Nick Cain: Yapping at the man in the middle has to stop

Louis PicamolesHaving been immune from the scourge of football-style dissent and badgering, or intimidation, of match officials for the best part of a century,  Union is now moving headlong in that direction.
Nigel Owens was one of the first to pick up on the problem, admonishing Italian Test scrum-half Tobias Botes a couple of seasons ago for behaving like a football prima donna during a match between Treviso and . First Owens introduced himself as the referee, and then advised the No.9, “This is not soccer”.
A few weeks ago Owens issued a similar admonition to centre Anthony Allen when he questioned a decision during the Heineken Cup clash with at Welford Road. The Welsh official responded, “The football stadium is 500 yards that way”.
Professional referees should not be immune from reasoned criticism of their performance, whether by assessors or in the media. However, there is a huge difference between that and allowing players to undermine their authority on the pitch through dissent, gamesmanship, and foul play.
Shirt-pulling, throwing the ball away to prevent quick throws, gratuitous pats on the head, and taking a dive, are unwelcome intruders from football, and increasingly prevalent in the pro ranks  – as are the constant attempts to influence the referee’s decisions by yapping at him incessantly.
angryA scan of the recent action in the Premiership, and also in the , indicates that the problem is intensifying.
During last weekend’s match between Leicester and the West Country club were on the receiving end of a couple of dubious decisions. However, rather than shake their heads in bemusement and walk away, the Gloucester players fired blatant verbal barrages at the assistant referees.
In the first instance Mike Tindall made a fair tackle on Ben Youngs even though one arm ended up high around the Leicester scrum-half’s neck as the players went to ground. However, when the assistant referee advised the referee, Dean Richards, to award a penalty, Tindall turned towards the touchline and gave him a mouthful.
Later, the assistant referee was subjected to more Gloucester ‘advice’ when reserve prop Yann Thomas took exception to being penalised in his set-to with the Leicester tight-head,Logovi’i Mulipola. Nor were the Tigers paragons of virtue, with Toby Flood, Louis Deacon and company, chirping at the referee at every opportunity.
One of the golden rules of our game is that the referee is always right – even when he’s wrong. Nor are they known for reversing decisions because their ears are being bent.
Furthermore, the laws of the game are unequivocal in their support for the referee. Law 10.4 states, “all players must respect the authority of the referee. They must not dispute the referee’s decisions”.
However, the reality is that the authority of Rugby Union referees is being steadily undermined by the football-style antics becoming increasingly commonplace in the professional game
At Franklin’s Gardens last weekend the captain, Jonathan Thomas, was sent off for a punch after a shirt-tugging incident in which he was impeded by Northampton’s Sam Dickinson. While the loss of self-control by Thomas could not be excused, it was difficult not to feel sympathy given that he was the victim of a provocative foul.
Nor was Friday night’s Six Nations between and in exempt from frequent acts of gamesmanship, dissent, and attempts to curry favour with the referee, Alain Rolland, in his last Test before retirement. This included the Wales hooker, Richard Hibbard, returning to the pitch after half-time deep in conversation with the Irish official.
No sooner had Rolland dispatched Gethin Jenkins and Nicolas Mas to the sin-bin for collapsing than Paul James, the Wales replacement loose-head, was appealing blatantly for a scrum penalty after the French sheared off. While the penalty was legitimate – and would have been awarded anyway – James’s actions were not.
Even more provocative was Jake Ball and Adam Jones giving Louis Picamoles a pat on the head after he had been penalised for not rolling away at a ruck. The French No.8, who was already angry at conceding the penalty, was enraged by the patronising gesture and became involved in a retaliatory push and shove.
When he was sin-binned Picamoles walked off the pitch before turning towards the referee and clapping his hands in mock applause. No sooner had the big Frenchman returned from the cooler then he complained at assistant referee Dudley Phillips’ giving Wales the lineout after his grapple with Alex Cuthbert had seen the ball squirt into touch.
Minutes later France’s captain, Pascal Pape, remonstrated with the other assistant referee, John Lacey, when another throw went to Wales.
This breakdown in respect for the referee’s authority has been fostered by the misguided idea that he should be a communicator, who is prepared to discuss his decisions, as much as an officiator.
That authority has to be regained, and quickly, by showing zero tolerance for dissent, gamesmanship, or cheating. The options, depending on the severity of the incident, are a penalty, or a penalty and then a further 10 metre sanction – and, if that doesn’t work, then use the yellow card.
If referees are tough enough, and work in unison, it will not take long for the message to sink in.

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