Owen Doyle: Referees must handle outside pressure from South Africa for Ireland TestsReferee Andrea Piardi had a brilliant game in the URC final, despite the comments of Bulls coachMon Jun 24 2024 - 19:00
Owen Doyle: Bulls deserved to beat Leinster, but the match deserved an elite refereeThe URC has a problem on its hands when it comes to appointing match officialsTue Jun 18 2024 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: Injury exists in rugby and match officials need to keep pace with demandA new generation of referees is emerging for this URC, a competition which has grown immensely in stature and now heads towards the semi-finals and grand finalTue Jun 11 2024 - 06:00
Key decision against Leinster highlights risk of refereeing system failure A worrying cohort of referees appear dependent on their TMO comfort blanketTue Jun 04 2024 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: Extra-time yellow card for James Lowe was a huge call – and a harsh oneOwen Doyle: Antoine Dupont makes the crucial difference for Toulouse but for Leinster losing three consecutive Champions Cup finals is the stuff of sporting nightmaresMon May 27 2024 - 16:41
Ask Owen Doyle: When should a rugby referee give a warning, and when should they give a penalty?Our refereeing expert Owen Doyle answers readers’ questions on warnings, complicit officials and breakdown etiquetteTue May 21 2024 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: Let’s stop the law tinkering – safety issues apartOwen Doyle: World Rugby proposals remain a work in progress but still not strong enough to discourage serious foul playTue May 14 2024 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: Mathieu Raynal’s calm demeanour contributed to a great occasion at Croke ParkFrench referee’s Mathieu Raynal's clear officiating at the scrum in Croke Park an example which others would do well to followTue May 07 2024 - 06:00
When it comes to the 20-minute red card replacement, World Rugby should play it safe The ugly side of rugby has not gone away, and the deterrent of a straight red card should not be dilutedMon Apr 22 2024 - 19:00
Owen Doyle: I have a growing sense of unease around ‘pick and drive’ triesReferee Karl Dickson was very much centre stage but there was no disputing Leinster’s superiority against La Rochelle this time aroundTue Apr 16 2024 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: Strong referee performance is vital when La Rochelle visit the Aviva next weekendBrousset was reactive and overly patient instead of delivering a clear plan to increase the level of sanction in Leinster-Leicester matchMon Apr 08 2024 - 19:27
Officials should not be able to hear pundits such as Austin Healey during matchesThe people who said Leinster’s Luke McGrath should not been sent off against Bulls were wrongMon Apr 01 2024 - 17:38
Owen Doyle: Severe brain damage is the elephant in the room for World RugbyA fundamental need exists for World Rugby to rid the game of dangerTue Mar 26 2024 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: The Six Nations was good, but France should have finished fifth We need to know exactly why Ireland’s Tadgh Furlong was denied a try against ScotlandMon Mar 18 2024 - 19:07
Owen Doyle: Two thundering matches have saved this year’s Six Nations, but not all of the calls were spot on A pair of action-packed encounters at Twickenham and the Stadio Olimpico showed two very different approaches to refereeingMon Mar 11 2024 - 20:01
Failure to give Italy another penalty after Paolo Garbisi’s miss was baffling But it’s generally good we’re hearing less chatter from refereesMon Mar 04 2024 - 19:00
Owen Doyle: Evidence not conclusive enough to award Wales a penalty try against IrelandIn the Italy-France game, we saw the shot clock in all its mad glory when it denied the Azzurri a historic victoryTue Feb 27 2024 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: World Rugby must be aware of unintended consequences in law trialsAntidote to end scourge of kick tennis goes on trial in Super Rugby PacificMon Feb 19 2024 - 18:17
Owen Doyle: Common sense was lacking in denying Scotland their late try against FranceSurely, these very tight situations should be treated in the same way as a penalty try, on the basis of probabilityMon Feb 12 2024 - 18:19
Owen Doyle: World Rugby’s officials start on the front foot after strong opening roundPaul Willemse was fortunate not to see red earlier than he did - he could pay for his indiscretion with a hearing set to comeTue Feb 06 2024 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: Inexplicable rescinding of Caulfield red card against Connacht sends the wrong messageOwen Doyle: If seriously endangering a prone player’s head via a reckless boot is not a red card then rugby’s future is grimTue Jan 30 2024 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: Ugly red card incidents a bad advertisement for rugbyFinlay Bealham and Tom Ahern were injured by ‘reckless’ actions which saw culprits deservedly sent offMon Jan 22 2024 - 19:00
Owen Doyle: Nika Amashukeli shows he has joined the top rank of refereesGeorgian Nika Amashukeli showed once again in Munster's win over Toulon that he is now established in the top quartile of elite rugby refereesTue Jan 16 2024 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: We’ve seen the type of clearout on Jack O’Donoghue before - Ralston should have seen redConnacht wing being shown the wrong colour card is the latest evidence that officials have become too lax at the breakdownFri Jan 05 2024 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: Controversial Slade try shows we hear too much TMO input at times, not enough at others French TMO Cédric Marchat shouldn’t have asked to check Slade’s onside position, but rather that of the lazy runners - he did notMon Dec 18 2023 - 18:00
Owen Doyle: Matthew Carley promised cards for backchat but didn’t deliverEnglish referee frustrated by frequent remonstrations from Leinster and La Rochelle playersTue Dec 12 2023 - 06:00
What is the function of a referee coach? Simply put, it is about performance improvementIt’s small price to pay for putting these vital red card calls back in the hands of the refereeTue Nov 28 2023 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: The scrum has lost its purpose, it’s time World Rugby made some changesThe scrum has moved far from its original purpose and has become, too often, a penalty-generating machineMon Nov 06 2023 - 18:23
Owen Doyle: Modern trends in use of replacements take rugby beyond original intention. It needs to be fixedMany players now play about a 60-minute version of the sport, to be replaced by equally huge men who play even lessMon Oct 30 2023 - 17:32
Owen Doyle: South Africa’s winning kick should have been a reset scrum, not a penalty Rugby World Cup referee Ben O’Keeffe said Springboks scrummaged illegally only because England’s Ellis Genge dropped his knee to floorMon Oct 23 2023 - 16:54
Owen Doyle: It is not possible to blame Wayne Barnes for Ireland’s defeat English referee got most of the big calls right though Richie Mo’unga’s collision with Bundee Aki needed further scrutinyMon Oct 16 2023 - 17:00
Ireland were fortunate to escape a card against Scotland Ireland are an easy team to referee but were fortunate to escape a card during a trip-inspired scuffle on SaturdayMon Oct 09 2023 - 18:50
Owen Doyle: Johnny Sexton has learned his lesson; rugby’s regulations need a change too It makes no sense to wait for a serious injury before implementing a meaningful deterrent to foul playMon Oct 02 2023 - 18:00
Owen Doyle: It’s time for World Rugby to make the 5-3 replacements split compulsoryRugby World Cup: Exemplary sentences required to rid the game of dangerous hits that are still prevalentMon Sept 25 2023 - 20:42
Owen Doyle: World Rugby was too hasty in bringing in the bunker system The flawed foul play system has had just limited trials, but is now making big decisions in Rugby World Cup matchesTue Sept 19 2023 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: Referee manager Joël Jutge has serious work to do at the Rugby World Cup Rugby World Cup: There was a clear lack of consistency from referees in the application of the game’s laws in the opening series of gamesMon Sept 11 2023 - 18:14
Owen Doyle: Clarity needed on lineout and maul rule prior to Ireland v South AfricaGood functioning lineout key to Ireland’s success and sharp practice will require a high level of match official awarenessTue Sept 05 2023 - 05:00
Owen Doyle: How can it be safe for South Africa to bring on seven forwards in the second half?South African pack deployed for half the match and slammed the All Blacks, who looked battered and bewildered by full-timeTue Aug 29 2023 - 05:00
Owen Doyle: Explosive rescinding of Farrell’s red card rocks World Rugby‘Everything in professional rugby is about performance, and that must include the post-match arbiters’Tue Aug 22 2023 - 05:00
Owen Doyle: Taking referees out of red card decisions ends a fundamental principle of rugby unionAt the World Cup, Foul Play Review Officers, not referees, will decide whether or not dangerous foul play yellow cards should be upgraded to redTue Aug 15 2023 - 05:00
Owen Doyle: Johnny Sexton has only himself to blame and was handed a light-touch sentence If the Ireland captain received just a three match ban, what level of misconduct would earn a stiffer sentence?Tue Aug 08 2023 - 05:00
Owen Doyle: No call for four-letter words about the referee after Munster’s deserved win Andrea Piardi made some curious decisions but his officiating did not determine the result, which was admirable enough to match anything Munster have achieved down the yearsMon May 29 2023 - 16:14
Owen Doyle: Leinster may yet gripe at several cup final refereeing decisionsLeo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster will have plenty of legitimate questions, but the final inquest will focus on off-field affairsMon May 22 2023 - 20:52
Owen Doyle: Leo Cullen was right not to be a Jack Russell to the referee Munster may reinvigorate a great rivalry, and Jack Crowley showed why drop goals are so preciousMon May 15 2023 - 20:12
Please rugby referees, no tinkering with the laws – your job is hard enoughAndrea Piardi was the best referee of the weekend showing game knowledge, decisiveness and communicationTue May 09 2023 - 05:00
Leinster v La Rochelle: We’re in for a final of epic proportions, but who will referee it? Tony Spreadbury, the European referee manager, will be scratching his headTue May 02 2023 - 05:00
Owen Doyle: Dearth of refereeing talent in three countries a problem for the URC Individual Unions are responsible for developing match officials and some are more interested than othersMon Apr 24 2023 - 17:16
World Rugby’s trial of new foul play system sends confused message so close to World CupOutline includes nothing about how violent head collisions might be avoided during tournamentTue Apr 18 2023 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: It’s important to remember that sometimes teams deserve to play with fewer playersAn incident in Australia suggested the new red card protocol will not take off if it leads to referees ignoring a key optionMon Apr 10 2023 - 21:31
Owen Doyle: URC referees need to start cutting the mustardAdamson’s failure to produce a red card, not a yellow, for La Rochelle’s Colombe was a key moment in the French club’s narrow defeat of GloucesterTue Apr 04 2023 - 05:00
