This much is clear: we've reached peak lunacy when it comes to evaluating test match referees, and the character assassination of Nigel Owens this week is the proof.
For as long as there's been a game, there's been a referee to blame but Owens - a man who has taken his share of both bouquets and brickbats in his career - has copped a bad rap this week.
He has long distinguished himself as a personality in the game, which places him at odds with the common perception that the best referees are the ones that go unnoticed.
His standing has plenty of plus-side - he is respected by the players for the way he conducts himself on the field of play, he is respected by fans for the way he conducts himself off it and he has composure in crucial moments. What is so often mistaken for showmanship is good stage management.
Owens wasn't wrong to sin bin Dane Coles. While it seemed a minor infraction at the time, retaliation has long been rugby's punishable offence, and Coles' kick fitted the bill. Owens was right to gather supporting evidence from his television match official (TMO) for it is he who can request replays from the broadcaster. He was also right to make a call over and above the recommendation of the TMO as he is ultimately, the sole adjudicator in these matters.
He wasn't wrong either in awarding a try to Aaron Cruden. We used to applaud referees for being in the right spot to make a call, and Owens could not have been more perfectly positioned. He saw the grounding, pointed to the spot and made his decision.
Had he called upon the TMO in this instance, no existing camera angle could have provided irrefutable proof. Had he asked the wrong question, "try or no try?" for instance, he would have been guilty of the more egregious error of not backing his initial judgment.
Ask this: if a try is scored but no camera sees it, is it still a try? The answer, of course, is yes.
In the case of the disallowed try claimed by Sam Whitelock, it was the TMO who got the call wrong - a fact that seems to have been lost in the baying for Owens' blood. Owens was clear in his understanding of the law, referred the decision for a closer inspection, and got a bum steer.
And then there's this business of the Faumuina try review. There has been consistent misinformation about the protocols surrounding Owens' call, upon seeing the replay, to review his try decision.
World Rugby changed protocols less than two months ago to allow referees, up to the taking of the conversion, to ask for a second look. That this change has not communicated more widely to the viewing public is hardly the fault of the man with the whistle.
There is also this: whoever offered a replay of Faumuina falling short of the in-goal advertising logo, as opposed to the tryline, probably deserves more of an upper cut than Nigel Owens.
Was this one of Nigel Owens' great test refereeing performances? No. And he would probably concur.
He was at times a step behind the play and struggled to gain full control at the breakdown, but these are charges often levelled against officials, and besides, most rational analysis would lead to the conclusion that on this particular occasion the team that deserved to win did win. Sometimes the outcome outweighs the process.
Nigel Owens is not the first referee to face the firing squad, but in this case perhaps the facts can afford the Welshman a stay of execution.
Private Messaging
This column understands as part of a full protocol review, conversations between the referee and the TMO will be conducted in private instead of with the TV audience listening in.
The dialogue between the two officials is now part of the broadcast, but in an attempt to allow the TMO to take control of the review process with greater independence from the referee, this is to change.
Backing for Hansen High ranking refereeing officials in several nations are believed to be in full support of calls from All Blacks coach Steve Hansen for coaches to be allowed to challenge refereeing decisions during the game.
When asked whether the coach or the captain should be given this right, one international referee responded: "It will be the coach who gets the message out there anyway, so why try to hide that fact."
Hansen believes things won't change before RWC2015, but momentum is building.
3 things about refs
1 Private messaging
Conversations between the referee and the TMO are set to be conducted in private, as part of a full protocol review. At present, the dialogue between the two officials forms part of the broadcast, but in an attempt to allow the TMO to take control of the review process with greater independence from the referee, this is set to change. It is also understood that the November internationals were originally chosen to trial the new process.
2 Support for coach challenges
High-ranking refereeing officials in several nations are believed to be in full support of calls from All Black coach Steve Hansen to allow coaches the opportunity to challenge refereeing decisions during a game. Asked whether the coach or the captain should be handed this right, one international referee responded: "It will be the coach who gets the message out there anyway, so why try to hide that fact." While Hansen believes things won't change before the 2015 Rugby World Cup, momentum is building.
3 From coach challenges to coach challengers
New Zealand fans have nothing on South Africans when it comes to tearing referees to pieces, and Romaine Poite was not spared by the Springboks' fans in the wake of Ireland's big win over the Boks. More importantly though, Ireland coach Joe Schmidt is shaping as another genuine contender for the All Black job if and when Steve Hansen decides to retire. Schmidt has Ireland firing and, had they not allowed a late try, they would now be third in the international rankings.
