The IRB referees’ supremo Paddy O’Brien has read the riot act to his ten referees ahead of the forthcoming World Cup.<\/p>\n
Although confident in the ability of his ten selected officials, O’Brien admits that across the board, referees have “let the foot off the throat” in certain facets of the game. Following the introductions of new laws around the breakdown, tournament organisers are impressing their wish for a departure from the games filled with kicking which were prevalent in the 2011 World Cup.<\/p>\n
Citing the recent Tri-Nations, northern hemisphere warm-up Tests and Super Rugby, O’Brien outlined certain issues which need to be addressed. “We have been asking our guys to revisit the five key areas,” he said. “We think they started with really good intentions last year, but the foot has come off the throat, especially at the tackle – the tackler rolling away and the entry – and especially the offside line in close.”<\/p>\n
“The 20 teams at the World Cup all received the same presentation and they have bought into it. What we’ve got to do as referees is make sure we implement them. While the refs have done some of them very well, we think as an overall picture … we need to reassess them.”<\/p>\n
And O’Brien’s five key areas are:<\/p>\n