You may have noticed that the Television Match Official has caused some discussion around the rugby media, both traditional and social, in the past few days. And by “discussion” we mean undignified purple-faced raging meltdowns in the face of Gareth Anscombe’s disallowed try vs England, where the TMO ruled that Anthony Watson touched the ball down first. Let’s just say a number of people did not agree with that assessment, including World Rugby.
The TMO was introduced to the game to assist referees make the right decision because the technology is there to be used, and other than in The Terminator films, technology is A Good Thing. For years, rugby, as usual using any excuse to lord it over football, pointed and laughed at our round ball cousin for not living in the future and instead relying solely on the ref and his team to make a call. How stupid football were. But, when we consider the Anscombe situation in England’s victory over Wales and the many other questionable TMO decisions from the downright howlers those that simply raise eyebrows, is it not time to ask ourselves whether it’s really worth it any more?
When considering the benefits and burdens that the TMO brings, the case for it is becoming increasingly shaky. A key benefit is that it is meant to ensure correct decisions, given this is clearly not the case every time then why should we put up with the clear burden it brings: the ruination of the emotional experience of our sport.
Rugby, like all sport, is great because of the drama and jeopardy that comes with it. Scoring a try releases the kind of emotional outburst in fans that cannot be replaced, as does conceding, albeit at the other end of the scale. This feeling and experience is completely ruined when the ref then puts the square in the air accompanied with all the excitement for fans of watching an 20 minute YouTube walkthrough of Lego Batman on the Nintendo DS narrated by the priest with the boring voice from Father Ted. Imagine what watching Die Hard would be like if the movie was repeatedly stopped after John McClane does something amazing so we could check in slow motion exactly what happened and whether it should be allowed, it would be ruined, it is the same for rugby.
Referees get things wrong, but as a fan base we would accept that and understand it more if the human element was reintroduced that the TMO and technology have taken away. Nothing is allowed to be wrong anymore because the technology is meant to prevent it; this destroys the true sporting drama, puts unreasonable expectations on officials while conversely and ironically creating the situation where they are reluctant to do their job in real time and creates a discourse after games that is more tedious that Haskell banging on about magnet fishing. They even play that bastard music while they’re making a decision sometimes, to add even more insult to the game being put on hold while they go frame by frame while the crowd become restive and all the players get cold
Are we really so concerned with getting everything right that we wish to put up with this? Deep down in places we don’t talk about at parties, we all want our sport to be more like sport again, with all its errors, frustrations and worries but is instead proper experience of cheering, fuming, joy and disappointment without the pauses and tedium.
The post It’s time to seriously reconsider the TMO appeared first on Blood & Mud.
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