Top coaches approve law application
The International Rugby Board has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that IRB Referees will observe strict application of Law in key areas of the Game following a meeting between the world’s top coaches and the governing body in London.
Coaching representatives present to discuss all aspects of refereeing practice and global playing trends were Santiago Phelan (Argentina), David Nucifora (Australia), Martin Johnson (England), Marc Lièvremont and Didier Retiere (France), Declan Kidney (Ireland), Nick Mallett (Italy), Steve Hansen New Zealand, Andy Robinson (Scotland), Peter de Villiers (South Africa) and Warren Gatland (Wales).
The International Rugby Board hosted the forum and were represented by Bill Beaumont, Mike Miller, Mark Egan, Paddy O’Brien, Graham Mourie, Corris Thomas and Rhys Jones. The last two are game analysts.
The coaches all fully supported the IRB’s commitment to penalising the clear and obvious and all reiterated the need for consistency in ensuring strict application of Law in five key areas of the Game:
a) strict refereeing of offside at the breakdown
b) strict refereeing of offside from kicks
c) strict refereeing of illegal maul formation causing obstruction
d) strict refereeing of the clear and obvious at the scrum, including slowing down of the scrum engagement sequence, front row binding and scrum feeds
e) consistency in the application of the tackle Law
Referee manager Paddy O’Brien said: “The meeting was extremely constructive and highly productive, the first of its kind between the IRB and the world’s top coaches. All found it very beneficial and it was encouraging to see universal support for strict application of the Laws in these five key areas of the Game.
“The meeting presented the opportunity to discuss pressing officiating issues and all aspects of referee to coach communication. No new directives have been issued, but it allowed us to clearly outline to all the coaches the way in which the IRB’s referees will approach matches, the commitment to consistency of application across all areas of Law and a commitment to penalise the clear and obvious.
“In particular there was a collective determination between the IRB and the coaches to eradicate the number of scrum resets and collapses which are currently prominent at the elite level of the Game. The coaches expressed their full support for referees to employ a zero tolerance to formation offences in this important facet of the Game.
“All parties have bought into this process and this meeting will become a regular fixture ahead of the June and November Tests.”
The coaches meeting is in addition to three annual meetings with the world’s top referees and referee managers to drive best practice in Law application, to promote consistency of performance and identify and to discuss global playing trends.
The annual High Performance meeting in November is supplemented by IRB meetings with the SANZAR representatives in July and the Northern Hemisphere representatives in March of each year.
