Rugby: O'Brien says TMO to get wider authority next year

IRB referee manager Paddy O'Brien. Photo / Getty Images

The jurisdiction of the Television Match Official will be extended over the entire field in selected Northern and Southern Hemisphere rugby matches next year and, if successful, it may become permanent.

At the moment, the TMO can only be called on by referees when the play is in the in-goal area. However, IRB referee manager Paddy O'Brien revealed during a Queenstown Chamber of Commerce luncheon last week the trial would allow the TMO to weigh in at other points of a game - for example, in the lead-up to tries and where foul play was involved.

A protocol will be established to determine how it will work, but the test would "extend the use" of the TMO.

"Protocols around this have yet to be established, but it is likely to be trialled in the new year."

O'Brien also said the results of a $5.9 million project examining the scrum would likely be known mid to late next year.

Scrum coaches, props and O'Brien were involved in the UK-based laboratory study to look at the scrum, which he described as "a nightmare" to referee.

"Since crouch, touch, pause, engage, apart from being a mess, we have only had one catastrophic injury.

"Safety [in the scrum] must be paramount if we want our kids to play in the front row. It works - I don't know how, but it works."

More than 120 people attended O'Brien's presentation where he said, overall, he was delighted with Rugby World Cup 2011 - and the standard of the refereeing.

"There were 48 games in the World Cup, and the quality of refereeing was as good as any I've ever seen."

However, there were "some" games O'Brien was not happy with, with issues around decision making.

- Otago Daily Times