Chatty Refs Have Aided The Growth Of Dissent

Chatty Refs Have Aided The Growth Of Dissent

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DISSENT is an evil genie that was always going to escape from the bottle when Rugby Union referees began to engage players in non-stop prattle.

It started with the idea that refs should communicate with players in a virtual coaching role, with constant commentary advising them when they were encroaching offside or off their feet. Who could forget Tony Spreadbury’s cries of, “He knows! He knows!” as he penalised players with their heads so deeply buried in the ruck burrowing for the ball that they had not heard his shrill warnings.

With high profile whistlers like Nigel Owens and Wayne Barnes following in Spreadbury’s footsteps the frequency and volume of chatter on the field increased rapidly, with assistant referees also getting in on the act. Not only that, but match officials suddenly became best mates with the majority of captains of international teams, and often club teams.

When talking to the All Blacks, in particular, referees stop using the term “captain” and replaced it instead with first names familiarity, such as, “Richie, can you tell your flanker to stay bound”, or, “Kieran, would you like a scrum or line-out?”.

The protocol in the amateur era used to be that the captain – and only the captain – could ask to talk to the referee. However, it was limited to clarification on a decision, and sometimes it was granted, and sometimes refused.

Since then that lofty authority has been totally eroded, much of that is due to the dialogue started by referees backfiring badly as players have responded by appealing whenever a decision is made. The trickle of decisions being questioned has become a raging torrent, with players constantly haranguing referees. This involves blatantly trying to get opponents penalised and, increasingly, sin-binned or sent off.