The England flanker James Haskell has called for tighter rules on the use of big-screen replays at major rugby internationals, claiming referees are wrongly penalising players based on misleading slow-motion footage. Haskell was sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle against Ireland last month and believes the "circus" around TV replays needs addressing.
Many other sports now broadcast only limited replays within stadiums but referees in rugby union are increasingly calling for specific incidents to be reshown on big screens before finalising their decisions.
With England due to face Wales in the Six Nations Championship on Saturday, Haskell feels players are not always being treated fairly. "The slow-motion replay is really unhelpful. It gives the wrong impression," he said.
“Reviewing incidents is a good idea but playing it on the big screen, making it a big circus, is not constructive. I think the referee, or the people who are making the judgment, should do it away from the big screen. I don’t know why it is made a spectacle. I don’t think you have that in the NFL. They go to the side, look at a screen and then review it. Maybe the TV people can have access to it once a decision has been made but, as it is, I don’t think it is great for rugby.”
Haskell says he has not yet approached the Rugby Football Union formally to express his reservations but remains frustrated at being sent to the sin-bin against Ireland for an apparent swinging arm. “I was very disappointed because I don’t think it was a yellow card,” he said.
“Slowing anything down makes it 10 times worse than it actually is. If you notice I pulled out, turned my head well away, there was no intent. I was shocked when I saw how slowly they were replaying it. If they need to see it again, fine, but they should watch it in real time and take the crowd out of the equation.”
With discipline set to be a key issue for both sides this weekend, Wales may feel that Haskell has less to worry about at Twickenham than a visiting player committing a similar offence. The Wasps captain, either way, hopes a change in protocol will be made. “When I tripped an opponent against France the ref hadn’t seen it but they played it a million times and the crowd went mental. Maybe we need to call the bloke operating it in for a coffee and tell him to get his finger off the button!”
(Guardian service)
