Refereeing by committee and Ireland’s need for speed: Five things we learned from this weekend’s Nations Championship action

Too many cooks

It wasn’t a great weekend for officiating in general, but arguably what was most disappointing is that games are increasingly being refereed by committee and the onus on the person with the whistle to make decisions is being diluted by external input.

Referees need to take greater responsibility for what’s happening under their noses. Matches taking two hours plus is now more commonplace. It’s no wonder that some are seeking alternative amusement. In the Ireland-Fiji game, a Mexican Wave first swept the stadium on 66 minutes and lasted just over five minutes.

TMOs should not try or have to persuade a referee and his assistants to arrive at a decision. Put it on the screen and let the referee decide, TMOs aren’t there to argue. Some of the dialogue between referee Angus Gardner and TMO Mike Adamson at the Aviva Stadium didn’t make sense based on the outcomes reached.

Kicking game

During his post-match press conference, Fiji’s South African head coach Jake White threw out a couple of statistics regarding the kicking game that were directly applicable to Ireland. The first, the sweet spot for how often teams should kick against Andy Farrell’s side.

“I saw a stat that when Ireland play a team that kicks 31 times, they lose,” said White. Fiji kicked 21 times on Saturday and struggled to see how they could make up the shortfall.

“Ireland, with their hurling background and their Gaelic football background, got a 45-per-cent return on kick receipt or kick in the air,” White claimed of the win over Argentina.

That number took a battering on Saturday as Ireland struggled to pick up the scraps from a feature that had previously been a staple of their game.

Essential speedster

Rob Baloucoune’s pace has become a pivotal aspect of Ireland’s attacking play over the last two outings. Forget about his two tries, it was his input for Tommy O’Brien’s first try that reinforced the importance of the sheer speed he brings to the team.

Working off his wing, it was his turn of foot that made Fiji’s defence panic, a player turning his shoulders in because he didn’t think his team-mate would be able to shut down the gap in time. It allowed Baloucoune’s pass to find Mack Hensen, who sent O’Brien racing over. Baloucoune also had a similar intervention for Hugo Keenan’s first try against Argentina.

Perhaps the only downside was that the Ulsterman didn’t grab a third try. It could have come had Bundee Aki passed to him in space, or when the winger failed to collect Sam Prendergast’s crosskick.

Unlucky 13

There would be a legitimate reason for Ireland players to have a touch of triskaidekaphobia – a fear of the number 13. A hamstring injury has ruled Garry Ringrose out of the tournament to date and, on Saturday, Jamie Osborne picked up a pectoral injury early on. Osborne’s only previous Irish cap at outside centre was against Georgia in Tbilisi.

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell doesn’t have many options at 13 for the Springboks game, essentially left with a choice between two players who are arguably better suited to inside centre – Robbie Henshaw and Aki. Henshaw played 13 for the victory over the Pumas, while Aki shifted to the inside when Osborne departed on Saturday, allowing McCloskey to slot in at 12 off the bench. The opening likely makes Tom Farrell’s and Jude Postlethwaite’s respective injuries hurt that little bit more.

Stat attack

Wales’ first victory over New Zealand in 73 years came on the back of a monumental defensive effort. The initial postgame statistics revealed the home side made a staggering 346 tackles. Leading the way was Dafydd Jenkins with 38, followed by Jac Morgan (31), and James Botham (30), while seven other players made 20+ tackles.

Against Fiji, Ireland’s red-zone efficiency − which measures the number of points scored per entry into the opposition 22 − was particularly eye-catching. The hosts managed to average 3.1 points across 14 entries, compared to Fiji’s 0.9 points-per-visit.

The corresponding figures from France’s win over South Africa on Saturday was 1.5 points from 12 entries for the Springboks versus 2.6 points from eight visits for Les Bleus. Credit to Brett Igoe for the numbers.