The More TMO, the More Bullshit

Video from TAS Analytics. I think on the live chats during the games it's easy to sense my frustration with the constant stoppages for TMO reviews, especially for marginal tackles. This video shows how these constant reviews do nothing to improve the consistency or accuracy of refereeing, it just drags the game out. The Fassi yellow in particular was as absurd as they get, with the ref overruling the sensible AR who saw the incident exactly as I did. The TMO's powers should be reduced back to try or no try. The current situation is doing nothing good for the game.

I don’t need reminding about the Cane and Kolisi head contact incidents in the RWC Final.

Biggest game in 4 years and the TMO/Refs ruined it completely!!

Imagine complicating a sport to the extent where 5 minutes of slow mo replays and freeze frames still can't get you to a consistent ruling.

By the way I see there was an Aussie Referee withdrawn from reffing the SA -Ireand upcoming tests .   Was that the referee that made a debacle of the Wales - SA test?      

What I get from this is that Ben Smith is Obi-Wan and Fassi is Darth Vader...

The inconsistency of the rulings is stunning.  The red card for Cane exemplified that. Kriel changed direction at the last micro second, Cane had no time to react. Kolisi had at least two strides before contact and because Savea dropped slightly….that was mitigation.

Both incidents were obviously not intentional. Do we want players running around stooped at the waist, so if they have to make a sudden tackle they are low enough!

This stuff should be left with the referees, whose job should be to judge intent and prudence. Fly in under a player catching the ball may pass the intent hurdle if the offending player was trying to catch the ball…but would likely fail the prudence test.

To get a red card there should be intent and prudence failures. Prudence alone should be a yellow.

Mike, Angus Gardner withdrew himself from officiating the Ireland vs SA Test for personal reasons. 

You’ve got Luke Pearce now ( English ). 

This stuff should be left with the referees, whose job should be to judge intent and prudence.

Exactly. It's as if the refs just leave these calls to the TMO now. In the Bulls game there was a high shot right in front of the ref, he was looking straight at it, but made no call. The TMO had to highlight it and then of course everything stopped and we had to sit through minutes of painstaking replays again when it could have been dealt with right there and then by the guy with the best view. Every questionable hit now has to be reviewed first where instead the ref can simply award a penalty, and the control freaks can cite it after the game and stop wasting everyone's time.

Freeze frames of where the tackler hit ignores the dynamic nature of the game, where your aim to hit the ball under your opponents arm can change to his neck in a split second if he ducks into you. Same with the Fassi "kick". It was deemed reckless, but the guy had just launched himself into the air to secure a high ball under pressure, was obviously fighting to keep his balance on the land, and in that split second you expect him to get his leg out of the way of a defender who he probably barely even saw? A complete farce that doesn't contribute one iota to making the game safer.