World Rugby have announced that Nigel Owens and Jérôme Garcès will be the two referees for the weekend’s Rugby World Cup semi-finals. Owens will take charge of the England v All Blacks match with Garces looking after Wales v the Springboks.
There had been some thought that the appointments would be passage neutral (ie referees from the four countries playing wouldn’t be involved at all) but World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont confirmed that the selections are “based on merit after a review of performances by World Rugby’s match officials selection committee”. He congratulated the referees saying “These are the best of the best, supported by a superb team, and we now look forward to compelling semi-finals at International Stadium Yokohama over the weekend.”
World Rugby also added that South African Jaco Peyper recognises that a picture of him with Wales fans which appeared on social media after the Wales versus France quarter-final, was inappropriate and he had apologised. The match officials selection committee did not consider him for selection this weekend.
Rugby World Cup 2019 Semi-finals
England v New Zealand
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
ARs: Romain Poite (Fra) & Pascal Gaüzère (Fra)
TMO: Marius Jonker (SA)
Wales v South Africa
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (Fra)
ARs: Wayne Barnes (Eng) & Ben O’Keeffe (NZ)
TMO: Ben Skeen (NZ)
What odds for an all French on-field team for the final?
Betting rules mean we’re not allowed to, but if we did it’d be worth a flutter!
My having recently corresponded with certain officials at senior WR level, it would seem that WR is aware of widespread criticisms of some aspects of refereeing during this RWC – including the seeming over-arching desire of TMOs such as Mr Skeen to interject themselves into a number of frustratingly minor incidents. It was restorative to see MR O’Keefe, in one of the quarter final games brusquely reject Skeen’s attempt to create yet a further stoppage whilst all three match officials would yet again have stood there for 4.5 minutes gazing up at the images – replayed umpteen times in slow-mo (thus giving them more weight than they might merit). His name is on everyone’s lips as a euphemism for inessential over-response.
Potential liability of WR notwithstanding, a re-visit of the memorable unnecessary moments should be on the post RWC agenda. Having said that it is noticeable that the recent matches (in the quarter finals) may have reflected a private and subtle shift in policy by the refs – to take into account that they are clearly under “mandatory sentencing” instructions – if a, b, and c, is evident in the images then “off with that players head” – no assessment of “accidental” as opposed to “intentional”. And then you get the ridiculously contradictory let-offs – Kieran Read, Piers Francis and the Welsh Hooker (we learn that turning a player through 360 degrees doesn’t matter if he lands on his back). So in the said recent matches, we may be seeing evidence of them avoiding mandatory sentencing by “moving on” – notwithstanding the Skeens up there in the box. A memorable RWC for influence of the referees and (most of all) the confused and confusing policy as to refereeing.