Four weekend flashpoints

Hogg, Horgan, Petrie, Grewcock

The first weekend of Six Nations suddenly rushed into the past with three exciting matches and much to talk about, as we shall do. But first we shall look at four 'significant events' - Hogg and Horgan and the touch-line, and the yellow cards for Petrie and Grewcock.

Rugby referees are carefully and professionally assessed. Part of the assessment makes a place for what were called critical incidents and now are called 'significant events' - incidents that affect the game, like scores and denial of scores and dismissals or lack of dismissals. If the referee makes a mistake in such an event he is likely to be docked points in his assessment. Such a significant event could be missing a forward pass or a knock-on in the lead-up to a try.

The four events we shall look at briefly now are all of them really tough situations for the referee and his touch judges - really tough. The decision is made without the benefit of replay or slow motion or frame by frame nudging on. The decisions in each case are made immediately. The referee would no doubt wish that help was at hand.

Help in each case was, of course, at hand which could have given the benefits of replay, slow motion, frame by frame, etc.

The help is called the television match official, an experienced rugby referee who can call on the help of technology. But the referee is not allowed by IRB protocol to use it in any of the four cases we are looking at.

It's fair enough to debate the place of human fallibility in sport but the referee or umpire is subject to public scrutiny on evidence which could be available to the referee to enable him to reach the best decision possible - one that would be acceptable to the public millions who scrutinise him.

One other little thing: players are expected to perform under pressure and play with calm control. Their coaches expect it of them. Coaches must also perform properly under pressure.

Enough. To our muttons, as the French say.

1. Hogg and touch

It was a significant event. Scotland led France 9-6 in the second half but were being strangled for possession. Simon Danielli got a scrap and gave it to big Allister Hogg who set off as Sébastien Chabal came to tackle him. Hogg slipped out of the tackle, ran over 20 metres and in Christophe Dominici's tackle scored in the corner. Scored? No, he did not, for the touch judge's flag was up.

First Hogg's left heel and then his right heel and touch-line came into close proximity. The touch judge ruled that at least one of the heels actually touched the line. He had a nanosecond to decide whether a micrometre of heel had touched a micrometre of line. It was tough indeed, but the touch judge was well positioned and clearly looking down at the feet.

He must have seen the heel touch the line, believed the evidence of his eyes and his trained instinct shot the flag up to indicate touch.

If Hogg's heel was over the line but in the air and not touching it, he could play on. But if his heel came down on the line, he was out.

TMO? According to the IRB's protocol the referee may not consult the TMO in this matter as when it comes to tries it is only the act of grounding the ball which falls within the TMO's province.

One commentator suggested that the line should belong to the players, in other words be in. That is not a solution and in fact may lead to greater complications about the dimensions of the line and really just pushes the decision a bit further out - did a micrometre of his heel touch a micrometre of ground beyond touch or not.

The best of the moment was Hogg's rueful smile as he came back.

2. Horgan and touch

It was a significant event - the try which, according to John Kirwan, changed the momentum of the game.

Italy were leading Ireland 9-8 in the second half. Brian O'Driscoll broke and gave to Denis Hickie. Hickie gave to big Shane Horgan. As Alessandro Troncon drove Horgan towards the touch-line the wing threw the ball back over his head to Peter Stringer who scored. Ronan O'Gara converted and the score became 13-9 to Ireland.

Was Horgan out?

Here there is a different problem for the video watcher was a line which appeared across the screen, a thin line which was not the touch line. Horgan's left foot touched that line while he still has the ball in his hands but certainly his left foot did not touch the touch-line.

There the decision not to signal touch was 100% right.

3. Petrie's card

It was a most significant event. The match in Paris was running to an end, and Scotland were leading France 9-6 but were battling in defence, which was heroic.

The referee penalised Scotland for a scrum collapse. Pierre Mignoni, the French scrumhalf, taps and darts ahead. He passes low and Sylvain Marconnet foots on. About three metres from his line Chris Paterson grabs the ball and Marconnet grabs him, not quite falling on a player on the ground.

There is a ruck thing.

Petrie is behind the ruck, that is well behind the off-side line.

France win the ball and go to their left, to Ludovic Valbon, Stuart Grimes, the Scottish lock, charges up at Valbon and bounces off the Frenchman who charges on. As this happens the referee puts out an arm to show advantage.

Where Grimes glanced off Valbon was about ten metres from the Scottish line, and it would seem that Grimes started his rush defence from an off-side position.

Petrie in all of this was moving sideways in defence, not forward. When a ruck formed at Valbon, he was at least two metres behind it. He had not moved forward at any stage from the first ruck to the second. He was not off-side at any stage during this action.

The referee penalised Scotland for "blatant off-side" and gave Petrie a yellow card.

Petrie left the field mystified. While he was off France went from 9-6 down to win 16-9.

It may well have been a case of mistaken identity, that the player the referee was rightly penalising for being "blatantly off-side" was Grimes. (Whether or not it warranted a yellow card is a separate issue.) What it boils down to is that Scotland would have gone on with 14 men, whether the missing man was Petrie, Grimes or somebody else.

SANZAR competitions had a dispensation from the IRB to use the TMO to identify the culprit in matters of foul play - and foul play includes the "professional foul". Last December they voted to abandon the practice so as to be in line with general IRB practice. But if the TMO had been used for identification purposes in this matter, it may well have saved much embarrassment and anger.

Mind you, the referee could have asked the help of his touch judges in making the identification of the culprit, which he appeared not to do.

4. Grewcock's card

Wales attack from a five-metre scrum. They go to ground. Mefin Davies picks up and charges. He is brought down about a metre from the English line. Danny Grewcock is standing on the England side, but busy with the Welshmen who are over Davies. Michael Owen gets the ball up and Grewcock wraps arms around him.

Robert Sidoli and Dafydd Jones drive in on Grewcock who pulls himself clear and lifts a long right leg over the prone bodies. The Welsh scrumhalf Dwayne Peel is bending down to get the ball, his head a good metre above the ground. Grewcock's big boot hits Peel on the head and the scrumhalf wheels away. Grewcock continues to work his legs.

The referee blows his whistle and indicates a scrum.

Gareth Thomas, the Welsh captain, runs in from fullback and shoves Grewcock, the second time against the side of the head, as Grewcock has a left hand somewhere near Dafydd Jones's neck, and players fall about.

The referee then consults his touch judge. From their conversation it is obvious that the referee had seen Grewcock's reckless boot and was going to send him to the sin bin. The touch judge reports that Thomas "threw a punch".

The result was a yellow card for both.

Thomas did not punch. He pushed with an open hand. In a different rugby context it could have been described as a hand-off. It was not an act worthy of a yellow card but he was retaliating and he had come many metres to do it. It was silly rather than malicious.

The silliness may have been avoided had the referee immediately indicated a penalty for what he had, clearly, seen Grewcock doing, rather than indicating a scrum. Thomas may also not intervened if there had not been the impression that Grewcock was carrying on.

The right players were identified in the wrongdoing, but did the punishment fit the crimes?

If Thomas deserved a yellow card, perhaps Grewcock deserved a red card. If Grewcock deserved a yellow card - the referee's first decision - then perhaps Thomas deserved a severe talking to and the reversal of what would have been a penalty for Wales.

Again, just perhaps, the TMO could have determined the gravity of the actions and seen that the punch was not a punch at all - if you believe that punching is striking with the fist and a fist is made when the fingers are turned in towards the palm and held there tightly.

One other thing about Grewcock's action. The IRB has told us that a collapsed ruck is still a ruck. A player is not allowed to step over it or force his way through it.