International rugby wants to be a faster, more entertaining spectacle. But how does it reconcile that goal against its use of play-stopping interventionist technology? One former Test referee says it's about focusing on the big stuff, writes Scotty Stevenson.
It's almost two years since Wayne Barnes controlled the last of his 111 rugby Test matches but his philosophies on the way the game should be officiated remain as sharply articulated as ever. On Sport Nation today, the 46-year-old retired referee (and very much still active barrister) said he believed the TMO has a crucial role to play in the game, but not at the expense of continuity.
"It's there to get the big stuff, and so my view on that has always been the same," Barnes told the Sport Nation Breakfast team.
"Technology makes sport better but what I think is important is that does not mean we're trying to get a perfect game where a player doesn't make a mistake, or a referee doesn’t make a mistake."
Barnes' thoughts come as fans continue to voice concern that the TMO has assumed too much responsibility for making decisions in Test matches.
Last weekend, three potential New Zealand tries were scrubbed on review by TMO, while Fiji had an incredible counterattack score rescinded after the TMO found evidence that an Australian foot had hit the touch line on an earlier kick reception.
So, when should the technology be used and when should we just live with the on-field decision?
“If you are sitting there as a match official and you’re thinking, 'I've missed something here' or you're sitting on the sofa thinking, 'Bloody hell, Barnes has missed a double movement there' or 'I'm sure there was a knock on at the base of the scrum' – they're the ones you should get. It's not about scratching around for things.
"For me it has always been about preventing the big howler — I don’t need to remind any of you down in New Zealand — a decision that you might not see immediately, but you look at it once on the screen and think 'we need to get that' and then we need to move on.
"It's not about 'I wonder if'. If you're not sure, let's play on and let's get the continuity in the game."
Continuity, or ball-in-play, or 'ball flow' as it is sometimes called, remains one of the game's biggest concerns. Rugby has worked to increase continuity through shot clocks, time limits for lineouts, and a reduction in dead time at the base of rucks and in mauls but, in a deliciously ironic twist, the sport’s own officiating system often contributes the most to stoppages in a game.
Barnes conceded that there was more to be done but suggested that continued improvement will only be found if there is buy-in across the board.
"The best games of rugby I've ever been involved with are the ones that don’t stop. Go back to that quarterfinal (New Zealand v Ireland) in the Rugby World Cup in 2023. Forty-four minutes ball in play, started off with 35 phases, finished off with forty-plus phases. Those are the games which as a fan – and I am a fan as well – I want to see. Get the big stuff, don’t worry about the little stuff, and if it hits you in the face, those are the ones you should be looking for.
"We’ve all got a part to play in that and not just telling the referee to speed the game up. That can be the coaches not telling their props to go down. That could be the players not taking a knee. That could be the broadcasters. If you watched the Argentina-England match on the weekend, trying to get the right angle for some of those TMO replays took 30 or 40 seconds. That’s time when people end up chatting to their mate sitting next to them or flicking the TV channel. We all need to work together to get that continuity."
All Blacks assistant coach, Scott Hansen told 1News' Patrick McKendry that after scraping to a 31-27 victory in the first test against the French in Dunedin last weekend the focus is on themselves, not the TMO.
"Let's take away that error at the breakdown, let's take away the ability of the TMO to feel he needs to come in.
"So our challenge is to give the TMO an enjoyable evening with a cup of tea and we're really clinical and executing well and he can enjoy his evening."
It’s an important concession from the New Zealand team, who are unlikely to waver from their desire to play up-tempo rugby, even if conditions in Wellington promise to be far more challenging than those encountered under the roof in Dunedin. Accurate execution remains the best way to ensure interjections from above are kept at a minimum.
That does, however, leave a lingering question: If fans don't want the TMO to have too broad a scope, are they honestly ready to accept some things will be missed by the on-field referee. Barnes, who certainly knows what it’s like to draw opprobrium from disgruntled fans, believes that’s the roadmap to a more entertaining and enjoyable game.
"The game is always trying to refine itself and make itself better but one of the fundamentals for me as someone who now watches the game is looking at ways to make sure the game doesn’t stop. That’s not just the onus on the referee, it's about everyone understanding that what we're trying to do it make the game flow.
"If that can be our north star then let's all buy into that and accept we will miss stuff. Just like players will miss passes and miss kicks at goal, referees will make mistakes. If we can do that, the game will improve on the back of it."
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