The TMO dilemma – not a week goes by in rugby where the TMO doesn’t come in for a bit of stick – usually from the team coach of a side that’s been on the wrong end of a decision, or a former player or ref keen to progress a media career. At a time when most other sports are looking to increase the use of technology to avoid mistakes, rugby (or at least the pundits and coaches) are trying to go the other way. This seems a bit odd since those who oppose the TMO usage would appear not to care if the ref gets things right, so long as the game is not interrupted too much. Rugby is a lot more complex than many sports – the scrum, and in particular the front row, for example appears to be as much a mystery to top referees as it is to me watching at home on the sofa, munching a pasty.
Other stuff that goes on in the ‘dark’ areas of mauls and rucks is also pretty strange – I mean why on earth would you want to shove your head anywhere near a bloke with size 12 studded boots anyway? My inbred cowardice apart, I believe, that for all its faults the advent of the TMO is a positive. It gives the ref (and the rest of us) a chance to see what occurred a few seconds ago, on a big screen and in slow motion – this is particularly exciting when a load of claret also happens to be involved. All this is by the by – at the weekend there was a major call by the TMO at the end of the first Double Header game at Twickenham. As the clock was about to turn red, David Strettle slid over in the corner (as in dived for a try not slipped on a banana skin) to apparently snatch the lead and the win from Wasps. To the naked eye it looked a dead cert, but the ref asked for the TMO to stop playing ‘Battleships’ on his laptop and have a second glance. The guy appeared in the corner of the big screen and said he would check (he didn’t look all that chuffed – maybe he’s just lost a submarine). It took a while and numerous replays and in the end a try, and the game, was awarded to Saracens.
It was a big call – on balance I agreed with the TMO, but it was pretty marginal and you could easily see why Dai Young was a bit miffed at the end. However, pre TMO, there wouldn’t have been even a chance for Wasps – the ref would have simply stuck his hand up and blown for the try. In direct contrast, the Pumas were denied a stone dead try at Mclean Park against the All Blacks when the ref called for a knock on and didn’t bother to ask for a chance to view it on the big screen. This, despite the vociferous protests from the Pumas and the sight of a rather relieved looking bunch of men in black. Helen Keller, let alone a bloke with playback technology, could have told Monsieur Gauzére that the ball had been charged down and that Senatore had scored a perfectly good try. Would it have made a difference? Well, possibly. It was a glaring error and underlined the case for having a TMO – even with all its faults and the slowing down of the game. Better to get it right – or at least have the chance to – than to have games won and lost on small, but ultimately wrong, margins.
After all, you wouldn’t want to lose a World Cup final because the bloke with the whistle was in too much of a hurry to get to the bar would you? There are many other (and ruder) opinions of mine at www.rugbyoldbloke.wordpress.com – it’s all pretty irreverent so, if you’re easily offended, you’ll be right at home.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @Rugbyoldbloke . Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LWOSWorld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for? GO!
Main photo:
