Eddie Jones claims overuse of video referees is ruining World Cup for fans

LYON, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 24: Eddie Jones, Head Coach of Australia, looks on prior to the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Wales and Australia at Parc Olympique on September 24, 2023 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Eddie Jones says rugby fans are frustrated by fussy officiating and stop-start games which he believes is having a negative effect on crowd behaviour. The Australia head coach has been booed repeatedly at the World Cup when his face appears on the big screen and he is concerned that rugby’s values of fairness and tolerance are being eroded.

This has not been an easy tournament for Jones, whose side must wait until this weekend for their pool qualification fate to be decided. Disappointing defeats by Fiji and Wales mean Australia will likely fail to make the knockout stages for the first time but Jones says the sport’s authorities also need to consider the bigger picture.

“The way the game is being refereed is causing crowd problems,” Jones said in the wake of his side’s 34‑14 win against Portugal. “I am of the firm opinion that we are destroying the flow of the game. We have got so many stoppages now … we had a TMO for everything.

“We need to make the referee the sole judge of the game. If there is something that is an obvious red card then go back to that. We have got to keep the game moving. I think part of it [fans booing] is because there is so much discontent with the flow of the game. I don’t know how many minutes they spent with the TMO deliberating on a possible Portugal maul try. It was obvious it was a no try so why do we have to watch replays and replays of it?”

Jones has done his best to rise above the booing – “At least they know who I am, I suppose” – but he suspects there could be broader implications if it becomes commonplace. “Rugby has been based on values and fair play has been one of them. It is not a game of science. It’s not like cycling or rowing. It’s a human game based on the contest for the ball. I’ve said this before and I know it’s falling on deaf ears, but I’ll keep going. We have got to look after the game and the way we support it is important, too.” 

Rugby Australia has made clear it remains bitterly disappointed with the Wallabies’ World Cup campaign but is expecting Jones to stay on as coach. The former Test flanker Phil Waugh, now the RA chief executive, said the general feeling was that Australian rugby’s problems ran deeper than the coaching or selection of the national team.

“It’s been bitterly disappointing,” Waugh said. “Where we are now, praying for a Portugal win [over Fiji] … the performances certainly weren’t at a level they needed to be,” Waugh said. “There’s a lot that’s been declining across Australian rugby for some time. I think it’s really important for us to sit back and say: ‘How can we improve the overall ecosystem so that we can produce players that can compete on the top stage?’”

Jones is contracted until the 2027 World Cup which Australia is due to host and Waugh – who said RA is “committed to Eddie” – believes there is an obvious need for more continuity and stability. “What we haven’t done over time is delivered what we’ve said we’re going to deliver. Our intent is to continue on the path that we’re on. I think this is not so much around chopping and changing coaches as it is around actually fixing the system.”

Guardian