The RFL are dragging their heels with the officiating at matches it is blatantly obvious referees are struggling trying to get it right, they need to look at the whole way the games is policed e.g. amount of touch judges running up and down the line, amount of referees in the middle, the use of video for forward passes where tries are involved. At least make an attempt to help the whistle blower instead of just burying their heads in the sand.

Yes they do! Oh no they don't, it's fun this, isn't it!

But they do, as do the police incidentally, though in the case of the police it is ultimately decided by the court, which can, and sometimes does, tell them their interpretation of the law is wrong.

Yes I know the rules, as interpretted, are subjective; it is all 'if in the opinion of the referee', as we all know and couldn't in reality be any other way. In the end it boils down to whose job it is to "change the emphasis" (your words) and it should be the people who devise the rules in the first place who change what is or isn't allowed on the field of play, not the referees. It is their job, similarly to the police, to see that the laws of the game are observed, as written, not to "change emphasis" as and when they think it might be a good idea.

Exactly the same with referees & the judicial panel.



I didn't say the referees change the emphasis, they do not & should not, I said the controller (Cummins).

If that 's the case he shouldn't be; it's not his job.

When a change in the laws of the game is thought to be required, isn't there a whole committee who thrash out things like this? Putting forward points, and debating the rights and wrongs, bests and least worsts and coming up with a (hopefully) viable and coherent set of laws under which the game can be best played - and then one bloke can make amendments on a whim - well, actually I don't suppose we should be too surprised - this is RL!

I hate email teniis but am still not sure what you are comparing the tackle form behind to. It is not allowed, end of. Stealing the ball in the tackle, except one on one, is not allowed, end of. Are you saying that every time the ball comes out in tackle it must be a penalty to the attack?

what i'm trying to explain is that the rules, whoever they are made by be less ambigous and that officials become more consistent, that's all

the way to make them less ambigous is for Mr Cummins and his cronies to give much clearer guidelines to the officials

what's difficult to understand there ?

And interestingly he used to meet with the SL coaches on a regular basis to discuss the refereeing until some of them stopped going. Now I can understand it for the London and Catalan coaches to not get to every meeting but everyone else has had their chance to express their views and understand the interpretation but it seems some aren't interested.
Maybe if the players had feedback from their coaches from those meeting they'd have a clearer idea of what would be penalised and the ref's would get some input from a players point of view.

yep, great point

How much clearer can the guidelines be than;



I'm sorry but I'm at a loss.

at last, we agree on something then ....

Shock horror, read all about it - Two Posters On Message Board Disagree (a bit) Shock!!

Btw, you seem to know, or expect, more than is good for anyone about the minutiae of behind the scenes activity at Rot Hall - I do hope you've not been stalking anyone, or even worse, criminalising your butler by making him do it...

The clubs are a joke & a disgrace. They are ruining the game. Terrible & baffling decision.

some clubs are - but it's the inconsistency of refs who are killing the game

agreed though - dialogue between clubs & refs would be a big plus