Former Test referee Nigel Owens believes one of Super Rugby Pacific’s new law trials could create confusion and inconsistency for match officials this season.
The Sanzaar competition has confirmed that under Law 8.3 it will no longer be mandatory for a referee to issue a yellow card when awarding a penalty try. Any further sanction will now be left to the referee’s discretion.
“Wayne Barnes and I have always had a good debate about this,” Owens said on Whistle Watch. “Barnes had the same view on it as Super Rugby that it shouldn’t have to be a double whammy, but I don’t know.
“What they are doing here now is technically rewarding a negative act. So a player now will decide, unless I go out there and deliberately knock this ball forward or I don’t deliberately throw myself and collapse this maul, they are going to score.
“What is making them think twice is that we’re going to be down to 14 men as well for 10 minutes. Now think about it. If I don’t deliberately knock this ball or fall down there or if I don’t take down this maul illegally, they’re probably going to score.”
MORE: Peyper raises red flag over law trials
When it was put to him that referees still have the option of showing a yellow card, Owens argued that discretion is precisely the problem.
“Yes but then you’re opening up the inconsistency,” he said. “So what you can have then is one maul going down and giving a yellow card and a penalty try, another one going down and giving just a penalty try.
“For me, this should be a deterrent. What you have now is a player thinking, ‘I’m going to risk it here, the referee may not give a penalty try, and even if he does, we’re still going to be at 15 men’.
“So, I’m not sure what the point of this is. As it is now, I think it’s very consistent. You know, if you commit an act of foul play that prevents a probable try, you go to the bin. So, there’s no inconsistency if they can identify the player.”
ALSO: Crusaders back Bomb Squad in Super Rugby
Photo: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
The post Nigel warns of ref ‘inconsistency’ in new trial appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
