All Blacks legends Kieran Read and Justin Marshall have fumed over the TMO interruptions which impacted the Nations Championship games last weekend.<\/p>\n
Having become used to Super Rugby Pacific, which has limited the role of the video officials, New Zealanders and Australians are back playing under World Rugby laws.<\/p>\n
That effectively enables the TMO to come in and correct any mistake they see from the man in the middle, but it led to some lengthy delays at the weekend.<\/p>\n
It has resulted in plenty of criticism of the process, with Marshall particularly scathing of what he saw on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u2018We\u2019re lucky in Super Rugby\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the elephant in the room isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s lingering in the air and everybody saw it for what it was at the weekend,\u201d he said on the GBRANZ podcast.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019ve been very lucky with in Super Rugby was the law that the TMO can only come into the game for an act of foul play which is yellow card level or in the act of scoring a try.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve gone back to international governing laws where the TMO basically has the ability to referee the game. Whatever he picks up, whether it\u2019s a neck roll or a knock-on or an offside, he can come in and tell the referee.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat there is where the issue is and there are two TMOs there because there\u2019s one for foul play and there\u2019s one for normal game time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former All Blacks<\/a> captain Read<\/a> then chimed in, revealing his frustration at the role of the TMO and how they don\u2019t take ownership of the decision.<\/p>\n While they alert the referees to moments that may need reviewing, they often take a step backwards in order to allow the officials in the middle to decide the outcome.<\/p>\n That is despite arguably having a clearer view of the incidents in the truck, with referees sometimes looking at screens which are a fair distance away.<\/p>\n \u201cThe worst thing is all we see on the TV is a shot of the refs staring up at the big screen looking at it. Like, what are you doing? Make a decision. If you\u2019ve come in from the top, you know what it is, make a decision,\u201d Read said.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t fluff around with it, this is what it is and get the ref down there. He\u2019s looking at this screen to make the call, but you\u2019ve got all these angles, all these screens in front of you, if you\u2019re coming down into the ref\u2019s ear, make a call and that should be the call.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Aussie game, a [Max] Jorgensen tip-tackle, the ref literally two metres says he\u2019s happy with it. It probably was a penalty but he\u2019s right there, happy with it and we play for three minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a great phase of play, Aussie win a penalty, they kick the ball out and we\u2019re having a lineout inside the 22 when the TMO came in.<\/p>\n \u201cAll we see is the ref running to the screen, looking and saying: \u2018It\u2019s a penalty\u2019, but it\u2019s just so frustrating. If you want to come into the game as a TMO make the call.\u201d<\/p>\n All Blacks legend: There is an \u2018issue\u2019 if World Rugby continues down TMO path as officials \u2018just not good enough\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Bizarre Ruben Love incident<\/p>\n