Ex-Springboks boss hits out at ‘ridiculous’ officiating communications farce during Wallabies victory
Referee Andrea Piardi on the phone to the TMO during the international rugby test match between the Wallabies and Springboks.
Former Springboks head coach Nick Mallett has slammed the communication breakdown during the clash between Australia and South Africa.
Referee Andrea Piardi was unable to speak with TMO Matteo Liperini during the second half of the fixture in Perth through the usual radio communications.
This resulted in the referee using a phone to talk with the fourth official when reviewing incidents, including Tom Wright’s disallowed try after Hunter Paisami’s high tackle on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
South Africa’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Baltimore clash with the All Blacks, was also blighted by a breakdown in communications, something that Mallett thinks should not be happening.
Sympathy for the referee
Still, the former Springboks boss did sympathise with referee Piardi, who had to officiate on decisions without the help of the fourth official.
“I do sympathise with Andrea Piardi. I really do,” Mallett said on the Talking Boks podcast.
“I think it must be a dreadful situation to be in the middle of a big Test match and you haven’t got comms with your TMO and you’re depending on the guy on the side shouting at you that someone’s spoken and that you’ve got to stop the game and have a look but you still can’t hear him and you can’t say because the information gets passed really well if it’s if it’s working as a team of four.”
The topic was raised on the podcast when Mallett was asked about Harry Wilson’s high tackle on Springboks hooker Malcolm Marx. The Wallabies captain was penalised for his actions, which Piardi spotted live, but the incident wasn’t reviewed at first.
Wallabies v Springboks: Five takeaways as ‘simply magnificent’ star shines in Socceroo-style victory
Ridiculous situation
Eventually, the TMO’s message came through with a phone taken onto the pitch for Piardi, who issued the yellow card.
“I don’t always agree with the decisions that have been taken. Although it looks as though World Rugby has asked them to be less vigorous on these head contacts. If the guy has ducked or there’s a second tackler in there, they’re a bit more lenient, which is good for the game,” Mallett continued.
“But this game, unfortunately, on Marx, there were two players. One was a high arm around his neck, and the other one was a blow straight to the head, and Marx went straight to the ref afterwards, gave it the square, and said to him, ‘Listen, have a check, please. He has hit my head.’ He was trying to ignore it, and the TMO couldn’t get to him.
“So I think he was going to let it go, and then luckily, it was probably one of his touch judges who said, ‘Hang on a sec. Don’t, don’t play on here; there is an issue.’
“They then ran on with a cell phone, and he was able to hear his TMO again. It’s ridiculous with communications and technology being as good as they are now in the world; you should never have a situation in an international game where the referee has to use a cell phone to talk to his TMO. That’s ridiculous.”
