Technology and TMOs have turned up spotlight on rugby union referees

Former referee Nigel Owens fears that TMOs offer a ‘licence to get things wrong’ but new technology could change that

It was like waiting for the result of a referendum: were Scotland the real deal, one of the big dogs of world rugby, a team that could deliver while carrying the weight of expectation? Or were they pretenders, a flashy but flawed side that didn’t have the sand to sit at the sport’s top table? The decision would fall to the television match official Brian MacNeice after the referee Nic Berry deemed Sam Skinner’s pick-and-go was held up over the line. With France leading 20‑16 at Murrayfield after the 80th minute, this would be the last act of the match.

Multiple replays. Frames crawling across the screen. The ball probably touched the turf after sliding off a French foot. But probably wasn’t enough to overturn the decision. Protocol must be followed and Berry’s original call carried more weight than the evidence of our eyes. No try.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/YvnUGMk