Owen Doyle: Breakdown a shambles in Murrayfield comedy of errorsGauzere’s familiar French laissez-faire approach ensured that mayhem ensuedThu Feb 13 2020 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: Concussions bring high tackle trial into focusWorld Rugby doing its best to address a persistent and worrying problemWed Feb 05 2020 - 19:00
Owen Doyle: Breakdown of law and order in rugby must stopIf referees don’t know or don’t apply the laws of the game correctly then anarchy resultsTue Jan 28 2020 - 06:30
Owen Doyle: Creeping professionalism of schools rugby a threat to the gameAction is needed before playing numbers start to decline – as they are in New ZealandFri Jan 24 2020 - 05:30
Owen Doyle: Focus on referees’ neutrality hurts qualityIrish and Welsh officials in particular not given enough exposure to pressure gamesWed Nov 06 2019 - 06:30
Owen Doyle: Debate required over scrum as a source of penalties kick chancesEngland can have no complaint with Garces as South African pressure game prevailsMon Nov 04 2019 - 05:20
Garcès’s communication at breakdown and scrum are keyOwen Doyle: ‘Less is more’ approach to communication from referees is preferableWed Oct 30 2019 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: Referees step up to the plate at Rugby World Cup semi-finalsIt’s a straight choice between Nigel Owens and Jérôme Garcès to referee the finalMon Oct 28 2019 - 09:57
Owen Doyle: Jaco Peyper’s cardinal error puts it up to the referee selectorsPhoto fallout highlights the limited viable options for selecting officials in JapanWed Oct 23 2019 - 07:02
Owen Doyle: Reluctance of Wayne Barnes to consult TMO proves bafflingComing appointments will see at least one of four high-profile referees miss outMon Oct 21 2019 - 06:15
Owen Doyle: Disciplinary system sending out mixed messagesHigh tackles have been judged as reckless, not deliberate; all have all had mitigation appliedWed Oct 16 2019 - 07:00
Owen Doyle: Officials must be clearer on forward passesOfficials are in danger of misleading themselves by using lines to assist in judgementsMon Oct 14 2019 - 05:00
Owen Doyle: The refs know their duty – but do the coaches and players?The referees don’t always get it spot-on, but everyone must adjust to new tackle lawsWed Oct 09 2019 - 05:30
Owen Doyle: Peyper penalising Samoa put-in raised an eyebrowInconsistent free kick decision to hosts Japan a grave disservice to Ireland and ScotlandMon Oct 07 2019 - 06:30
Owen Doyle: TMOs have their part to play but they must not overplay itImprovements in technology have put referees back in control but TMOs play key sweeper roleTue Oct 01 2019 - 18:00
Owen Doyle: Referee selectors must be pulling their hair outAngus Gardner did not affect the result but the breakdown was a Japanese free for allMon Sept 30 2019 - 07:00
Owen Doyle: A red card is not a referee issue – it’s a player/coach issueIf a player merits a red card, then please don’t shoot the referee – he is but the messengerWed Sept 25 2019 - 07:00
Owen Doyle on World Cup refereeing: TMOs go MIAWorrying number of major incidents missed by match officials during opening weekendMon Sept 23 2019 - 06:09
Owen Doyle: Rugby World Cup could see high risk of serious injuryOmens not great when you see top coaches decrying red card for Barrett last monthWed Sept 18 2019 - 06:00
Owen Doyle: Referees will be under more scrutiny than ever at this World CupThe 12 referees have gone through a long and arduous selection processSat Sept 14 2019 - 08:30
Licence to assault: Rugby players need to be protected so let’s protect themFormer Test referee Owen Doyle writes that not enough is being done for player welfareThu May 23 2019 - 07:00
