Ex-referee Alain Rolland fears technology has gone too far

Former international referee Alain Rolland feels technology in rugby has gone too far.

Rolland, who refereed the 2007 World Cup final and infamously sent off Wales’ Sam Warburton in the semi-final against France four years later, is in favour of a challenge system that will be trialled in South Africa’s Varsity Cup this year.

“It’s about finding the happy medium,” Rolland said of the debate over technology.

“In some instance the technology has gone too far because now in some games you’re finding a lot of pressure from the captains all the time to go and check stuff. And you say, ‘No, we’re quite happy with what we did.’ It’s giving players a licence to say to referees more often than not, ‘Can you check this or that?’ and that’s not what it’s there for. It’s something that needs to be looked at post World Cup and for the next two or three years.

“It (the upcoming trial) gives an opportunity to try it and see whether it works or not and if it does there will be enough time to introduce it for the next World Cup.”

Decisions regarding the grounding of tries and foul play would still be within the referee’s remit but Rolland wants a review system to give teams a chance to refer to an incident that match officials may have missed.

“If we work on something along the lines of what we have in tennis, for example, you’re looking at two challenges a game, one a half, and if you’re correct you keep it for the rest of the half.

“Referees would continue with making decisions about tries and foul play but if there was a possible knock-on or forward pass two phases back that we haven’t seen then that’s what teams could have a look at.”