Lesons so far from the RWC u20's Argentina

Early lessons from the RWC u20’s in Argentina

 

As the RWC u20’s tournament thunders on producing its usual menu of exciting and fast matches, international coaches across the game will be watching the matches closely. In the midst of preparations for the World Cup in Japan this gives them a chance to not only scout for potential talent, but more significantly will be scrutinising how the games are being refereed. Here World Rugby will be trying out, under match conditions, the protocols and approaches they will be asking the referees to follow in Japan. It will be absolutely imperative in Japan that referees, assistants and TMO’s go about their jobs consistently and as much as possible avoiding controversy.

So far the referees in Argentina have been fulfilling their briefs meticulously, displaying much appreciated consistency and maintaining on-field discipline in an empathetic way without harming the spectacle of the game.

What has been obvious, so far, has been the referees’ high level of fitness and communication skills both with the players and their fellow officials. This can only have been achieved through diligent preparation. But, for the teams playing in Japan it means they will have little room to manoeuvre, to bend the rules or play consistently beyond the remit of the laws.

The offside line at the set piece has been refereed well, resulting in room for moves to work, allowing quick ball to be utilised creating both width and chances. The opposition realising they could be giving away cheap points if they stray offside has led to a more fluent game, and cutting off at source the euphemistic pundits’ favourite of ‘fantastic line speed’. At the breakdown the referees are all facing the defence, clearly showing the offside line and talking to the players, and if an offence is committed the referee is quick to signal and to communicate his decision. Perhaps, the next stage would be for the assistant referees to pay more attention to the actions of the wider defence but with the expeditious use of the kick ahead/pass defences are becoming more circumspect about committing themselves to early.

By consciously creating the space, curtailing deliberate offside play the players are revelling in the chance to offload, clever support lines and to try their luck by running from deep. High tackles, dangerous play and cynical play now carry a much higher risk and all offences are being summarily and correctly punished. As both England and Ireland have painfully discovered. Any player in Japan that tackles above the shoulder will know that they will be in trouble and the defence coaches will be working overtime on developing new techniques in the tackle. Additionally referees and their assistants are watching for the hits off the ball at rucks and mauls, the reckless use of shoulders rather than arms and avoiding players targeting vulnerable areas, such as the head and neck when players are competing for the ball.

All in all so far the U20’s have produced some superb running rugby, revelling in the chance to display their skills and talents. Much of this is down to the quality of the refereeing giving the players rooms and security to play. Clearly the players and coaches in Argentina have bought into this approach and have reacted positively to it. If the teams who play in Japan will do the same then there is every chance it could become one of the great World Cups.