South Africa’s Jaco Peyper has been appointed as referee for two Tests in the traditional November international window. Image: AFP
Red cards at the World Cup: TMOs to reduce drama?
There are plans being put in place to reduce the pressure on the on-field referees at the World Cup in France.
South Africa’s Jaco Peyper has been appointed as referee for two Tests in the traditional November international window. Image: AFP
There are plans being put in place to reduce the pressure on the on-field referees at the World Cup in France.
The Telegraph suggest that TMOs and not the on-field referee will be deciding on red card infringements in the 2023 edition of the biggest event in world rugby.
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World Cup no place for red card drama
The newspaper suggest that the talks started soon after South African referee Jaco Peyper was in the spotlight during the 2023 Six Nations match between England and Ireland.
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Peyper’s red card issued to England fullback Freddie Steward was downgraded by a disciplinary panel after the loss to the Irish.
World Rugby will reportedly use the next few months to engage on two key areas ahead of the Rugby World Cup. The first is allowing the TMO to make the red card decision so that referees don’t have to deal with the “grey area”. The next is that the TMO could upgrade an on-field call from a yellow to red card.
Both are controversial plans and would need engagement with players and coaches before being adopted.
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Springboks planning ahead with Nigel Owens
The Springboks battles with referees over the past few seasons has led to some planning to possibly employ a so-called ‘referee coach’, with Nigel Owens now revealing exactly what this would entail.
“The role itself, as Rassie explained, would be nothing new for me. It would entail me being in South Africa with the squad, refereeing their contact sessions and helping them with their understanding of what they can and can’t do on the field.
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“I’d be giving feedback to World Rugby on behalf of South Africa, reviewing the game from a referee’s point of view, flagging incidents the team may have a couple of questions about, or areas where we feel like they’ve been treated harshly.
“I told Rassie that I needed a week or so to think things through and that’s where we’ve left it for now. I will go back to them when I’ve thought it over and then either negotiations will carry on from there or I will have to say I’m sorry and prioritise my other commitments. There’s a lot for me to consider, but all I know for sure right now is that it won’t be an easy decision either way.”
