It’s clearly much better than Football refereeing and there’s a number of reasons for that. The main one being the nature of the games, Rugby is stop start by nature so it doesn’t spoil the flow of the game if the ref takes a little extra time to make the right decision.
There is one major difference though and that is that he’s hooked up to a microphone and provides a clear narration of the match, his decisions and the justification of them. Most importantly it makes them accountable.
Now there’s a problem in football with swearing which is often used as the reason why it can’t work. Because you would hear “feck off” about 30 times a game picked up by the referees mic. Rugby handles that by cautioning any player heard swearing and the game is better off for it because it creates a better playing environment and you can’t say it sanitises them or makes them any less competitive or aggressive.
I think the main reason it hasn’t come in is because football referees aren’t prepared for it. Rugby referees carry themselves with absolute formality, football referees are more like supply teachers that try to control the class by gaining respect by getting down on their level. It’s a completely different approach and I think if they their microphone was broadcast they’d be heavily criticised for how they manage the players during a game. How they speak to certain players compared to others.
If they could get them straightened out and enforce the players behaviour to it was broadcastable I think we’d have a better sport.
There is one major difference though and that is that he’s hooked up to a microphone and provides a clear narration of the match, his decisions and the justification of them. Most importantly it makes them accountable.
Now there’s a problem in football with swearing which is often used as the reason why it can’t work. Because you would hear “feck off” about 30 times a game picked up by the referees mic. Rugby handles that by cautioning any player heard swearing and the game is better off for it because it creates a better playing environment and you can’t say it sanitises them or makes them any less competitive or aggressive.
I think the main reason it hasn’t come in is because football referees aren’t prepared for it. Rugby referees carry themselves with absolute formality, football referees are more like supply teachers that try to control the class by gaining respect by getting down on their level. It’s a completely different approach and I think if they their microphone was broadcast they’d be heavily criticised for how they manage the players during a game. How they speak to certain players compared to others.
If they could get them straightened out and enforce the players behaviour to it was broadcastable I think we’d have a better sport.