RUGBY WORLD CUP organisers have moved to clarify the role of the Television Match Official after the opening weekend of the tournament was dominated by a succession of video referrals.
The length of time taken for decisions to be made in the early games of the competition had led to widespread criticism with England’s clash with Fiji featuring over 10 minutes of stoppages due to decisions referred to the TMO.
But in a statement released this morning, World Rugby have defended the system and say they are eager to reduce delays caused by it.
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“The TMO is a part of the match official team and the fantastic technology available is a tool to be used in the making of key decisions during matches,” Chairman of the World Rugby Match Officials Selection Committee John Jeffrey said.
“The TMO process is used to make sure the correct calls are made to protect the integrity of the game.
“It’s worth noting that just 28 per cent of stoppage time in the opening match of this Rugby World Cup was taken up by the TMO process but we are committed to reducing that time further while not compromising on accuracy.
“As such, all involved - referees, TMOs, technicians and television producers - are working together to achieve that.”
Former England international Brian Moore claimed the TMO could ‘ruin games’ while fans have been left angered by the amount of time taken out of the game to go upstairs.
Referee Jaco Peyper referred six incidents to the TMO on Friday. David Davies
David Davies
Rugby’s use of technology has set the precedent for other sports to follow and its video referral system is regarded as one of the most efficient but referee’s over-reliance on technology has led to frustration.
“The objective of the television match official (TMO) system is to ensure accurate and consistent decisions are made on the field in a timely and efficient manner,” the statement continued.
“The TMO is a tool to help referees and assistant referees with their on-field calls and the referee remains the decision-maker who is in charge of the process.”
As the second round of World Cup fixtures begin on Wednesday, it will be interesting to see if the officials are more reluctant to ask their colleague in the booth for assistance.
World Cup organisers defend TMO system amid growing frustration from fans
RUGBY WORLD CUP organisers have moved to clarify the role of the Television Match Official after the opening weekend of the tournament was dominated by a succession of video referrals.
The length of time taken for decisions to be made in the early games of the competition had led to widespread criticism with England’s clash with Fiji featuring over 10 minutes of stoppages due to decisions referred to the TMO.
But in a statement released this morning, World Rugby have defended the system and say they are eager to reduce delays caused by it.
“The TMO is a part of the match official team and the fantastic technology available is a tool to be used in the making of key decisions during matches,” Chairman of the World Rugby Match Officials Selection Committee John Jeffrey said.
“The TMO process is used to make sure the correct calls are made to protect the integrity of the game.
“It’s worth noting that just 28 per cent of stoppage time in the opening match of this Rugby World Cup was taken up by the TMO process but we are committed to reducing that time further while not compromising on accuracy.
Former England international Brian Moore claimed the TMO could ‘ruin games’ while fans have been left angered by the amount of time taken out of the game to go upstairs.
Rugby’s use of technology has set the precedent for other sports to follow and its video referral system is regarded as one of the most efficient but referee’s over-reliance on technology has led to frustration.
“The objective of the television match official (TMO) system is to ensure accurate and consistent decisions are made on the field in a timely and efficient manner,” the statement continued.
“The TMO is a tool to help referees and assistant referees with their on-field calls and the referee remains the decision-maker who is in charge of the process.”
As the second round of World Cup fixtures begin on Wednesday, it will be interesting to see if the officials are more reluctant to ask their colleague in the booth for assistance.
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