Latest news with #matchOfficials
Telegraph
07-08-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
The four refereeing lessons from Lions series
During my international career, I was involved in two British and Irish Lions Series. In 2009, which was the first time that British and Irish referees were asked to referee Lions matches, and again in 2021 when the Lions returned to South Africa but without fans. Each of those tours brought new challenges to the match officials team – and the way in which we dealt with those challenges changed the direction of the game for the years that followed. In the lead up to the 2009 tour, World Rugby introduced a new tackle interpretation which was, in short, as long as you got your hands on the ball first, you could keep them on it even if a ruck eventually formed over you. Heinrich Brüssow, the Free State Cheetahs flanker, utilised the law to his advantage to such a degree that he was propelled into the Boks team for the first Test and was a real nuisance during the Springboks' victory. Us referees worked through the new interpretations in classrooms, practised during school matches and discussed how we would translate all of the theory onto the pitches of South Africa. It might not sound that difficult, but it took some getting your head around, and after the Lion series we lead the way in which the game would be refereed. It led to a more defence-orientated game, with coaches regularly saying that having the ball was a liability. The 2021 trip saw one of the most surreal incidents in rugby history. Rassie Erasmus's online rant when he publicly reviewed the performance of the match officials of the first Lions Test, not only earned him a two-month ban from rugby, but it also changed the way in which referees and coaches interacted before and after Test matches. The pre- and post-match discussions between a coach and a referee had more formality and guidelines put in place around them, and the 2021 Lions match officials set the standard for how those unique and fundamentally important meetings would work moving forward. Those guidelines remain in place today. Since the final whistle in Sydney, I have wondered what lasting principles Ben O'Keeffe, Andrea Piardi and Nika Amashukeli, the three referees for the Lions series, will have set during their six-week stint in Australia and what that will mean for the game moving forward. Not all head contact is foul play I chuckled to myself watching the third Test. In the 13th minute, Tommy Freeman received the ball from Tom Curry only five metres out from the Wallabies try-line. Freeman tucked the ball under his arm and headed for the corner, running an aggressive arcing line hoping to level the scores. As he did, he was smashed backwards by the aggressive Australian winger, Dylan Pietsch. Pietsch had cut in from his own wing, to make a fantastic tackle, one which knocked Freeman back towards the centre of the field. It also caused Freeman to drop towards the floor and as he did, Len Ikitau hit him in the head. All week I had followed the Australian media regurgitating the law about how it was always illegal to make contact above the line of the shoulders – but Ikitau's tackle wasn't foul play. What else could he do? What else could Jac Morgan do the week before in his clear-out? Sometime these things happen. We want the game as safe as possible – that's why World Rugby should be applauded for the investment they are making in the science and research around player welfare – but the game will have accidental collisions, and I hope the sensible officiating that we saw during the Lions series will continue. Working out when TMO should get involved I was delighted that Marius Jonker, one of the world's most experienced match officials, didn't get involved in the Freeman incident. I like that he trusted his own judgement and let the game continue. It was why I was surprised that he intervened when Nic White and Finn Russell collided in the 58 th minute. There was no appeal, and no injury to anyone, yet the game was stopped for 30-odd seconds so Amashukeli could rule upon whether White tackled the Lions fly-half without the ball. Amashukeli rightly ruled there was nothing to see. One for me to discuss with Marius over a beer I think. At the end of the AUNZ Invitational match in Adelaide, Shannon Frizell was sin-binned following a clear-out on Morgan. There was no appeal, no injury, and watching it live, I didn't know what anyone had done wrong. Frizell was given a yellow card for a dangerous clear-out which looked like hundreds of other clear-outs I've seen during my career, but the TMO thought it was right to get involved. If no-one else notices an incident, a TMO shouldn't go looking for it. A TMO should be there to just get the stuff that matters. When a player is taken off with an injury – a TMO should ask why? When a deliberate offence is replayed in the stadium – and everyone else can see it - a TMO should tell the referee what they've missed. I know O'Keeffe was leading the way in ensuring that TMOs only came in when it was essential – and on the whole I thought this group of match officials got it about right – but I hope we continue to see fewer interventions by the TMO moving forward, which will mean fewer stoppages in our game. Be careful what you say After France vs South Africa in Marseille in November 2022, Springboks coach Erasmus started posting videos on social media of decisions he thought I'd got wrong. With the World Cup-winning coach reviewing my decisions on social media others thought they were entitled to join in. The attitude seemed to be, 'If he can do it, why can't I?' And because social media provides a cloak of anonymity, the criticism soon turned into ugly abuse of me and my family. Joe Schimdt announced that he was giving Carlo Tizzano a week off after what he described was a 'tough week' for the Australian replacement who was accused of diving in the final moments of the second Test. 'He's had a really tough week Carlo,' Schmidt said. 'He's copped a lot of online abuse.' I know that the match officials 'copped a lot' too – and a great deal of that will because of the post-match comments by the Aussie coach. When someone so respected in the game, in a position of such responsibility, comes out and criticises the referee – what do we expect will happen? Coaches and players have to realise their actions have consequences. I was delighted that the CEO of World Rugby, Alan Gilpin, came out and said: 'We've got to back our referees and our match officials and with the Women's Rugby World Cup around the corner, World Rugby has said it will support the mental wellbeing of players and match officials by tackling online abuse and fostering a respectful and inclusive environment for all participants. Everyone has a role to play.' Online abuse isn't just a rugby issue, of course. But I don't see why we can't lead the way in tackling it by controlling what we can control as a sport. Referees will never be perfect As fans, we have to accept the game isn't perfect. Players drop the ball at crucial moments. Remember the knock on by Tom Lynagh with the Aussies leading 23-5 in the crucial second Test and the resulting scrum that led to Tom Curry dancing over in the corner to stop the Aussie momentum. Remember some of the wrongly timed substitutions by the coaches we have seen over the past 12 months? And yes, the referees have made mistakes too. But rather than marking a referee on how many mistakes they have made, look at some statistics that can show where a referee has added value to a game. How long did a video review take – nothing worse than watching endless replays. How long was the ball in play – nothing gets people reaching for the TV remote more than another stoppage in play. Get the referees thinking about adding to the momentum of a game, rather than attempting to get every decision right. If they get that right, it will help the game no-end. I am looking forward to August 22 when the Red Roses take on the USA at Sunderland's Stadium of Light, not just to see the opening game of the Rugby World Cup, but to see what the 10 referees who have been selected will also have learnt from an eventful 2025 Lions Series.
RNZ News
25-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Rugby union postpones all club games this weekend after fresh referee abuse
Photo: Unsplash / Davide Buttani Horowhenua Kāpiti Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) is postponing all club games this weekend due to ongoing referees abuse, according to social media post. It said on 21 June a referee officiating a college rugby match between its college team and a visiting school side "was subjected to serious verbal abuse and physical intimidation. Abuse was directed at the referee throughout the match by multiple visiting individuals, culminating in a situation so concerning that members of the public felt compelled to escort the referee to his vehicle following the game, for his safety". "Horowhenua Kāpiti Rugby Football Union is appalled by this behaviour and stands with our match officials. This conduct has no place in our game, at any level and will not be tolerated." The union issued a warning at the end of May that they would consider cancelling games after it said a referee was threatened with being stabbed . That statement, it said, made clear that the safety and respect of referees was non-negotiable. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the union said all rugby across the union on 28 June would be postponed, including junior, college-grade and senior matches. "This will provide time to reflect and consider what kind of rugby environment we are creating and enabling. We must take collective responsibility to protect our referees, uphold the mana of our game, and ensure that rugby remains a safe and respectful environment for everyone involved. "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. Stand up and show your support for our Match Officials," chief executive Corey Kennett said. In late May Kennett had said referees were being physically threatened, some faced physical abuse and a referee had been struck with a piece of field equipment, and one referee being threatened to be stabbed. The union Board was united in its condemnation of this behaviour, chairperson John Cribb said in the Wednesday night post. "It is unacceptable and not what we expect from anyone involved in rugby. Whether you're a player, coach, parent, or supporter, you have a responsibility to uphold the values of our game. Referee abuse undermines everything we stand for and will not be tolerated. We expect better, and our referees deserve better." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
21-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Assaulting referees in Italy could lead to prison time
Those who commit acts of violence against match officials in Italy could now be sentenced to time in Italian government modified its penal code on Friday to give match officials the same legal protection as police officers and other public officials. The law change, which followed a rise in cases of assault against referees, means perpetrators could face much tougher penalties for pushing, hitting or threatening match officials."Sport is loyalty and sharing. Those who do not accept it are warned: from tomorrow violent behaviour and aggression against referees will be punished without delay, even with prison," said junior justice minister Andrea Ostellari. The government has been in talks with the Italian Soccer Referees Association (ISRA) since month Serie A referees highlighted the increase in abuse they were being subjected to by wearing black smudges on their cheeks during matches in protest.
CNA
06-06-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Referee body cams and enhanced offside detection system tested at Club World Cup
PARIS : Referees wearing body cameras and an upgraded offside detection system will be among the headline innovations at this year's Club World Cup in the United States, FIFA said on Friday. For the first time at a FIFA tournament, match officials will wear body cameras, with selected footage broadcast live to audiences. A new, advanced version of semi-automated offside technology — combining Artificial Intelligence, multiple cameras, and ball sensors — will be deployed to speed up decision-making while maintaining VAR oversight for marginal calls. "However, for challenging offside scenarios, the video assistant referee will still validate the information provided by the system before the decision is taken," FIFA said in a statement. The tournament, which expands to 32 teams this year, will serve as a major testing ground for both systems, the governing body said.
