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Irish Times
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Owen Doyle: Lions tour has shown that TMO protocol is in serious need of review
The midweek match against the Brumbies was a long way away from champagne rugby, but much better than the vin ordinaire we'd been served up to then. The Lions , however, did not deliver the much needed breakdown ferocity that they're really going to have to produce in the Tests. However, on Saturday, against the cobbled-together AUNZ outfit, the Lions at long last got the cork out of the bottle, playing some flowing, stylish rugby. That's said with the proviso that their opponents defence leaked frequently, like an old bucket. French referee Pierre Brousset had an indifferent afternoon in the Brumbies game. The breakdown area saw bodies flying all over the place and while Brousset did give a few off-feet penalties, too much went unpunished. It's not actually a question of increasing the number of penalties. Players will change their behaviour if they are sanctioned, or know they will be. There was better breakdown behaviour and a more measured performance by Andrea Piardi in the AUNZ match. The final Brumbies' try was preceded by two classic side entries from the home team. For the Lions, Joe McCarthy and Henry Pollock threw themselves over the breakdown a couple of times and we still didn't hear from Brousset. READ MORE As for the scrum, the collapse issue was once again evident. Both referees were inconsistent, even hesitant, in deciding when to reset collapses, penalise them or play on with or without advantage. I found myself guessing what they'd do – let's hope they weren't. There were also tight in-goal decisions. James Lowe and Maro Itoje had tries ruled out, whereas the ball, from some camera angles, looked to be 'probably' grounded. But 'probably' is not enough for the microscopic examination of a formal on-screen review: it must be indisputable. The on-field decision of the referee is absolutely critical to the outcome. On both occasions Brousset stated 'no try,' and there wasn't enough evidence for him to change his call. It's hard to blame the referee, but if he'd said 'on-field decision is a try', then both would have been scores. It adds up to a very strange sort of paradox. The TMO protocol obviously needs another serious review. Referee Andrea Piardi generally controlled the breakdown well when officiating the Lions' match against an Australia/New Zealand selection match. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho Lowe did cross for a terrific team try after quite amazing work by the omnipresent Dan Sheehan. Despite carrying the ball into a heavy collision with David Felliuai on the right hand side, Sheehan still managed to place it, enabling the move to continue. He then became the vital link as the ball was shifted quickly wide to the left before passing to Jack Conan, who handed Lowe a stroll into the corner. Following Australia's escape against Fiji there is a lot of discussion around the TMO's involvement. There is plenty of annoyance that Fiji had a try ruled out, the TMO noticing that Harry Potter's foot had grazed the touchline moments before Fiji got possession and worked a wonderful pitch-length try. Why chalk off the try for a touch missed by the on-field officials, particularly when Fiji had turned over the ball – that's the thrust of the argument. It's hard to fathom because if a ball-carrier goes out of play the ball is dead and a lineout must restart the match. Putting a foot on the touchline is not an infringement, so play cannot continue, neither can advantage be played. Imagine the bedlam if play-on was possible in such circumstances. But believe me, there are some who wish it to be that way. Maybe the TMO needs to go back to basics and only be used for foul play and when tries have been scored, but only referencing the clear and obvious, which must always be the mantra. Not something that takes minutes for the officials to debate. That was pretty much how things started out, but, bit by bit, we've ended up where we are now. TMOs are currently involving themselves in the most marginal events in open play, which was not part of the original plan. In the Waratahs match, referee Paul Williams called several things – 'it went backwards' or 'play on' – only for the TMO to immediately overrule him. The referee was happy to immediately accept the correction. It's all in search of the impossible dream, a perfect performance. But there is another reason. Elite coaches and their analysts will get out their own microscope searching for errors. They are unforgiving, particularly if a mistake has been result-altering. It's normally done behind the closed doors of confidentiality; nonetheless, the ref gets a pretty hard time of it. In last week's matches, the lineout problem raised its ugly head again. Both referees continued the apparent 'policy' of ignoring crooked throws, even if the opposition put up a jumper. It's such a simple fix, just a couple of sanctions would see a real effort to throw the ball along the line of touch. Instead, the lineout remains on the slippery slope towards extinction as a contest for possession, helped on its way by slack officiating. In an ironic moment, Tadgh Beirne was penalised for jumping across when attempting to reach a crooked throw. He did, but it had zero impact on AUNZ winning possession. Rónan Kelleher then scored a try, having been fed a short 'straight' ball as he stood at the front. While a throw here or there might be nicked, or go awry, the overwhelming majority go with serve. Match officials need to recognise that there must be a contest for possession and call these. Otherwise, their job might well be handed to AI.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Beware the rectangle of doom: rugby union must heed lessons of Harry Potter drama
Sometimes big changes can be triggered by the smallest incidents, barely visible to the naked eye. In rugby union's case the 59th minute of Australia's game against Fiji in Newcastle, New South Wales on Sunday could be one of those moments. One fleeting officiating misjudgment in a relatively low-profile Test might be the catalyst that alters the sport's entire way of thinking. There are occasions when rugby makes itself look idiotic and this was one of them. Fiji had just taken the lead and the Wallabies were looking slightly rattled as their wing Harry Potter ran back to field a long kick near his right touchline. Deciding to keep the ball alive he threw a long pass infield to an isolated teammate who was turned over. Fiji gleefully seized their opportunity and scored a potentially vital 'try' through Sireli Maqala. The crowd were up on their feet, the commentators were in ecstasy and, for a split second, we had a glimpse of rugby heaven. Instinctive brilliance to stir the neutral soul and some sorely needed drama following the British & Irish Lions' damp squib of a game the previous day. Until, with grim inevitability, we saw the French referee Pierre Brousset draw the imaginary rectangle of doom in the air and ask the television match official to take a look. What on earth was the problem? The final pass had been fine and there was no issue with the grounding of the ball. And then up popped slow-motion replays of Potter collecting the bouncing ball right back at the start. If you slowed one of them right down it showed his boot had grazed the sideline whitewash. Which, as far as the officials were concerned, rendered all the subsequent action null and void. What should have been a glorious Fiji try was therefore ruled out because one of Australia's players had put a toenail into touch 20 seconds earlier before Fiji had even launched their successful attack. Try explaining that ridiculous one to non-rugby fans. The result was that Fiji were effectively penalised for doing absolutely nothing wrong. They also went on to lose a game they would otherwise probably have won. The nitty gritty of on-field review small print is not, in itself, a particularly sexy subject. But on this occasion the ripple effect may prove significant. Both the Waratahs-Lions and New Zealand-France games at the weekend were also blighted by endless TMO referrals and lengthy stoppages while everyone stood and waited for a definitive decision to be delivered from on high. In total six tries ended up being scrubbed out. This new age of pedantry was introduced with the best of intentions. But if you are looking to find an offence at a preceding ruck there will be plenty to choose from. Momentum can give the impression of passes being forward when actually they flew backwards out of the hand. Trying to see if someone has grounded the ball somewhere beneath a dozen huge bodies can be well-nigh impossible. More fundamentally, as with VAR in football, endless video referrals alienate fans and professional coaches alike. Take Stephen Larkham, head coach of the Brumbies, who believes lessons need to be learned from the Fiji game. 'It was certainly frustrating watching at home,' the former Wallabies' World Cup-winning fly-half told the Guardian on Monday. 'I was like everyone else in Australia. Particularly Tom Wright's forward pass for that Wallaby 'try' down the right edge … they replayed it maybe 20 times. I think everyone wants them to make a decision and move on. If the TMO comes in that's fine but make a quicker decision.' The irony here is that World Rugby implemented a global law trial at the start of the year meant to reduce the power of the TMO and to concentrate only on 'clear and obvious' offences in the last two phases of play (or the last attacking passage of play comprising at least two phases). So much for that objective. Ladle on top of that the reviews around high tackles and the amount of dead time during games is not greatly diminishing. This is not encouraging news in the fight to make the sport more watchable and attract more viewers. 'We're searching for that in Super Rugby and you'd like to think we're doing the same in the Test arena,' Larkham said. 'There are heaps of people watching on TV and we'd like the game to be as quick as possible.' Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion The Waratahs coach, Dan McKellar, also feels that the push this year for swifter decision-making in Super Rugby should be a priority in the forthcoming Test series. The Lions head coach, Andy Farrell, is slightly more circumspect. 'We want the right decision, I don't think anyone wants to see a stop start game, everyone wants to see continuity,' he said. 'But in any given game there might be some decisions that need to be referred. Getting the balance is key.' True enough. But this is also about more than simply waiting for a handful of wearisome in-game interludes to play out. Ultimately it is about how rugby wants to see – and sell – itself: as a sport played and officiated by human beings or as some kind of alien computer game? It is a shared dilemma, of course. Cricket, football and tennis are wrestling with similar scenarios, the key difference being that rugby's law-book contains more shades of grey than the rest put together. 'Clear and obvious' should mean precisely that, the external chatter in referees' ears needs reducing and TMO interventions should be limited to the act of scoring/ball grounding and serious thuggery. While some still grumble about the somewhat bizarre end to the 2017 Lions series, when Romain Poite originally awarded a penalty to the All Blacks only to change his mind after a chat with the Lions captain, Sam Warburton, at least that did not involve endless on-field replays and protracted frame-by-frame analysis. Those who want every rugby decision to be perfectly black and white – or to be pored over in slow motion to the nth degree – need to see the bigger picture. This is an extract taken from our weekly rugby union email, the Breakdown. To sign up, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
Irish Times
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Australia secure controversial late win over Fiji with disputed try
Australia 21 Fiji 18 Following on from the Lions' clunky win over the Waratahs on Saturday, the Wallabies played a proverbial get-out-of-jail card against Fiji in Newcastle on Sunday to complete a win that was ultimately fortunate, controversial, unconvincing and potentially costly. Joe Schmidt's team actually began promisingly, with well-executed launch plays and but for a dubious call on a forward pass which ruled out a try and a lineout throw which denied them another, Australia might well have led 28-0 and wouldn't have been flattered by that. As it transpired, their 14-0 lead was erased as they failed to score for 40 minutes and trailed for 22 minutes, none of which was in the script, before a questionable late try by captain Harry Wilson salvaged some respect. Fiji beat Australia at the last World Cup and so that late try and other questionable officiating decisions also contrived to deny them a second successive win over the Wallabies for the first time. Given they went into this clash ranked ninth in the world, with Australia eighth, the result was a cruel blow for the Pacific Islanders. READ MORE French referee Pierre Brousset, not for the first time in his career, managed to infuriate both sides with some of his decision-making. Schmidt could rightly question those two aforementioned calls before Fiji, buoyed by a try in first-half overtime, burst into life for much of the second half when scoring one of the tries of the year. Ultimately, they were left questioning a 'try' of theirs being ruled out on review for a previous foot in touch by Australian winger Harry Potter before the ball was turned over, whereas the Wallabies' winning score did not go to review despite the one replay on the big screen not showing clear evidence of Wilson grounding the ball. 'Some of it was frustration and some of it was relief,' admitted Schmidt when reflecting on that taut endgame. 'To find ourselves in that situation after we built a nice lead early in the game. I felt we got a bit loose and they've got some fantastic broken-field runners. That's no surprise to us because we knew they had them and we knew we had to be better connected than we were. It was certainly a relief when Harry got over and dotted it down. 'We missed a few opportunities to really put scoreboard pressure on them. There was one five-metre lineout which seemed incredibly straight to me. Suddenly we don't get that score and they get the relief. 'In the second half, again trying to come back into the game, we get a five-metre lineout and there's a ruling that goes against us. We've got to iron those out to be super accurate. If you don't nail your opportunities then you don't build that scoreboard pressure. As long as they believe, there's a way for them because they're so athletic.' Lekima Tagitagivalu scores a try for Fiji during the Test match against Australia at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle. Photograph:David Porecki's first outing for the Wallabies since the World Cup began promisingly when he scored off an ominously easy catch-and-drive before another for the outstanding openside Fraser McReight was ruled out for a crooked throw by the hooker. Porecki soon departed injured. Brousset rather hastily deemed Tom Wright's pass for Potter's finish to have gone forward before slick handling by the halves, Wright, Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii led to McReight finishing to augment his usual slew of jackal turnovers. But a brilliant try was bubbling beneath the surface and Simione Kuruvoli's blindside skip pass, Jiuta Wainiqolo's carry and one-handed offloaded led to 28-year-old debutant Salesi Rayasi, a former Samoan Under-20s, New Zealand Sevens and Hurricanes back three player now with Vannes in France, score in the corner. Max Jorgensen appeared to have restored the Wallabies' two-score lead when winning the touchdown to Potter's kick ahead following some more slick passing, but after an interminable review Wright's preceding pass on the edge was rightly deemed forward. Instead, after a penalty by Caleb Muntz, so cruelly and badly missed at the World Cup, the Wallabies were punished for turning down a penalty when going to the corner as the brilliant Lekima Tagitagivalu retrieved a loose pass and slalomed through four opponents on a 60-metre run. AUSTRALIA: T Wright; H Potter, J Suaalii, L Ikitau, Jorgensen; N Lolesio, T McDermott; J Slipper, D Porecki, A Alaalatoa; N Frost, J Williams; L Gleeson, F McReight, H Wilson. Replacements: A Bell for Slipper (16); B Pollard for Porecki (28); N White for McDermott (56); C Tizzano for Gleeson (58); Z Nonggorr for Alaalatoa (60); B Donaldson for Lolesio (61); F Daugunu for Ikitau; T Hooper for Williams (both 65). FIJI: S Rayasi; K Ravouvou, I Masi, J Tuisova, J Wainiqolo; C Muntz, S Kuruvoli; E Mawi, T Ikanivere, P Ravai; I Nasilasila, T Mayanavanua; L Tagitagivalu, E Canakaivata, V Mata. Replacements: M Doge for Ravai (49); S Maqala for Masi, H Hetet for Mawi, S Matavesi for Ikanivere (all 51); A Tuisue for Mata (65); P Baselala for Kuruvoli (70); I Armstrong-Ravula for Rayasi (71); M Vocevoce for Wainiqolo (77). Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR).
Irish Examiner
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Donal Lenihan: Leinster loss a sobering setback for Irish rugby... and Farrell's Lions
When French referee Pierre Brousset eventually blew the final whistle at the conclusion of one of the most riveting Champions Cup semi-finals of all time, my thoughts were immediately drawn to two men sitting below me in the Aviva Stadium. For Leo Cullen the manner of this defeat will be even harder to rationalise than the consecutive final losses suffered over the last three seasons. Given the vast resources invested in this squad and the addition this season of real star quality in Jordie Barrett, RG Snyman and Rabah Slimani, handpicked specifically to close out tight encounters such as this, this latest European collapse is even more painful than those previous nightmares. This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Subscribe to access all of the Irish Examiner. Annual €120€60 Best value Monthly €10€4 / month Unlimited access. Subscriber content. Daily ePaper. Additional benefits.
Irish Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Analysis: Leinster continue to find new ways to lose big games
Leinster found another way to lose. One of the constituent elements of their demise this time, team selection, a primary bugbear in how the evening unravelled for the home side as Jordie Barrett 's influential, if maddeningly belated 31-minute cameo graphically illustrated. The legacy is one of acute frustration, disappointment and regret, unfortunately familiar emotions as they nurse another Champions Cup heartbreak into next season. Their last European triumph in 2018 becomes a little smaller in the rear-view mirror. Samuel Beckett wrote in his novella Worstward Ho: 'Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better' – words that have been appropriated in business and sport as a rallying cry against adversity, appearing on T-shirts, posters and in TED talks. READ MORE There is a temptation to suggest that it would serve as an all-encompassing slogan that describes a seven-year itch that Leinster have failed to scratch in the quest for European glory. But it would be wide of the mark to suggest that they 'failed better' at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening. This in no way detracts from a brilliant and deserved victory for the Northampton Saints. Beckett's sentiment about 'failing better' it can be argued is not about a failure to create or to achieve but rather a failure to undo something that stubbornly refuses to be undone, like Leinster's inability to find a way to cap a losing sequence in pivotal knock-out European matches in what's become an unrelenting tale of woe. Ghosts of past defeats also returned, a hotchpotch of inaccuracy, a lack of composure, questionable decision-making, a failure to appreciate and convert opportunities, untypically porous defence (58 per cent tackle completion, 36 missed), where communication and cohesion disappeared at crucial times. Not to mention a huge end game, crap-shoot gamble, in trying to roll a seven when three points were on offer from their penultimate penalty award. The priority at that point should have been to draw level. Referee Pierre Brousset: it wasn't his officiating that caused Leinster's defeat. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho Leinster head coach Leo Cullen used the expression 'haunt us' in his post-match thoughts but exorcising the demons of this defeat won't be easy. Any lingering grievances about the officiating should be put to one side. The rough and smooth evened out and it wasn't the root cause of defeat. Leinster had a surfeit of possession and opportunity to determine the result, by their own hand without recourse to ancillary aid. Referee Pierre Brousset went down some verbal culs-de-sac in explaining one or two decisions, but his reasoning, right or wrong, was plausible in a sort of, 'fair outcome' way. Instead, the Irish province must look closer to home, starting with selection, where leaving Barrett on the bench and Cian Healy on the pitch for just 19 minutes, was an indulgence that backfired. Cullen said beforehand that he could have started the All Blacks centre if he wanted and logically that makes sense. Barrett, on a short-term, six-month contract, is hardly blocking the development of Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose. Why would the IRFU, who sanctioned the move, stipulate that he couldn't play in a European semi-final thereby scuppering the province's chance of potentially winning the tournament and maxing out on the prize money that would go to the Union in those circumstances? That would be financially dopey. A recurring issue for Leinster throughout the game was to throw a glut of errors in quick succession, a sequence that began virtually from the first whistle. The home side won a penalty after 48 seconds, turned down a shot at goal to kick down the touchline but thereafter had a maul turned over, conceded a free-kick at the ensuing scrum, a penalty at a ruck and had a kick charged down. Worse was to follow for the first of Tommy Freeman's hat-trick. Josh van der Flier, one of his team's best players on the day, chased hard on a kick, his team-mates showing varying degrees or urgency, the upshot more doglegs than a kennels. Fin Smith chose a gorgeous line and his diagonal grubber kick was equally sumptuous. Leinster didn't learn a lesson because the outstanding Henry Pollock's try had similar DNA is cutting back against the grain; a great line, the player late on to the ball at pace through a gap that shouldn't have been there, watched by four blue-shirted players defending precisely nobody on the short-side of the ruck. Joe McCarthy feeling the pressure during the defeat to Northampton at the Aviva Stadium. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho The Saints attacked with flair and a sense of adventure on the back of warp-speed ruck ball that was great to watch, but their opponents missed far too many basic tackles. Every time Leinster hauled themselves out of the hole, they fell right back in with another defensive misstep. In contrast Northampton tackled like dervishes, aggressive, focused and aligned and they preyed on the home side's ad hoc set-up in attack, which became bent out of shape after a few phases or occasionally undermined by poor handling. The old blemishes resurfaced, no footwork in contact, ball carriers both easily identifiable and receiving possession from a standing start. The last play of the first half epitomised this weakness. James Lowe, Robbie Henshaw, twice, RG Snyman, Caelan Doris and Joe McCarthy were all static in receiving possession. Too often Leinster players were beaten to the shoulder at the breakdown, where Wallaby Josh Kemeny and Pollock had a field day. And yet Leinster found themselves chasing a third try from a tap penalty one minute from time to rescue victory. It's the hope that kills. Small margins are far worse than a blowout. It won't come as much of a consolation, but Tommy O'Brien's performance was of the highest calibre and should lead, deservedly, to a first Ireland cap in the summer. Typically, combative in the tackle – he forced one turnover with a thumping hit, he beat the first opponent time and again with footwork or power in contact, his clearing out at rucks was exemplary, as was his kick/chase work. The URC may be the less glamorous sibling in tournament terms but for Leinster another season without silverware would be galling. No time to wallow. A gung-ho attitude is required. Time to be bold and play, bringing to bear all their resources.
