Chris Robshaw feels that referees have lost ‘accountability’ since introduction of Bunker

Former England captain Chris Robshaw believes that referees are taking the “easy option” and have lost some “accountability” for decisions following the introduction of the Foul Play Review Bunker system.

The bunker system has been introduced at this World Cup in order to speed up decisions around foul play.

Passing the buck

While it has certainly sped up the on-field decisions – cutting the time the referees spend watching replays of incidents on the field – it has produced several controversial calls.

Robshaw says that he saw the introduction of the Foul Play Review Bunker as a positive thing for the game but fears that it is giving the matchday referee an easy out.

“Initially, I thought it was a great concept because Sergio [Parisse] and I have been on the pitch, and there’s a TMO decision going on, and it takes five to 10 minutes; it takes the whole flow out of the game, and it’s too long,” Robshaw explained on Planet Rugby’s Captain’s Call podcast, brought to you by eToro.

“However, I do think it’s taking a little bit of responsibility away from the referees.

“They have lost a bit of accountability there, so potentially we can almost meet somewhere in the middle and say, OK, there’s three minutes or something to look at a decision, if it’s not been made then, then we go to the bunker, and then we can look further at it.

“But I think it’s too often the referee just takes the easy option now and says to the bunker, let’s go away and deal with it, and they can deal with it, and it’s out of the referee’s hands.

“If you’re that person in the middle (the referee), you need to make the correct decision, and you need to think about it and all that kind of stuff, but it does need to be on them (to make the decision) if they are in charge of the game.”

The human element

Robshaw was asked whether there was a fear from the referees of ruining the game with cards and if they were simply passing on the decision to the bunker.

“Yeah, I do because they are human, and referees, like players, have good and bad games,” the former flanker added.

“They might see things, they might not see things, but they do their best out there.

“They prepare as well when they study the teams; they’re going to be watching, but of course that pressure affects them as well.”

The Captain’s Call podcast is brought to you by eToro, the official investing and trading partner of Premiership Rugby.

Tackle investing the smart way and join millions of UK investors on eToro today. The friendly platform for serious investors.

eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.

READ MORE: Rugby World Cup quarter-final referees and match officials confirmed