Licence for leniency might help referees

By WYNNE GRAY

Some time back, there were moves to try to install Esperanto as a universal language.

For whatever reasons, the idea failed. When people of different nationalities meet and have no linguistic link, they generally get by with some universal sign language.

It has worked for the All Blacks and supporters in Europe this month who might not have any grasp of French.

But in the rugby arena, connections between players, match officials and the public are becoming more unstable.

Referees worldwide are under consistent decree to control matches to the letter of the lawbook and are being assessed stringently.

In New Zealand, it is a common during the NPC to find assessors with their pages of checklists, ticking or crossing points about the refereeing in those games.

The wonder is how these assessors qualify for their jobs and what allowances are made for referees bringing some warmth and feeling to a game.

Out in the middle, the match officials are very aware that they are being rated by grandstand panels.

They might feel that a match would benefit from a little leniency, but know that if they want to get ahead they have to keep rigidly to the rules. That appeared to be some explanation for Wayne Erickson's didactic work in the first test between the All Blacks and France.

Of equal concern must be the signals from match officials. They vary from dramatic sweeping gestures, arm flailings, to timid movements.

In Bayonne, for the game between New Zealand A and French Universities, Scottish referee Rob Dickson looked as though he was opening and shutting a car door several times with one decision. What he was trying to tell the crowd was uncertain.

There lies a problem.

Rugby has to be more interactive and signals have to be easily understood. The game is getting messier with the latest rule changes and crowds do not understand what rulings are being applied.

In this professional era, rules and refereeing have a long way to go to be more effective, sympathetic and understood.

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