World Cup heats up over refereeing controversies

England are cruising happily in the World Cup, with two big (expected) victories and only one try conceded. There are stiffer tests to come of course, the first when they meet Argentina on Saturday, 5th October. But for the moment all is the plainest of plain sailing, though Piers Francis may be holding his breath after being cited for a shoulder tackle to an American head. There was a moment of anxiety when Owen Farrell was on the receiving end of an even worse tackle for which a red card was correctly given. Some, even among English supporters, who have reservations about Farrell’s own tackling technique will be muttering “now you know what it feels like to be on the receiving end”. Ireland too are happy, Wales fairly happy, Italy content, and Scotland deep in the dumps, their performance against Ireland being almost too bad to be true. Still they have time to make amends, though last Sunday’s sorry display won’t soon be forgotten, and will certainly have perked up their next opponents, Samoa, and Japan later.

There have been only three cracking matches so far: France-Argentina, New Zealand- South Africa and Uruguay’s surprising defeat of Fiji. Uruguay deserved to win that, but sympathy is due to Fiji for the mishandling of their game against Australia. The result of that match wasn’t settled but was surely influenced by the refereeing blunder which permitted the Australian wing Reece Hodge to stay on the field after his head-high shoulder charge on Fiji’s Peceli Yato.

Not even a penalty was awarded. Yato, who had been playing outstandingly, was out of the match. Australia continued to play with fifteen men. Hodge himself scored a try. Asked about the incident, the Australian coach Michael Cheika somehow hadn’t seen it – astonishing how often coaches fail to be watching when their players are guilty of foul play. Hodge was then cited, found guilty and sentenced to be suspended for three matches, but because no action was taken on the field at the time, he had contributed to Australia’s victory and Fiji’s defeat. Justice was done, but too late to affect the outcome of the match.

The authorities, World Rugby, have surprised us all by being openly critical of the performance of referees. Such words are usually spoken only behind closed doors.  It used to be thought a poor show to criticize the referee. However top-level rugby is a professional game and international referees are quite well-paid professionals. That said, refereeing or umpiring is a difficult and demanding job. Mistakes are bound to be made. What irritates many is that not everyone is treated equally. Decisions too often go in favour of the big countries. Few, I would think, doubt that if the Yato-Hodge encounter had been the other way round, the Fijian would have been given a red card.

The measures taken to guard against head injuries are necessary and must be supported. Of course, rugby being a contact sport, there will always be some head injuries and cases of concussion. Sometimes the concussed player is himself at fault, tackling with his head in front of the ball-carrier’s knees rather than behind them. No law can protect a player from the possible consequences of his poor technique.

Referees have not, from what I’ve seen, been either scrupulous or consistent in their application of the offside law. Yet this is one of the most important laws in the game. Failure to apply it handicaps or even destroys any attempt by the side in possession to play attractive running rugby. It is of course a difficult law for the referee to police unless he has eyes in the back of his head as well as in his face. Actually, however, these days he does have such eyes. They belong to the assistant referees whose role today is not merely to judge the touch-line, and, since the assistant referees are in radio communication with the referee, applying the offside law should be much easier in the professional game than in amateur club rugby. Creeping offside should not be tolerated. It is like seeking a false start and a yard’s advantage in a sprint. It can stifle a game. It is indeed cheating. I may add that I say this with some reluctance because in long-distant schooldays as a rather slow wing forward, it was usually only by creeping a couple of yards offside undetected that I had any chance of tackling the fly-half in possession.

Australia v Wales is surely the pick of this weekend’s matches. Australia could lose but still finish top of the group. Wales still have to play Fiji, and, though the Fijians have lost their first two games, they are still capable of springing an upset. Neutrals who think Australia were undeservedly lucky to beat Fiji will surely cheer for Wales on Sunday. Wales were scarcely tested by Georgia, any more than England have been by Tonga and the USA. For both the real business is just beginning, for Wales on Sunday, for England in a week’s time on Saturday.

Meanwhile this great summer of cricket has limped to a damp end. It’s a shame that the Championship decider between Essex and Somerset was so spoiled by rain. Even so, Somerset made a bold effort in the last hours of the season, forcing a first innings Essex collapse with one of the men of the summer, Jack Leach taking five wickets; and then forfeiting their second innings in the hope of bowling Essex out for 60 in the hour left for play. To no one’s surprise Alastair Cook saw them off with 30 not out and the match ended appropriately in a draw. It is Essex’s eighth championship; it would have been Somerset’s first. In truth they lost it when they collapsed twice last week against Hampshire’s South African Test fast bowler, Kyle Abbott. But they’re a young team and a Somerset title next year would lighten a season due to be darkened by the ECB’s ghastly project, The Hundred.

Notes on the summer shouldn’t end without a word about Kent’s splendid 43 year-old all-rounder Darren Stevens. Though Leicestershire-born-and-bred, he looks as if he had spent his working life in the Kent hop-fields, smiting Saturday sixes on the village green. Kent had thought of calling time on his career, but his form at the tail-end of the season has happily made them think again. Against Yorkshire he made a double hundred and took 5 wickets in an innings (7 in the match).

Even few of the many who have spent more hours than we might care to admit to poring over Wisden may not have known that this feat – a double century and 5 wickets in an innings – had only once been achieved in first-class cricket, in England anyway. No surprise however that the holder of this record was Dr W G Grace. W.G, and Darren Stevens – what a pair of true endlessly enthusiastic cricketers. To whet the bold Darren’s appetite, one might remind him that when Dr Grace made 1000 runs in the month of May, 1895, he was within 22 days of his 47th birthday when he passed the 1000 runs milestone. He was fifty years and 320 days old on the last day of his last Test in 1899. Only Wilfred Rhodes among English cricketers was older when his Test career ended. By a happy chance W.G.’s last Test was Wilfred’s first. Their example encourages one to hope that Darren Stevens may delight Kent’s and indeed all cricket’s followers for a few seasons yet.