I think we should raising the bar when it comes to referees on the pitch.

When the VR was first introduced, it was rarely used, most decisions were made by the referee, in recent years, the pendulum has swung the other way. This can only be dampening the on field referees sense and decision making.

The obstruction rule needs to be changed. Dummy runners are allowed on every play, apart from a try scoring play. It should be one or the other.

That'd get rid of most of the VR decisions.

Or NO game.

Why would that make it fair? Having a video ref is not to the advantage of any team.



Dummy runners are allowed on try scoring plays. Dummy runners who obstruct defenders are not allowed on any plays (try scoring or not). Just because the video ref spends a few minutes making a call that the ref normally has to make in a few seconds doesn't mean that the ref isn't making that call.

I believe they have a similar system in NFL in America. The coaches/captains can challenge a ref call, if they're sucessful the game continues in their favour. If not they're penalised.

Why this couldn't work in RL I don't know. Keep the current VR rules but add on that a team can challenge 3 calls and for a wrongly challenged call they give away 10 yards and a penalty

Probably because play in the NFL is dead after each down anyway, so the challenge can be used at any point before the next play starts rather than just on try scoring incidents.

But we don't really need it on every play as that would slow down the game to union levels of speed. The challenge system would only be needed for points were a decision would normally be handed over to the VR

Because the ref is charged with controlling the game, not the players?


Just a thought.

I think it exists by defautly anyway - if a try is scored and the defending team start complaining strongly enough, the ref will mostly go to the screen. I think Ganson did it at the weekend after giving a decision and then changed his mind and put it upstairs.

Not saying I agree with challenges tho, players and team officials should have no say in decisions whatsoever. Should just be down to the Match officials on the day. And as pointed out, the VR has produced some cracking talking points lately and will never remove the debate around some tries. Idealy, VR should be at every game, but if we can't afford it, then the current system will do for me.

Like the VR but hate the big screen....it undermines the authority of the referee imo.

But he used to be in charge of deciding tries and sometimes the video ref does that. That's why it would be a rule change.

Basically I propose that the referee carries on as if there is no video ref. He just makes the decision that he would make in a normal game.

Like with Tennis, each captain would have 3 challenges. That way they would only go to the video ref if they thought there was actually a chance of there being a try (or a no try). With the current rule too often a player will blatantly knock on but the referee goes to the video ref when both sides are aware it isn't a try.

This way the referee would either give the knock on and the game carries on with both sides happy or he gives the try and the defender being aware that it has been a blatant knock on challenges the ruling and wins.

It would reduce the number of times we go to the referee and mean we only go for genuine challenges and not times when the referee is afraid to make a decision. I use the example of the Leeds try at Millenium Magic, that wouldn't have stood because the captain would definitely have challenged the ruling.

edit: It would also be a good way of seeing which referees are getting decisions right in regular season games.

I don't think the players should be calling on the video ref as it would undermine the decisions of the referee on the pitch. An "I think you're wrong" attitude. It's an innovation that is nice in theory but undermines certain values that rugby league players should have. We don't want everyone to be a Kevin Sinfield, Lee Briers or Danny Brough moaning to the referee about a call.

The video ref is used far too much though. It's ruining televised games of late. I agree with it in principle, but when referees use it for every single time the ball goes anywhere near a try line, it's just frustrating. Whenever a try is scored from a kick, the VR is always asked to check whether the scorer was onside. Whenever a try is scored by going through the hands, the VR is invited to call on whether it was an obstruction that opened up the gap? Don't we have touch judges who could actually do something for once and help the referee make these calls without having to go to the big screen?!

? I agree they should be at every game but that wasn't my point, a video ref should just be able to judge on the grounding of the ball IMO Maybe foot in touch but I think the TJ should be able to call that one.

No. Simple.

Captains play rugby, Refs enforce the rules. End of.

Tennis players play tennis, umpires enforce the rules. Oh wait a minute....

my thoughts are show all angles in slow motion on the big screen and the ref on the pitch watching it calls it

one match one ref