Mallett, who once led South Africa to a record 17 consecutive Test victories, shared his frustrations while watching the Junior Boks secure their latest Junior World Championship. Although South Africa triumphed over France with a score of 16-5 in the Tbilisi final, Mallett was disheartened as three tries were disallowed following TMO reviews, which he felt marred a potentially wider victory margin for Kevin Foote’s squad.
His dissatisfaction extends beyond single games, observing that the trend of extensive TMO reviews is commonplace and affects the flow of many matches. Mallett explained his concerns during a discussion on the "Talking Boks" show, highlighting the disruptive nature of such reviews.
"It must have been at least three or four phases when the left winger on the touchline flicked the ball back inside, but his foot was touching the white line, so they disallowed that – so they were going back that length of time."
He also questioned the inconsistency in reviewing plays, pointing out an instance where a tackle was not examined that could have influenced the outcome of a try. "What is wrong with jumping over the tackler?" he asked, frustrated with the lack of uniformity in decision-making.
Mallett didn't mince words about the overall impact of such interventions, stating, "It’s a blight on rugby at the moment because my heart just drops. After a try when you see the guy going, ‘Okay, we are going to go and have a look back’, it just really drops. It just feels as though there is no rhythm in the game. We can’t get the game going."
Reflecting on his own fiery past with referees, Mallett recounted a particularly heated incident during his time managing Italy, showcasing his passion and the intensity of his feelings toward officiating justice. "Thank goodness I’m not coaching at the moment. I broke down a referee’s door once to get inside and shout at him after a performance Italy against Australia. I was so angry. We lost with a try that was a massive obstruction. The ref just decided not to see it and we lost by four points."
His retrospective admission underscores the volatile pressures of high-stakes coaching and the emotional toll it can exact. "Without that try we would have won for the first time against Australia and the ref wasn’t prepared to see me, so I just battered the door down, went inside and started waving my finger at his nose. I had to be taken out by security afterwards, so I would have been in a lot of trouble if I was coaching nowadays," he concluded, hinting at the potential consequences of such confrontations in today's game.
Amid these reflections, Mallett remains a revered figure in rugby, known not only for his strategic acumen but also for his uncompromising stand on matters affecting the integrity and enjoyment of the sport he loves.
