Warren Gatland takes dim view of simulation in rugby as players and coaches urged to take ‘more responsibility’ after surprising TMO stat
Referee Nika Amashukeli going to the TMO and former Lions head coach Warren Gatland.
Wales and Lions coaching great Warren Gatland insists that players and coaches must stop trying to manipulate the system when it comes to head injuries.
World Rugby and the various governing bodies have looked to clamp down on high shots given the seriousness of concussion and the effects it can have on individuals in the short and long term.
Sanctions have therefore been put in place and officials have become stricter if there has been an illegal action to the head of a player.
TMO interference
However, sometimes it may not have been immediately noticed by the referee or his TMO and there are suggestions that players have been encouraged to stay down even when not injured.
That duly gives the officials a chance to find the incident but, should there be no infringement, it slows the game down and potentially increases the number of interventions from the video referee.
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The amount of interference from those not on the field has become a frustration for many, although Gatland started off by stating that the statistics make for potentially surprising reading.
“Interestingly, when it comes to overall TMO interventions, the stats show there are much fewer than I expected. They are mainly involved only in the big decisions,” he wrote in his Telegraph column.
“It is not the easiest thing to do because if a TMO is reviewing an incident, he is not able to look at the real-time footage. It makes it important to have two people in the box, one who can review foul play, which they have at the highest level.”
Frustration with simulation
Gatland therefore believes that the onus is partly on the players and coaches to make sure the game continues to flow.
Certain head honchos may be encouraging their charges to feign injury in order to get the officials involved and gain an advantage over the opposition, but the 62-year-old does not like that football-esque approach.
“Coaches and players should take more responsibility. We have increasingly seen players who experience some head contact being encouraged to stay down, like we have seen in football,” he wrote.
“This ensures there is a stoppage in play and then the TMO can review the incident and maybe a yellow card will be shown to their opponent.
“The consequences can be significant, but I would like to think that there is a responsibility for the players not to go down if they are not injured. This can also apply to players going down injured to rest and have a break.”
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