No Video Refereeing Leads to Controversy in Lyon vs Bordeaux-Bègles Top 14 Play-Off

What would we do today without technology? The world wouldn’t stop spinning, but many of us would quickly find ourselves confused. In rugby, players quickly got used to the comfort offered by video refereeing. Even if some interpretations can sometimes be subject to controversy, it has considerably reduced the margin of error for the refereeing body.

Generally, the blow of the breakdown never falls at the right time. This is how the barrage between Lyon and Bordeaux-Bègles took place on Sunday “in the old fashioned way”, with in-goal referees to support the one in the center and those on the touchline in case of doubt. The reason ? A breakdown of the OB van which was not able to offer the images necessary for the proper functioning of the process.

The fault repaired, the protocol maintained

However, viewers in front of their screens like those present in Gerland via the giant screens were able to watch the meeting as if nothing had happened. Therefore, why did the referees not rely on the images broadcast inside the stadium to judge the contentious situations they encountered throughout the debates? Quite simply because it is not provided for by the NRL regulations.

While the breakdown seemed resolved as announced at the start of the second act by the commentators of the encrypted channel, it was decided not to change anything in the exceptional organization put in place. Just in case… With some questionable achievements, the people of Bordeaux, who snatched their qualification for the semi-finals, will not complain. On the side of the Lyonnais on the other hand, the teeth have cringed and the pill will be hard to swallow…

Roubert enrage

“There is a lot of disappointment, sadness, frustration… Even resentment, to be honest, introduced after the match Yann Robert, the president of LOU. We have the best championship in the world, the best equipped, the one which attracts people in front of the TV. Obviously, many saw that certain tests deserved to be reviewed. The only one who did not have access to it was the referee and it is a pity.

“The referees are not helped by the lack of video, he continued. Neither are we. All the boys, players and staff, deserved better. It’s the work of a year that stops so cruel. It hurts and it’s going to be hard to digest. It doesn’t exonerate us from our own mistakes. We could have done better, we can be improved. If Bordeaux’s first try isn’t there, let everyone know, it’s not the same match. There are one or two tries that could have been verified on video. It’s hard to digest.

Belt and suspenders in San Sebastian?

Roubert indeed points to the inaugural achievement of Matthieu Jalibert (6), who loses control of the ball before flattening. But also those of Mahamadou Diaby (47) – difficult to know if he really flattened on the line; the in-goal referee was very late and therefore badly placed – and of Madosh Tambwe (78) who can potentially be considered, depending on the side in which you are, that he scored the try for the deliverance in two times.

To avoid such a hiccup in San Sebastián, there is no doubt that belts and suspenders should be out this weekend…