Michael Cheika queries role of big screen replays after Wallabies defeat to France

PARIS: Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has queried the role of the television match official and big screen video replays after confusion caught Australia off-guard in Paris.

A frustrating television replay grey area has cast more doubt over its role in games after New Zealand coach Steve Hansen hit out at the influence of television replays on refereeing decisions, Cheika was left confused by referee Nigel Owens' rulings.

Hansen said: "My biggest concern isn't the TMOs and the refs … my biggest concern is TV producers are starting to have a big influence on games. And it's not the away side [gaining the advantage] I might add."

Wallabies hooker Saia Fainga'a was hit with what appeared to be an illegal cleanout at a ruck. But when Owens asked to see the replay, it was not put on the Stade de France big screen.

A week earlier, Welsh official Owens was in the spotlight again when he second guessed himself and his assistants when there was reaction to big-screen replays at Twickenham.

"I think he just wanted to see it on the big screen himself and they wouldn't put it up," Cheika said of the Fainga'a incident.

"He was asking for it and it didn't come. He said to Michael Hooper if I can't see the replay then I can't do anything about it.

"Then the [lifting tackle] with Sean McMahon, [Owens] basically said you haven't done anything wrong, you didn't tip him over the horizontal but I'm going to penalise you anyway.

"He's got his reasons and I'll ask him later. There was a kerfuffle with the clock as well where it started back up at the last scrum but [Owens] didn't blow time on. That's a little bit disappointing."

Owens twice called on the television match official after repeated replays were shown on the big screen and the crowd went into a frenzy in the New Zealand v England Test last week.

 Owens was fine in my view. The replay eventually came up and Owens judged it alright which i had no issue with. I also think the McMahon tackle was awarded for being after the whistle not just to penalise him anyway. It was line ball and he was committed but life goes on. The time issues where hardly Owens doing. I am not his greatest fan but am happy to give credit where it is due.

 Replays on the big screen is there for all to see.   Problem is that coaches and teas on the reciving end normally moans about it- because they may be able to get away with contraventions if it was not shown on TV.   
There are more positives than negatives.  The real issue is that the referee himself can see what happened inthe case of TMO referrals and that removes the issue of often dubious decisions by the TMO.   I think most referees, who must ultimately tke the deisions and be responsible for it in the final analysis would rather also see what actually happened and ake uptheir own minds as well.   
I noticed for instance that Joubert  - after looking atan incident himself - would tell the TMO how he saw the incident and asked whether the tMO agrees with him on the issue. That is probably the better way of using the TMO.   
Any referee influenced by7the crowd is not worth his salt as a referee.  Since there are nowadays neutral referees - the home crowd favouritsm largely is not an issue.
In general Hansen is sore about certain decisions - particularly the one just before the end of the Ellis Park test - where the decision of a definite act of dangerous play by Nessum resulted in a penalty against the AB's  - resulted from what he regards as stemming from the crowd reaction to repeat of the incident on the big screen.  However, what he failed to mention is that De Villiers asked the referee to review  the incident and De Villiers does not stand around during the game looking at what happened on the bithe big screen.  I think in the relevant case the referee reacted to a request of De Villiers on the issue - not necessarily the crowd reaction.
Hansen would rather let players get away with shoulder chanrges - like happened in the McCaw - Louw incident in the Wellington test, where if the ref asked to see the incident - McCaw would have come very near to be red-carded.  The result was a serious and even career-threatened injury of Louw and that is not rugby - but serious and problematic.   
             

 or Vermeulens head butting of Read at the Ellis Park Test - Let us not forget that Mike

 Yes lets see how not-very -clever-sometimes-Mike reacts to the Boks getting screwed over by some TV oick with an axe to grind .The TV people are in the same one eyed mode as mike . Typical French thing to somehow not be able to show some froggy grubbiness ? 

At the end of the day, if there is dirty play, a forward pass, a spear tackle etc etc, and only the cameraman happens to pick it up, then so be it. If a team has transgressed they should be punished, regardless of how the transgression has been spotted. 
I was at Ellis park for the Bok vs AB test. I was very surprised they gave a penalty for the shoulder charge, based on a replay, which ultimately cost the AB's the game. At the time I felt a little guilty about the whole affair. BUT the real issue was, it happened a few meters away from the ref, who was looking directly at the tackler...HOW ON EARTH DID HE MISS IT??  

My last point aside, the only problem is making sure the camera crew do it for both the home and away sides.