Nick Cain: I tell you straight, this refs’ dereliction harms game

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The middle line has been crossed. Infringements at the lineout and scrum are now so endemic that it leaves you wondering if there is a conspiracy among professional match officials to change the rules of the game by stealth.

The middle line in question is the one not just in the tunnel between scrums, but in the gap in the lineout. It is a fundamental of Rugby Union that the scrum and lineout should be a competition for the ball and not simply a restart – and that is why it is so important that not-straight is policed and penalised.

However, the deliberate and persistent flouting of the law-book by referees and their assistants at the pro end of the game is turning the set-piece into a procession which gives the side with the put-in or throw-in an overwhelming advantage.

It should be drummed into officials that uncertainty of outcome is a precious commodity, and is one of the main reasons people pay money at the gate to see professional rugby. Being able to win opposition ball at the set piece is an important component of that uncertainty.

New guidelines were introduced at the start of the season to ensure that scrum put-ins are straight, as opposed to crooked feeds frequently of the 45 degree variety. For a brief and blissful period we even had strikes-against-the-head leading to watertight defences suddenly becoming jittery and vulnerable.

The not-straight rule was enforced for a short time but, sadly, because transgressing referees have been allowed to get away with non-enforcement the message has not hit home.

Now, to make matters worse the not-straight virus has spread to the lineout.

The majority of hookers have clearly been coached to take a half step towards their own line just prior to the throw-in. This has happened in virtually every game I’ve seen this season.

The result is that if their throw-in is straight, referees and their assistants are duped into thinking that it is a fair throw. Instead, their own jumpers have the advantage of the flight of the ball being a foot or more closer to them than to the opposition jumpers. Furthermore, most hookers have already infringed before the throw by encroaching onto the field of play, very often releasing the ball when they are half a metre or more infield.

This used to be penalised, with assistant referees alerting the referee. Now, along with being able to throw almost straight down your own line, it is allowed. It begs the question – what on earth is the assistant referee for if he cannot police something happening on the touchline where he’s standing?

This non-refereeing explains why there appear to be far fewer lineouts being won against the throw this season. Most lineout turnovers are given because of a clearly crooked throw, or an overthrow – other than that, if your drill is half decent, you are virtually guaranteed to win your own ball.

At one stage during the Toulon v Munster match last weekend I was so disillusioned with aspects of the refereeing of the set piece that I almost turned the TV off. At almost every lineout the hooker drew a bead after stepping across to be closer to his own line, with Munster the most blatant offenders.

In one instance the Toulon lock Jocelino Suta was penalised for tangling with Paul O’Connell while he was in the air – which was no surprise because it was the only way he could get anywhere near the ball.

The fact that Munster won the lineout and got a powerful drive going was ignored, with referee Wayne Barnes opting to blow his whistle instead.

Not long afterwards there was a scrum with a Munster put-in. Barnes took up station on the far side, and presumably was relying on the assistant referee closest to the put-in, Luke Pearce, to alert him to any infringements. No chance. The Munster feed went in at a 45 degree angle and Pearce turned a blind eye.

The referee assessors need to do their job far better than they are at present. If match officials flout clear directives on cardinal Laws, such as those that govern the put-ins and throw-ins at the set piece, they should be shown the red card and dropped from elite level refereeing panels until they get the message.

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