World Rugby released a statement admitting the officiating at RWC has not be up to standard, RTS makes history at the 2019 Warriors awards and we check out Beppu where the All Blacks are staying ahead of their next pool match against Canada. VIDEO/SparkSport/Mark Mitchell
World Rugby has taken the unusual step of publicly criticising the performance of its officials after the first round of World Cup pool matches in Japan.
Controversy has raged around the performance of referees and their leniency towards foul play after several incidents were missed or overlooked in the weekend's matches.
The most blatant involved Wallabies winger Reece Hodge who escaped any on field sanction after his high shot left powerful Fijian openside Peceli Yato concussed. Hodge has since been cited but that was no consolation for Fiji.
While no official citings were made sections of South Africa, both in the mainstream and on social media, have also attempted to push an agenda that All Blacks captain Kieran Read, who appeared to take out Pieter-Steph du Toit off the ball at the lineout, and prop Joe Moody got away with incidents in the victory over the Springboks.
In that same match French referee Jerome Garces produced another talking point when he opted not to hand out a yellow card to the Springboks for what seemed an obvious cynical infringement when the All Blacks were hot on attack midway through the first half in Yokohama.
The cleanout involving Irish props Cian Healy and Tadhg Furlong that ended Scotland flanker Hamish Watson's tournament is another instance that has drawn attention.
The breakdown remains a fraught area, and incidents always appear worse when slowed down, but World Rugby are clearly keen to draw a line in the sand at the start of this tournament.
Referee Angus Gardner gestures during the World Cup game between France and Argentina. Photo / AP
The offside line, constantly flaunted by the line-speed that now dominates the game, is another area in need of immediate attention, while several forward passes have also been missed.
Bottom line is the performance of referees have prompted World Rugby to issue a strongly-worded statement in which the governing body demands improvements from all officials.
"Following the usual review of matches, the match officials team recognise that performances over the opening weekend of Rugby World Cup 2019 were not consistently of the standards set by World Rugby and themselves, but World Rugby is confident of the highest standards of officiating moving forward," World Rugby's statement reads.
"Elite match officials are required to make decisions in complex, high-pressure situations and there have been initial challenges with the use of technology and team communication, which have impacted decision-making. These are already being addressed by the team of 23 match officials to enhance consistency.
"Given this proactive approach, a strong team ethic and a superb support structure, World Rugby has every confidence in the team to ensure that Rugby World Cup 2019 delivers the highest levels of accurate, clear and consistent decision-making."
The wider, more pressing, concern centres on the general lack of consistency. Referees are under constant scrutiny and, no doubt, have a difficult task but the frequent wide discrepancies between matches often leave players, coaches and fans bemused.
Moments after World Rugby issued their statement French referee Romain Poite decided to give Samoan midfielder Rey Lee-Lo a yellow, not red, card for his high hit on Russian skipper Vasily Artemyev.
These such instances are, unfortunately, dominating the narrative of this World Cup, much more so than any other on-field action.
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