Christian Culllen: TMO breaks helping weaker sides keep up

Sam Cane and the All Blacks found it hard to get into a rhythm against Namibia. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Opinion

Assistant coach Ian Foster said the All Blacks were bored during their stop-start win over Namibia and I have to admit I've been bored watching some games at the World Cup as well.

The influence of the TMOs is ridiculous.

I understand you need to get the important decisions right, and there would be plenty of All Blacks fans who would have loved for the TMO to have been in operation at the 2007 World Cup and picked up that forward pass in the quarter-final defeat to France, but what we have seen so far is way over the top. There needs to be restrictions on what they look it.

It seems like the referees want to review every try and every ruck, and then do it five or six times when it's clear from the first viewing what happened.

I would say 90 per cent of players don't use their arms when clearing out at rucks, instead using their shoulders, and it's not something the TMO should be used for.

Surely the referee and linesmen can pick up blatant foul play and the judiciary is there to rule on things not spotted at the time, like Mariano Galarzo's eye gouge on Brodie Retallick during the Argentina game.

The officiating has the potential to ruin this World Cup and I've often imagined what it must be like for someone who has never seen rugby before to watch these games. It's hardly been riveting.

It's clearly not suiting the All Blacks and the guys came off the field after the Namibia game hardly looking like they had played.

It's really hard to find a rhythm when the game stops so much and we all know New Zealand's game is based on speed. All I can hope is that by the time we get to the knockout phases, the teams remaining will all want to play a more up-tempo style as well.

It won't suit the likes of Australia and South Africa either if they can't find any rhythm.

It's been said tier two nations are getting closer to the top sides but I wonder if it is more the fact they are so well coached now, they are smarter at slowing the game.

Japan coach Eddie Jones said this week rugby is getting tougher because players are bigger and faster but the field is still the same size. The game needs to find a way to ensure players are fatigued, so gaps can be found, and the influence of the TMO is having the opposite effect at the moment.

There has been a little bit of angst around the performances of the All Blacks in their two games but they have been fine.

Argentina are a good side and the All Blacks found a way to grind them down and we should celebrate that.

The Namibia game was scrappy but it was a contest and they would have got a lot more out of that than if it had ended up being something closer to a sevens run-around.

People wouldn't have been happy if the All Blacks had put 100 points on them and by putting only 50 points on Namibia, they weren't happy we won by 100.

We have to hope the All Blacks will be firing by the quarter-finals. Just like the match officials.