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More arbitration controversy. There’s always something, right? And this time, apparently, it’s Austin Healey’s fault, for making a quick, astute observation in his role as a TV pundit.
In the closing stages of Saracens’ thunderous 52-7 victory over Harlequins, Stephan Lewies, the frustrated captain of the doomed visitors, recklessly threw himself at Owen Farrell, who was on the ground next to a ruck.
It was an ugly collision, late and without the ball, which caused a fight involving several players. He justified the action against Lewies, but nothing happened, because Healey highlighted the offense in the TNT Sports comments.
Television match official Stuart Terheege was heard telling referee Christophe Ridley: ‘The problem I have now is that it looks like Austin has instigated it, because we’re late, so I don’t want to talk about that, okay?’ In essence, he did not want to be seen to intervene to ensure that justice was done, in case it was perceived to have been prompted by an outside voice.
The strange and ridiculous episode has not been well received. Professor John Fairclough of player welfare group Progressive Rugby said: “Whatever the reason, it is clear that a decision has been made to ignore foul, reckless or dangerous play due to concerns that it has been highlighted by an expert. “. This is very worrying and constitutes a clear breach of the referee’s duty to ensure the safety of the players. An explanation must be sought urgently.’
An ugly collision between captains Stephan Lewies and Owen Farrell took place at the end of Saracens’ win over Harlequins.
Referee Christophe Ridley chose not to punish Lewies after being warned that doing so would give the impression that they had been influenced by the television commentary.
He is right; He was bad. It shouldn’t happen, but it is a problem that a member of the match day refereeing team is so dependent on the broadcasters to provide the necessary material, and even to sit with them. In a murkier sense, in recent years there have been constant complaints that TMOs can be hampered in France by a sudden and inexplicable shortage of camera angles.
The incident at Saracens was a bad look for the game and needs to be rectified. There cannot be such a blatant procedural defect without good reason. It would be ideal if officials could remain separate from (and oblivious to) the work and opinions of nearby television staff. But, even if you can’t help but be aware of some outside opinion, take the right action anyway.
The positive thing is that last weekend there were positive events on the other side of the world. During the Blues vs Crusaders match in Super Rugby, New Zealand referee Ben O’Keefe kept ordering the scrum-halves to hurry to the base of the rucks, with countdowns to avoid wasting time. He then made himself available for an interview after the match, to discuss his decision-making in relation to the three yellow cards and other talking points. Urgency and transparency; a double welcome.
MERCER COULD BE CRUCIAL FOR ENGLAND
Zach Mercer is a Test player who happens to not play Test rugby.
That is the obvious conclusion from Gloucester’s No.8 club’s latest stellar performance, when he and his West Country teammates stormed the walls of Welford Road and inflicted a crushing defeat on Leicester.
Mercer was good. Really good. Ridiculously good. It’s like a one-man cheat code in a computer rugby game. We hope England head coach Steve Borthwick can reconsider the issue of the 26-year-old, given the national team’s recent change of strategic direction.
Zach Mercer has proven time and time again that he deserves a call-up to Steve Borthwick’s England squad.
Mercer was overlooked for the Six Nations, but would be an asset singing and dancing on the summer tour of Japan and New Zealand.
If England are to maintain their new adventurous streak, Mercer could really enhance that mission. Imagine him and Ben Earl running into a grueling defense…
FARRELL CAN STILL SIGN IN STYLE
Don’t bet on Farrell leaving Saracens as title winners once again. It was the epitome of a resounding victory for the defending champions; both in terms of style and substance.
And to think they used to be derided as boring, but now they run the ball from behind their own line, and there was Elliot Daly throwing passes between their legs, which isn’t exactly his typical approach with England.
Owen Farrell can still claim one more Premiership title before leaving Saracens for France
Quins joined Northampton in falling victim to a half-century thrashing over the weekend, and there was always the danger of such devastating results after the refreshing break of a mid-season break.
Meanwhile, we heartily congratulate Saracens for filling Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium and proving that club rugby can – with the right marketing effort – grace the same big stages as Premier League football.
DONCASTER DEBACLE HIGHLIGHTS PREMIERSHIP FAILURES
Relegation has become a hot topic again, after a week in which the sport reinforced its anti-growth credentials.
There will be no movement in or out of the Premiership this summer as Championship clubs had to apply for a promotion audit and only Doncaster underwent that process.
The fact that leaders Ealing Trailfinders were not so interested may have had something to do with the estimated £30 million fee to enter the top division, in the form of an insistence that newcomers buy a P share.
That barrier must be dismantled, on the basis that the Premiership has been a loss-making venture. Anyway, Doncaster found out that they had satisfied the minimum standards criteria, having reached a point in the season where they already knew they would not win the championship, so it was all an exercise in futility.
Failure to see any promotion or relegation this season highlights flaws in Premiership financial processes
How very rugby.
Georgia, meanwhile, have opted to attract the attention of Wales, requesting a trial in Tbilisi this autumn, rather than an actual Six Nations promotion and relegation play-off. If the WRU read the room and said yes, it would be a risk worth taking.
In an era where the oval-ball calendar is filled with “money games,” this would be a game with much greater importance, even if it would do nothing to change the landscape, at least for the moment.