5 rugby bugbears that make your blood boil

Watching rugby these days is as infuriating as it is exhilarating.

At the heart of what makes our blood boil are match officials heavy on the law book and light on common sense.

Here are five widely held bugbears.

1. Is the defending catcher an over-protected species?

It would appear the attacking player hoping to contest a high ball had better bubble-wrap the defending jumper first.

"They are quite pedantic about that," noted Cheetahs defence coach Charl Strydom. "You could see that again last week when it was ruled that Willie (le Roux) jumped higher than the Bulls player.

"The defending player definitely has the law book on his side. In the past those kicks were 50/50, but it was starting to lean more to a 70/30 because chances are good you can counter ruck and get the ball back.

"The fact that they are ruling in favour of the guy who goes up first and higher perhaps provides a better balance," explained Strydom.

2. Are too many tackles considered tip tackles?

Some will argue that this is just another instance of how the game is being emasculated.

"That can be very frustrating because when referees get it wrong a player gets penalised, sometimes sent off, and it can have a huge influence on the game," said former Bok centre and tough tackler Japie Mulder.

"I don't have a huge problem with the law itself but rather its application. If they were consistent in the way the law was applied then there would be no problem. Players will know that if the rule is strictly applied across the board they run the risk of being sent off."

3. When is a forward pass a forward pass?

Former Bok wing Chester Williams recalled how he thought he had scored the winning try at the end of the 1998 Currie Cup final before the pass to him was ruled forward.

"These days officials use which way your hands are pointing when the pass is made to determine whether the ball went forward. If two guys run at full speed the ball will almost always drift forward. The way in which you position your body will determine whether the pass will go forward or not. I'm not a big fan of the rule."

4. Why so many scrum resets?

"I don't mind them. I think if you don't like them you should go and watch Sevens or rugby league," opined former Lions and Bok hooker Owen Nkumane. "It's part of the game. If you are not willing to wait for the resets go stuff yourself.

"The most frustrating thing is when the referee doesn't allow a fair contest. I know they stop it for safety reasons now and again.

Some refs will say play on, others want a reset. If the ball is playable I think they should carry on."

5. Why the unnecessary TMO referrals?

Although arriving at the right decision is paramount, referees are increasingly chickening out of making even the most obvious decisions.

"The thing I find most frustrating is the constant use of the television match official (TMO)," said Williams. "The TMO has effectively taken over the major decision-making."