Rugby has enough problems — from baffling rule changes to concussion — without the referees muddying the pitch even more. Pascal Gaüzère, who officiated in last weekend’s gripping Triple Crown encounter in Cardiff, has told a senior official at World Rugby that he shouldn’t have let Wales’s controversial first two tries stand. It is an interesting confession but I doubt many on the other side of the Severn Bridge would agree with him.
Rugby and football refs, like traffic wardens and estate agents, will always be hate figures, with notable exceptions such as Nigel Owens, who has become a national treasure, or the legendary Pierluigi Collina, who memorably said that ‘football is an imperfect game and I don’t understand why we try to make it perfect’. Refs are human and they occasionally make mistakes in a very demanding job. Human error is part of the fun of sport, and the current frenzy is ridiculous, especially over football and VAR. The essence of sport is its human drama, its unpredictability. It is played to be watched with the human eye, not under a microscope.
I have always thought life would be transformed if footballers, like rugby players, had to call the ref ‘Sir’
At least with rugby, spectators have no doubt what’s happening and why. The referees are mic’d up and players and spectators, in the ground and at home, can hear everything. Gaüzère provided a very clear running commentary and had a long conversation with all the other officials over whether Louis Rees-Zammit knocked on or not. Answer: probably yes, despite what Gaüzère decided.
But if rugby refs can provide this commentary, why not football refs? If football was mic’d up, the on-field behaviour would be transformed. The Australian A-League has been experimenting with mic’d referees, and the results are terrific.
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