Since the elimination of the Blues in the quarter-final after contested decisions, the refereeing of this 10th Rugby World Cup has been at the heart of discussions. At the origin of these controversies, some refereeing errors but also, sometimes, a poor understanding of the rules by the general public.
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The referees for the match for third place, Friday October 27, and for the final on Saturday, respectively the Australian Nick Berry and the Englishman Wayne Barnes, will be among the men most watched on the pitch at the Stade de France. Since the disastrous France-South Africa quarter-final on October 15, the referee has been a target for some.
The whistles in the stadiums, the death threats on social networks towards certain referees, all of this has of course left its mark on the organizers. “We are absolutely aware of the difficulty of their taskunderlines Michel Poussau, executive director of the World Cup for World Rugby. As on all subjects, we will take stock at the end of this World Cup, and one of the conclusions will perhaps be to review the way in which the referee’s decisions are indicated on the screens.”
For franceinfo’s rugby consultant, Guy Accoceberry, American football can constitute a model in teaching the game to the public: “The referee explains why he whistles, and it is translated on the screen.” The former international also pleads for a complete professionalization of refereeing, the only solution according to him to have less variations from one match to another in the interpretation of the rules: “We have seen actions that have received red cards, others not… Professionalization means having people who only do that. They must not be all alone training in their corner.”
“If they train together, it allows them to have collective feedback and they will then see the mistakes in the same way.”
Guy Accoceberry, franceinfo rugby consultanton the professionalization of referees
New technologies could also help: last summer, the Under-20 World Cup tested the intelligent ball to, thanks to sensors, judge forwards, non-straight touches, or to validate with certainty a try, For example. An experiment that will perhaps one day be generalized.