Sportable, the company that has developed the technology, works with broadcasters and teams to aid in their analysis while communicating with referees. Right now officials must make do with grainy replays but could soon have an extra tool at their disposal.Įvery Gilbert ball at the Six Nations is equipped with a microchip that is tracked by 10 beacons placed around the stadium. Wayne Barnes, who took charge of the final where he sent off the New Zealand captain, Sam Cane, and disallowed an All Blacks try against South Africa, was the single most targeted individual with three other referees among the top nine.Īs a result, Owens would like to see technology stripped back to determine only whether or not a ball has been grounded over the line, which brings us back full circle. Photograph: Richard Heathcote/Getty ImagesĪ report published this month by World Rugby found that match officials received 49% of the total volume of directed abuse during the World Cup last year. View image in fullscreen Former referee Nigel Owens believes technology has undermined officials. There’s never been more hate for referees.” It puts them under a spotlight and anyone with social media can pile on. “Technology was also supposed to lessen the abuse directed at referees but it’s only highlighted their mistakes. With a safety net there’s a licence to get things wrong. If you took away the safety net you’d be damned sure that anyone who steps on that rope would know what they’re doing. It’s like walking a tightrope between two high buildings. It’s used too much and I’d say it’s made refereeing worse.
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“Technology has created this environment where we have controversies every week. “Technology has made people expect that decisions are black and white, but refereeing is about interpreting the massive grey areas in rugby,” Owens says. But, according to Owens, there has been a negative side effect. In addition to almost annual law changes and ever-improving safety procedures, the use of technology has helped enhance the spectacle as well as assist officials reach more accurate conclusions. Rugby is often accused of being mired in tradition but it is also in a constant state of evolution. You go on probability and I’d say the ball was probably grounded.” You can never say if a try would definitely have been scored.
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My philosophy is similar to the awarding of penalty tries. “The benefit of the doubt should always go to the attacking team. “If I was the TMO, based on the evidence that I saw, I would have awarded the try,” says Nigel Owens, a retired referee who, for 19 years, was one of the most respected officials in the game.