quietbrit says...

Why not give the TMO the ability to tell the Ref that something happened and who did it for Yellow and Red card offenses, then bin the offender at the next break in play. If you loose your player to the bin but don't ship a penalty it is still mostly fair and doesn't disrupt the flow of the game.

Posted 22:20 21st February 2012

darthbok says...

Just on the white card thing -----doesnt showing the white card mean `I surrender` -- that would be fantastic! --the ref surrenders and the rest of the game is a brilliant free for all bust-up ---and the crowd can get involved too --------

Posted 18:11 21st February 2012

davodiablo says...

Well its an experiment . Why don't we just just be patient and see if it works?

Having one citing officer for the whole comp is probably the best idea introduced for this season.

Posted 17:30 21st February 2012

howrtings says...

@ RugbyRefs:

Give people a bit of credit, we don't all have the memory span of a gold fish!!

If something serious happens on the pitch that's missed, i'm sure the parties involved would be able to remember....

Posted 16:26 21st February 2012

RugbyRefs says...

@StartledWombat. It would have indeed fixed the problem with the eye gouge as McCaw would have had the ability to let the ref know and the ref would have held up the white card to let the citing officer know to look closer for what the problem was.

It allows a bit of a 2 way process between the Captain & the Ref while the issue is fresh on their minds, not hours afterwards when they may have forgotten, or got swept up in the emotion of the win and forget to report it.

Posted 15:00 21st February 2012

spliffed says...

Perhaps the TMO should earn his/her money ? The citing comission will be looking at the same footage available to the TMO. It seems the powers that be are hell bent on turning what used to be a very simple game into a quagmire of rules.. A player is already put on 'report' as soon as he is yellow/red carded and even warned. also the oppostion can have a player cited. So why the extra level that basically excists already? Entertainment? Something to appease the crowd when the only people in the stadium who dont see instances of foul play appear to be the three officials? Officials guessing rather than doing their jobs? Or is this constant tinkering with the rules the various rugby board members trying to show us they are worth the huge salaries they get? Yep I'm a cynic. Can we just get back to playing rugby again? Cant wait for Friday

Posted 13:59 21st February 2012

APV1 says...

Why aren't they extending the powers of the forth official? Many examples of three pairs of eyes missing something that we all easily see on the tv are available. Why can't the video ref make a call from their perch, with all of the technology and camera angles available to them, and speak to the on-field ref throught the earpiece already in place?

I'm not saying that the white card shouldn't be trialled, but we have the personnel and technology already pitch-side, so let's use it. And if it's not available, make it so.

Posted 11:44 21st February 2012

Chancer says...

A massive cop out, referees should be guided to enforce the existing rules, they already have 'touch judges' to assist, if three pairs of eyes aren't enough then some of those eyes are looking in the wrong direction. This will not help when non of the officials see anything, as in the recent Sarries Leicester lash up.

Posted 10:44 21st February 2012

startledwombat says...

Fair enough, to cover off the situation where the referee knew something had happened but missed the perpetrator.

Another situation needs to be fixed - where the referee missed the foul play completely. The white card will not address the eye gouge on McCaw in the showpiece World Cup Final. The procedures and silly red tape that prevented the French player from being punished, need to be changed too.

**********

@ Riverblues

- all joking aside, my understanding is that is that the days of gifts and gratuities to referees are long gone. The practice was badly tarnished with the payments to the referee when the New Zealand rebels toured South Africa in the mid-eighties, and Luis Luyt put the nail in the coffin with his "let's give the gold watch of thanks during the post-match dinner" after the 1995 World Cup.

In fairness, New Zealanders don't have a track record of thinking in such ways, nor of having the resources to do it. The BNZ has been bailed out by their government at least twice, and was later sold off; it is now owned by Australians.

Posted 09:49 21st February 2012

rugby_rockstar says...

If rugby league refs can put players on report by crossing their arms above their heads why does South Africa New Zealand (Who ought to know better given their environmental stance) and Australia feel the need to cut down trees to make some stupid white cards?

Posted 09:39 21st February 2012