All Blacks legend willing to put up with ‘s**t calls’ if it stops TMO interventions

Former All Blacks scrum-half Justin Marshall believes that rugby fans need to ‘grow up’ in order to speed up the game going forward.

There have been calls following the Rugby World Cup final to reduce the influence of the television match official.

The showpiece event, which saw the Springboks claim the Webb Ellis Cup with a victory over the All Blacks, was constantly interrupted.

Card happy

Four cards were shown in total – three yellows and one red – as the officials looked at instances of foul play.

They also denied New Zealand a try after an Ardie Savea knock-on was discovered in the lead-up to Aaron Smith’s score.

As a result, the match was slowed down and left Marshall frustrated.

The ex-All Black would even forgo accuracy if it meant the match having more flow to it.

“TV coverage shows a replay from six phases ago where there’s a knock-on. We’re all out of sync at the moment of looking too hard, trying too hard and really disrupting the flow of the game,” he told The Platform.

“It’s not only our sport that it’s happening in because of the way technology is going, so all games are suffering.

“The football game I went to, because of the injection of VAR, the first half went on for an extra 12 minutes, and the second half was nine minutes longer. It’s a common theme among all sports where technology is dictating the game.

“We’ve got to try and protect the referees and give them more control. The way to go about it is cut back. If it’s not in the motion of scoring a try or the last phase before a try, and everyone knows that, well you will just have to put up with a s**t call now and again.

“If it’s in the motion of scoring or in the last ruck, then they are able to go back and look at it. If not, then that’s life, and if both teams, plus all supporters, know that’s the case… that will take all of the interference out of it.”

Defence of referees

Marshall refused to blame the officials, who are simply implementing the framework laid out by World Rugby.

Wayne Barnes, who refereed the World Cup final, has copped plenty of abuse, including death threats, from New Zealanders.

Ben O’Keeffe similarly suffered at the hands of the French after the hosts went out to South Africa at the quarter-final stage, and the ex-All Black insists that supporters need to be much better.

“I thought it was bloody disgraceful all of the fallout with the abuse Wayne Barnes suffered. Our game has got a better reputation than that, and the referees are out there doing their very best,” Marshall added.

“I thought the treatment of Ben O’Keeffe by the French crowd was disgraceful as well; I thought he controlled his games, the quarter-final and semi-final, really well.

“We’ve got to grow up a bit and protect the referees.”

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