Rugby World Cup: Referees told to shut down backchat

Referee Craig Joubert during the 2011 Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand and France. Photo / Getty Images

There's an obsession in England with the round ball game. Everyone loves their football and its culture is pervasive.

But it won't be allowed to infiltrate the Rugby World Cup. World Rugby bosses are adamant about that.

There's plenty to admire about football, but the pandemic gesticulating and berating of referees is not an element rugby wants to adopt. Nor do rugby bosses want to see players encouraging or pressurising referees to award penalties.

All of this will be made clear ahead of the tournament kicking off. Referees have already been briefed about the areas of the game on which they need to keep a tight rein. It's all the usual stuff - the breakdown, obviously, offside lines and rolling mauls.

The offside line in particular will be closely monitored as everyone know that test teams tend to form their defence slightly ahead of the backfoot and then creep from there to the extent they illegally kill any prospect of attacking play breaking out.

But referees are also being encouraged to be firmer with players who try to influence their decisions. It's become common practice for halfbacks in particular to stand at the base of a ruck with their arms in the air, appealing for some kind of justice to be applied.

Sometimes the griping is legitimate - the arms shoot up in genuine frustration at the illegality of opposition play to prevent the ball from being released.

But it's almost become a thing to do - an automatic reaction by halfbacks in the hope they can win a penalty whether it's genuine or not.

This sort of behaviour has never been part of rugby's unwritten code and no one wants to see it prevail at the World Cup.

So referees have been told to tell players not to do it. And they have also been encouraged to generally shut down backchat and the flow of advice that seems to come their way most tests.

Rugby has long held a policy of the referee being sacred: only the captain can engage him and even then he has to ask permission. But that sanctity has eroded in recent years and these days most referees are subjected to a stream of commentary from a multitude of players.

They won't be at this World Cup. England have a major legacy plan for this World Cup and they don't want the uninitiated to draw the wrong impression of what sort of culture rugby adopts.

England remains a football-mad nation and if rugby is to gain the foothold it desires on the back of this tournament, it needs to have an obvious point of difference.

Football has long given up observing the spirit of the law but rugby hasn't and players will be reminded of that before every test.