MY ACCOUNT
England head coach Eddie Jones has called for World Rugby to take action and stop the “incessant” interventions from the television match official (TMO) during matches.
Jones’ side beat Australia 25-17 last weekend in a second Test that saw 26 penalties, two yellow cards and the TMO heavily involved throughout.
The contest spanned almost two hours, while Ireland’s victory over New Zealand on the same day saw three yellows and a red dished out in the first half alone in Dunedin.
Speaking on the back of his side’s victory in Brisbane that levelled up the three-match series, Jones said rugby union’s laws are now “out of control”.
And in his final news conference ahead of Saturday’s decisive third Test in Sydney, Jones went one step further by urging the sport’s top governing body to intervene now.
“I don’t want to see a New Zealand-Ireland game like that ever again,” Jones said.
“Otherwise imagine at the next World Cup … you play a quarter-final, you get a red card and two yellows, you’re down to 12 men and it’s just ridiculous.
“I’ve been speaking to a few ex-coaches. The referees, coaches and players need to get together and say ‘This is the game we want. This is the game people want to see’.
“I’m certainly going to be pushing for it because I’ve had enough.”
The issues previously raised by Jones were further highlighted on Wednesday in the thrilling and high-tempo State of Origin decider.
“We’ve got to keep the game safe, don’t get me wrong, but accidental head contact and this incessant use of the TMO, we’ve got to cut that out,” Jones added.
“We’ve got to get a better balance in the game. There’s a rhythm to how rugby is looked at and officiated and we’ve got to get in a good rhythm again.
“We don’t have it at the moment. Every time we get a flow in the game, there’s a stoppage.
“We’ve just gone too far down one road. There are discussions all the time and World Rugby are doing their best.
“But certainly before November I’m going to be agitating for something like [a summit]. Let’s get the game going.”
