Let us have our old game back, warts and all – give power to the referee and scrap the Television Match Official

Rugby referees have seen their authority undermined by video replays. Get rid of them and allow the man in the middle to decide

Needless: There was a farcical moment at Twickenham when Nigel Owens stopped Beauden Barrett from taking a conversion to belatedly consult the TMO over a try he had already awarded Photo: ACTION IMAGES

Hands up all those who would like to get rid of the Television Match Official? Mine is up, and I would wager that there would be huge support for going back to the way it was, with the referee the sole arbiter of what is right and wrong on the field, whether a try is fair and proper, or if a tackle was high and dangerous, or a pass forward. Let the bloke with the whistle decide. Let his word be final.
How many arguments were there in the old days when it was that the referee’s decision was sacrosanct, when if you did not like it, you could get 10 yards back and learn to respect authority? Not many. You got on with it. It was part of the fabric of the sport. That aspect of the game has been diminished, not enhanced, by the TMO. The referee has seen his authority undermined.
Once again at Twickenham on Saturday, the TMO was a source of confusion and irritation. It is supposed to bring clarity and simplicity. Instead, there is bewilderment and annoyance………… see more at :- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/11221071/Let-us-have-our-old-game-back-warts-and-all-give-power-to-the-referee-and-scrap-the-Television-Match-Official.html