Richard Loe: Wayward referees ruin World Cup opener

Referee Jaco Peyper and his fellow officials had a match to forget. Photo / Brett Phibbs

How stupid can officials get? They didn't even keep to the rule book in this morning's World Cup opener between England and Fiji.

I think officials should use technology because it's important to get things right but, even when they used it today, they got it wrong.

The opening try of the match, when England were awarded a penalty try, was a blatant truck and trailer and Fiji should have earned a penalty. Then there was the lifting tackle - when Fijian flanker Dominiko Waqaniburotu lifted English wing Jonny May.

The officials looked at it five or six times, and it was clearly dangerous, yet didn't sinbin Waqaniburotu.

And finally they needed an inordinate number of looks at the tries to both Nemani Nadolo and Billy Vunipola when it was obvious after the first viewing they had scored.

Just make a decision, already. I really hope this World Cup isn't ruined by officials.

It meant today's game went for something like 102 minutes - 22 minutes overtime. Now I'm always going to watch rugby, but it would be a hard sell for a lot.

A few people have said to me they've been watching games from previous World Cups on the Sky Pop Up channel and how intrigued they were to see how quickly scrums were set back in the day. Yes, the lineouts were a schemozzle and the game has, thankfully, moved on, but the stoppages today are having a detrimental effect on the game. I thought rugby bosses wanted a free-flowing tournament. Well, it didn't start very well.

England are still a threat in this tournament but only if they win the group, because life gets difficult in the knockout rounds for any team finishing second. If the hosts continue winning, they will become a formidable outfit, like any team that gets on a roll.

Fiji contested very well yesterday and I wonder what might have happened if they had kicked a few more of their goals. If they had got the score to something like 18-17, England might have panicked.

Fiji were full noise for about 60 minutes but needed to do it for the full 80 if they were going to be a chance.

But when they ran the ball at them, the English looked vulnerable in their defensive patterns and reaction times and other teams would have noticed that. Their scrum also wasn't as good as they thought it might have been but they were clinical in the driving mauls and rucks, which you expect from the English.

The driving maul is the one part of the game I will be taking a big interest in during tomorrow morning's All Blacks game. We were obviously exposed a bit in this area the last time we played Argentina but coach Steve Hansen seems to think they've sorted it out.

If they can combat that area of the game, then the All Blacks have little to worry about with England. They have far greater attacking prowess from the front row to fullback, defensively look stronger and more organised and have greater depth.

I like the look of the team picked to play on Monday morning, because this will be their toughest pool game and it's crucial they start well.