Michael Hooper has called on World Rugby to come out and explain big decisions after matches following some controversial calls at Eden Park.

Press conferences with officials immediately after the games have sometimes been suggested down the years but, in taking a different view, the Wallabies legend would rather see their bosses front up.

Hooper has also suggested it happen at the start of a new week, instead of straight after a game when emotions are higher and people are perhaps less objective.

Sitting alongside All Blacks great Sonny Bill Williams on the Between Two Posts podcast, the former Australia captain was asked whether he would like to see referees explain their calls.

Taking accountability

“Not the referee,” was Hooper’s response. “I would actually like to see the referees bosses come out on the Monday and explain the rulings – I think that would be a great piece of content.

“It would be really good for World Rugby to come out and say: ‘These are the rulings, this is the way we want to see rugby officiated, this is why the ref did it’, and whether they got it right or wrong.

“As players they get things right and wrong, referees are allowed to get it right and wrong, but if we saw accountability from World Rugby going, ‘this is what’s happened, this is the process of how it happened and this is our process to improve it’, just like you would with players, coaches and teams around the world, I think that would be a great thing for the viewer to see.”

Australians have certainly had a whinge about officiating over the past couple of months.

During the British and Irish Lions series, they were unhappy that Hugo Keenan’s series-winning try was awarded following a contentious Jac Morgan cleanout.

They then had complaints about Christophe Ridley in the Argentina loss, despite being the beneficiary of a clear forward pass which earned them two bonus-points.

Most recently, Andrea Piardi, who took charge of that second Lions Test, was once again in the firing line after the Wallabies’ 33-24 defeat to the All Blacks at Eden Park.

“At the moment, we just see the referee turn up and if he makes a bad call then we slam him,” Hooper said.

“They do officiate the game, they do need to be held accountable, but how can we at the moment? We don’t live in their shoes.

“It would be a great stance for World Rugby to go, ‘this is what our guys are dealing with, this is why they’re making the decision and this is potentially how we’re making it better’.”

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SBW’s view

Williams agreed with his fellow pundit, saying: “I would love that. Transparency removes all the negative energy and vibes. One side is usually happy and one side is usually ready to throw the toys out of the cot.”

Hooper then chimed in again and believes that the governing body could help “protect” the referees by taking responsibility and explaining the big calls afterwards.

“If a team performs poorly, what does a good coach do? He gets up and he takes ownership. It’s a great opportunity for World Rugby to do similar, which is to get out there and protect their referees because, god, it’s a hard job,” he said.

“Imagine being Piardi on the weekend, at Eden Park where no one’s won there since 1994 and being the referee. No matter what, if the Wallabies had won there, probably the decisions flip on the other side.

“It would be great to see World Rugby come out and say: ‘This is where we’re at’.”

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