footage.
But strangely, it's not clear what ethos is in operation for the Rugby Championship.

"I don't know we don't get told things like that," said Hansen. "This is one of my bug bears about the game - we leave it open to all these different interpretations.

"The only person who cops it in the neck is the ref. We have just got to make the rule book less complicated. Half of it doesn't equate to the game, what it says on the pages of the rule book don't exist, so get rid of it."