Watson next up on an ‘offensive language’ charge

[Digby]

Watson gets a 2 week ban for a joint charge of unsportsmanlike behaviour and tackling a man in the air. I still think considering that action tackling a main in the air is a farce, but he's also lucky to not get a much longer ban if he really has abused a match official. It will of course depend on what he said, it's possible he said; 'Sir I'm most perturbed by that decision, but could I please go back on for a moment just to check Alex is okay'

[Puja]

Watson gets a 2 week ban for a joint charge of unsportsmanlike behaviour and tackling a man in the air. I still think considering that action tackling a main in the air is a farce, but he's also lucky to not get a much longer ban if he really has abused a match official. It will of course depend on what he said, it's possible he said; 'Sir I'm most perturbed by that decision, but could I please go back on for a moment just to check Alex is okay'

He's a very lucky boy if he said what I thought I lipread.

Puja

[hugh_woatmeigh]

What a farce.

[Lizard]

It's seems to me that law changes and use of sanctions is determined from the top down with directives from various sources. Hence the disconnect between elite level and almost all other rugby in terms of application, interpretation of the law and the use of sanctions.

Interestingly in the case of Parisse one of the sanctions open to the ref' is to replace the captain with someone else on the basis he isn't up to the job. This can be very useful. I reckon I do it at least once a season and usually replace both at the same time. If one skip' is getting lippy you can pretty much guarantee the other will have joined in.

I can't see anything in the Laws that lets a referee replace a captain.

Mind you, I can also see nothing in the Laws about penalties for ref abuse or any jurisdictional basis for the "marching 10" at all.

Regulation 20 provides for disciplinary hearings etc for misconduct involving ref abuse but does not say anything about refs' onfield powers.

Have I missed something?

I assume it's all done under the general rubric of FairPlay and sportsmanship. Maybe this is part of the problem.

[Banquo]

You also need the coaches to be supporting refs post matches, if nothing else by not moaning.

They can watch their team drop the ball over the line rather than score, fail to give scoring passes, miss tackles, give up soft penalties and miss easy kicks at goal, and still a good number will blame the ref and not their team. It mayn't be all of them, though it pretty much is, but plenty will do the Fergie thing of support their team and their right to win rather than support the sport in public. Tricky one to sanction the coaches over until we start getting some sensible feedback from the refs, as is the refs do make some howlers and then stay quiet on it other than a behind the scenes report back to the clubs. I'd like to see the refs, or their bosses, address some of the mistakes made by the refs and then the game clamp down on coaches going OTT. For as long as the refs remain a protected species in public I think the game will look a bit daft going after the coaches and staying quiet about clear and obvious mistakes.

..which is precisely why I said at the outset that it needed a joined up approach, not refs in isolation, nor coaches in isolation, nor clubs, nor unions.

[Which Tyler]

Watson gets a 2 week ban for a joint charge of unsportsmanlike behaviour and tackling a man in the air. I still think considering that action tackling a main in the air is a farce, but he's also lucky to not get a much longer ban if he really has abused a match official. It will of course depend on what he said, it's possible he said; 'Sir I'm most perturbed by that decision, but could I please go back on for a moment just to check Alex is okay'

Bit of a fudge that it seems to have gone from "abusing an official" => "abusive language" => "unsportsmanlike behaviour"

I guess they don't want him to mis the tour to Aus, or to hang out to dry an England poster-boy

[Digby]

Watson gets a 2 week ban for a joint charge of unsportsmanlike behaviour and tackling a man in the air. I still think considering that action tackling a main in the air is a farce, but he's also lucky to not get a much longer ban if he really has abused a match official. It will of course depend on what he said, it's possible he said; 'Sir I'm most perturbed by that decision, but could I please go back on for a moment just to check Alex is okay'

Bit of a fudge that it seems to have gone from "abusing an official" => "abusive language" => "unsportsmanlike behaviour"

I guess they don't want him to mis the tour to Aus, or to hang out to dry an England poster-boy

I assume the judgement report will detail what he actually said, and we can see if one week is even close to reasonable. If the report doesn't detail what was said then it'll look like a cover up without question

[Digby]

..which is precisely why I said at the outset that it needed a joined up approach, not refs in isolation, nor coaches in isolation, nor clubs, nor unions.

I agree. But seeing how squint feeds are going into the scrum I have no confidence in the administrators, refs, coaches or players to sort this.

[Banquo]

..which is precisely why I said at the outset that it needed a joined up approach, not refs in isolation, nor coaches in isolation, nor clubs, nor unions.

I agree. But seeing how squint feeds are going into the scrum I have no confidence in the administrators, refs, coaches or players to sort this.

yep, also made that point...as with dissent, it's collective will (and execution competence!) that seems lacking.

[Eugene Wrayburn]

Sigh. He was such a nice boy when he left Irish. WT, what have you done to him.

[Digby]

The audio recording of what Watson said mostly isn't audible. It was deemed he did swear, but in frustration and not at the match official, so he was improper in his conduct but not to a degree warranting more than a one week ban.

World Rugby are yet to comment, but perhaps like Marler are finding him guilty ahead of the soon to follow independent hearing.

[Which Tyler]

Judgement: http://www.englandrugby.com/mm/Document ... nglish.pdf

The audio recording of what Watson said mostly isn't audible. It was deemed he did swear, but in frustration and not at the match official, so he was improper in his conduct but not to a degree warranting more than a one week ban.

World Rugby are yet to comment, but perhaps like Marler are finding him guilty ahead of the soon to follow independent hearing.

Not sure what that's supposed to mean

[kk67]

I assume it's all done under the general rubric of FairPlay and sportsmanship. Maybe this is part of the problem.

Yes,....it's a management tool.

No,...it's not part of the problem. It's straightforward preventative reffing.
It's simple.

[Lizard]

I assume it's all done under the general rubric of FairPlay and sportsmanship. Maybe this is part of the problem.

Yes,....it's a management tool.

No,...it's not part of the problem. It's straightforward preventative reffing.
It's simple.

I think I wasn't clear. It's not a problem that the refs do take action. It could be a problem that the Laws do not specifically prohibit ref abuse and do not spell out a sanction.

[Which Tyler]

Nat Catt gets 3 weeks for abusing the ref. http://www.englandrugby.com/mm/Document ... nglish.pdf
banned from coaching, not playing; as he was coaching at the time, not playing.

There seems to be quite a lot of fudge going on at the moment. Maybe Gareth Graham and Ian Bremner just came back from Easter in Penrith?