Points for RWC refs
The International Rugby Board’s refereeing boss has again emphasised the application of five important laws for the World Cup in the hope that it will produce more entertaining rugby than was the case in 2007 when defence and kicking ruled.
On Tuesday O’Brien is to meet with the 10 referees appointed to the World Cup, who he believes are the best 10 he could have.
O’Brien said: “We have been asking our guys to revisit the five key areas. We think they started with really good intentions last year, but the foot has come off the throat, especially at the tackle – the tackler rolling away and the entry – and especially the offside line in close.”
O’Brien listed the five key areas:
* The breakdown: The tackler must roll away and the assist tackler must release, while arriving players must come through the gate.
* The scrum: There will be the slow sequence of four calls (crouch, touch, pause, engage), the loosehead must have his head and shoulders above hips and the tighthead must bind on the body of his opponent, not on the arm.
* Offside: There was to be strict policing of offside players close to the breakdown (the pillars) and players in front of kicker must remain stationary until put onside.
* Mauls: The ball-carrier must be available to be tackled by the defending team.
* Foul play: High tackles, grabbing and twisting of the head and tip tackles were emphasised, with referees to start at a red card and work down from there.
O’Brien said: “The 20 teams at the World Cup all received the same presentation and they have bought into it. What we’ve got to do as referees is make sure we implement them.
“While the refs have done some of them very well, we think we need to reassess them.”
O’Brien is meeting the coaches again on Wednesday.
