While Australia has brought up the issue with World Rugby, the Springboks “trust the systems,” according to coach Jacques Nienaber, and the 2022 Rugby Championship will be recognised for its refereeing disputes for years to come.
The Wallaby veteran David Campese recently referred to present Test rugby as “a farce” since it has four times as many penalties as matches from the 1980s and drags on for over 30 minutes longer due to constant TMO reviews.
At the conclusion of the Wallabies’ encounter against New Zealand in Melbourne, Frenchman Mathieu Raynal made an odd choice that shocked the team just as Campo was finishing his sentence. Bernard Foley was fined for “time wasting,” and the All Blacks quickly scored with the newly acquired possession to win the match 39-37.
A month ago, England coach Eddie Jones added his voice to the conversation by urging interested parties to meet and debate if the present stop-start rugby product is what fans really want to witness.
At his Tuesday squad announcement news conference, Nienaber was asked for his view. He responded diplomatically: “We trust the officiating process. In the same way that we coaches are receiving information on our players as we prepare for a World Cup, World Rugby is receiving the same information about its match referees.
The coach said, “We simply trust the process because they are giving referees high-pressure games to test whether they can manage it.
Speaking of TMO interruptions, Chris Hart, the same Kiwi TMO who last week in Buenos Aires made a meal out of so many stops, will be back on duty at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday.
Australian Damon Murphy will serve as the middle man, while the touch judges will be Irishmen Frank Murphy and Andrea Piardi of Italy.
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