The flawed foul play system has had just limited trials, but is now making big decisions in Rugby World Cup matches
An identikit hit by New Zealander Ethan de Groot, on the other hand, was upgraded in their match against Namibia. And we’ve seen England’s Tom Curry getting red and a suspension, while two very similar offences stayed at yellow. Confusion, not consistency, reigns.
It seems somewhat absurd that the most qualified person to make the decision, the referee – in conjunction with his TMO and assistants – is no longer involved, and is clearly more than content to pass the buck to the bunker. There we find officials who, through no fault of their own, have very limited experience in making such critical calls, hence the inconsistency, the incoherence.
But it’s all not the fault of the match officials; the blame lies firmly with World Rugby, which agreed to rush the deployment of the bunker in the first place. The World Cup is not the place to experiment – this needed a significantly longer trial period, at least a full season, to iron out the creases before arriving at the game’s greatest event. The result, so far, is indeed “la grande folie”.
Referee Wayne Barnes during the Rugby World Cup match between Ireland and Tonga at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes on Saturday. Photograph: Warren Little/Getty Images
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