Chris Rattue: Two referees? A singularly stupid idea

Rugby is still a game best served by one central official. Photo / Getty Images

You can hear the thundering hooves of the French defenders, and the peep of Wayne Barnes' whistle, every time Graham Henry and his mates start moaning about referees and rules.

Less than a year out from the World Cup, or the tournament of personal redemption as designed by the New Zealand Rugby Union honchos, the All Black bosses are sounding edgy considering their tremendous success this season.

The rogue element - the factor fingered as the reason for their 2007 World Cup exit - must be removed, you can almost hear them say.

What never seems far from the All Black minds is that their rightful place in the pantheon was snatched away by the cheating French who were aided by an incompetent referee.

The undercurrent infers we "lost" the World Cup because of this, even though New Zealand weren't the holders anyway, and not for some time, and were only playing in a quarter-final.

The way the All Blacks were playing, the South Africans would have beaten them anyway.

Yet the air of superiority, along with the griping, continues to this day.

We are bombarded with claims from above that only other scrums cheat, and that the referees don't keep up with the game, or by inference the All Blacks' game.

Head-butting All Blacks must be exonerated, but heaven help a referee who dares rule against us.

Henry's latest call is for a refereeing tag-team, the replacement to come on not at an appointed time, but when the first man is "buggered".

This is madness, quite frankly.

Can you imagine the pressure that would be applied to a referee who one side might not be liking?

Imagine also English-speaking teams dealing with a French referee in the first half, and then facing an even tougher task of understanding an Irishman in the second (just kidding, Ireland ... sort of).

And what if one referee's rule interpretations were different from the other, as they invariably are in this crazy game of infinite angles?

I can't think of any international sport that deliberately changes the lead official midway through a contest.

Cricket might have a case for revolving umpires, considering the long hours of concentration involved, but all footy codes have one main official in the middle.

Working out the referee is as central to rugby's character as trying a sneaky use of the hand at the bottom of a ruck. Adapting to a constant is the name of the game.

Maybe, at a pinch, rugby could look at having a second, subservient official on the field.

As for the fitness situation though, there are stoppages enough for a whistle blower to stop blowing. If the referees aren't fit enough, get them fitter. Simple.

My view of rugby has changed dramatically because of the new rules interpretations. The game is now often brilliant at the top level, although for some reason there are not enough close finishes. In essence though, rugby doesn't need changing and would benefit from stability leading into the world tournament.

Alan Lewis didn't ruin the Cardiff occasion or affect the outcome.

As for scrums - the latest All Black bugbear - there will never be a way of knowing for sure who is pushing hardest, and who might be faking.

More referees, more video and more spy satellites if you wish, wouldn't remove the rugby arguments. We'd just argue over more and more intricate things, likely while the game ground to a halt.

Rugby is still a game best served by one central official - aided by his sideline eyes and a video ref - who has a feel for the occasion, and the ability to balance fairness and flow.

And the human element is part of sport's charm, just as Fifa keeps proclaiming as they stand against the rush for video intrusion in soccer.

Test rugby has found a pinnacle, a brutal clash of muscle and mind with enough of the traditional mystery and imagination thrown in.

This is the time to leave the dear old thing alone.

A PUZZLING ARRIVAL

What on Earth has landed on the corner of Sandringham Rd and Walters Rd, where our magnificent railway system meets glorious Eden Park. There, on this prime World Cup site, lies what appears to be the result of a fight between a giant chessboard and a mini-putt golf course. Is this some sort of modern art?

WHAT A BORE

The Ashes got off to a flying start, and then crash-landed. Commentator Mark Nicholas breathlessly proclaimed a "tough test match" after the draw between Australia and England in Brisbane. Problem was, the game was tough to watch by the end, with piles of runs and no result in prospect. Test cricket can be the most magnificent of sporting animals. But its Achilles heel, a drawn-out bore, occurred again.