Former Springbok lock Victor Matfield and All Blacks great John Kirwan have hit out at the increasing influence of the TMO.
Speaking on the Rivals podcast, the pair agreed that the game’s flow is being destroyed by overly forensic officiating – with blame laid squarely at the door of World Rugby.
The All Blacks had three tries disallowed by the TMO during their 31-27 win against a second-string France side in Dunedin last Saturday, while in Pretoria, the Springboks benefited from a Jesse Kriel try despite the centre clearly being ahead of the kicker. Bok debutant Vincent Tshituka was later harshly denied a try for obstruction.
“I loved the Test in Dunedin,” said Kirwan. “But the TMO got it wrong. That call against Pasilio Tosi for obstruction was rubbish. The defence was coming up man-on, and the guy he supposedly impeded wasn’t drifting or even attempting to cover. And by the time Jordie Barrett passed, they’d already moved 30 metres on – it was never an infringement.”
He was equally frustrated with the disallowed try for Billy Proctor due to an apparent knock on.
“There was minimal separation and full control. Yet the TMO ruled it out. Then you compare it to South Africa’s try from Bongi [Mbonambi against the All Blacks at Ellis Park last year] – there was more separation there. So where’s the consistency?”
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Matfield echoed Kirwan’s concern.
“I think the TMOs don’t always understand defensive systems. If a defender makes a decision to shoot in, and gets caught out by a dummy line, that’s not obstruction. The guy was never going to drift. That’s what happened with Tosi and with Tshituka too – there was no interference.”
He also questioned how Kriel’s early try stood.
“I thought he was at least a metre in front of the kick. They went to the TMO, and apparently there was no angle. But even from the broadcast view, you could see he was ahead.”
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Beyond the specific incidents, both Matfield and Kirwan were frustrated by the overall impact on the game.
“The amount of stoppages kills momentum,” said Matfield. “Every time South Africa got going, it was pulled back. You could see we wanted to play with tempo, but the game dragged.”
Kirwan agreed: “We’ve been talking for two years about speeding up rugby. But if the TMO is going to review every single detail, we’ll end up with two-hour games. It’s not the referee’s fault – it’s the people above them. Joel Jutge [World Rugby’s head of match officials] is setting the tone, and it’s out of sync with what the sport needs.”
He added that coaches and unions need to speak up.
“Everyone’s being respectful, but at some point, World Rugby need to listen to the fans. We love this game, but the product’s being ruined by all the delays. The TMO needs to help – not take over.”
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Photo: Joe Allison/Getty Images
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