Former international referee Nigel Owens has called on World Rugby to make a series of important changes to the way the game is officiated, insisting greater consistency is needed as the Nations Championship continues.
Writing in his WalesOnline column, the former World Rugby Referee of the Year highlighted several areas he believes need urgent attention, from foul play sanctions and the controversial 20-minute red card to breakdown “cheating” and differences in officiating between the northern and southern hemispheres.
Here are the biggest law changes and refereeing improvements Owens wants to see.
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1. World Rugby must create one global standard of officiating
Owens believes one of rugby’s biggest issues is the lack of consistency between competitions, particularly those played in the northern and southern hemispheres. While he accepts different tournaments have different styles, he says international rugby should be officiated under the same interpretations wherever matches are played.
“World Rugby has to make sure everyone’s aligned and consistent, no matter what tournaments the teams play in outside the international window.”
“There will always be a slight variation, I think, in terms of how the two hemispheres want to referee the game.”
He added that consistency should be one of World Rugby’s biggest priorities as officials from different competitions continue to referee Test matches throughout the Nations Championship.
2. Introduce a more consistent approach to foul play
Owens believes supporters and players have been left confused by inconsistent decisions surrounding dangerous play, particularly when incidents are reviewed by the bunker.
He wants referees to apply the laws more consistently so identical offences receive identical punishments.
“One of the big things I’d like to see from referees is a bit of consistency around foul play, especially if it’s sent to the bunker.”
“During the Six Nations… we did maybe see a lack of consistency around the sanctions for foul play. Something that was a clear red card in some games wasn’t given in others.”
3. Scrap the 20-minute red card
One of Owens’ strongest opinions remains his opposition to the 20-minute red card.
While the law has been backed by several southern hemisphere nations, he believes a player guilty of serious foul play should not be replaced after 20 minutes.
“For me, a straight red should also be a full red. Not a 20-minute red card.”
“There’s still some work to be done on that area.”
