LIAM DEL CARME | Getting the timing right is crucial for the rugby spectacle

Time-wasting has for some time been in the crosshairs of World Rugby’s lawmakers. The climax to the Wallabies’ clash against the All Blacks in Melbourne earlier this month perhaps brought us the most brutal example of the crackdown.

Referee Mathieu Raynal awarded a contentious scrum that allowed the visitors to win the game at the death.

World Rugby did not say so publicly, in fact, they very rarely comment on the performance of their match officials, but they concluded “right decision, but wrong time in the game”, in the matter that helped hand the All Blacks a dramatic victory. It was a decision that had far reaching consequences as it helped New Zealand retain the Bledisloe Cup, while also smoothing their path to another Rugby Championship at the expense of the Springboks who finished a close second.

Raynal’s decision to wield the big stick at the end of the game did not endear him to the Australians, but his actions also ripped the scab off a festering wound. Over the past few years the game’s lawmakers have introduced a raft of measures to deal with time-wasting.

They have approved new laws that will be trialled in two matches involving the Queensland Reds. Some of the laws that include five seconds for the ball to exit the ruck after referee calls to “use it”; 30 seconds to pack scrum from when mark is set; 30 seconds to throw line-out from when mark is set, 60 seconds to take penalty kicks, 90 seconds for conversions, 30 seconds to restart after a conversion, are part of the messaging to players to get on with it.

Referees and their assistants are like rabbits in headlights when weighty decisions need to made. They too are encouraged to speed things up but they remain mandated to arrive at the right decision how ever long it takes.

All those infringements carry the sanction of a tap penalty with no option of a scrum. Lawmakers want to speed up play to make rugby more of a spectacle. The onus has been squarely placed on players to play ball, but the lawmakers haven't exactly addressed the elephant they've placed in the room.

Video referrals by some distance take up the bulk of the “dead time” in rugby matches with the television match officials (TMO) called into action at seemingly every turn. Referees and their assistants are like rabbits in headlights when weighty decisions need to be made. They too are encouraged to speed things up, but they remain mandated to arrive at the right decision however long it takes.

But they remain on notice, unnecessary referrals carry consequences. In fact, they get marked down for causing unnecessary delays. As ever though, the playing field, even in that sphere, isn’t level. Televised matches in Europe and Australasia have the benefit of the Hawk-Eye system which allows the TMO to enlist the help of a technician while he continues to watch active play. Based on the footage made available to him he/she can decide whether to bring an incident to the attention of the referee.

Match officials operating in SA, however, don't have the luxury of Hawk-Eye technology. They have one monitor and have to review incidents when there is a break in play. This of course brings about more delays.

Rumour has it SA Rugby is not willing to stump up the licence fee for the technology. It will obviously leave them more prone to being marked down on the time-wasting scale. Moreover, they will operate under far greater pressure.

What has placed more drag on matches are the increased number of punishable offences, especially around potential head injuries. Be that as it may, it is hard to escape the fact that while rugby has to make its major decisions by third party, their quest for a speedier game will remain paralysed.