The Sharks faced off against the Stormers in the URC yesterday, with the game ending in a 22-22 draw. The Sharks now lie 10th in the URC table, while the Stomers sit in 12th.
There were a few interesting moments within the 80 minutes, one of them involving South Africa captain Siya Kolisi, the referee, and the TMO.
It was a moment that can be filed under ‘immensely satisfying’, as Kolisi saved everyone the time of going to the TMO by explaining to referee himself what had happened.
Kolisi had been driven over the Stormers’ line and after the bodies had dispersed the referee chose to confer with the TMO, as is standard practice, to help decide the outcome.
However, Kolisi explained to the referee that he had been help up, and the ref duly bypassed the TMO and called a goal line dropout for the Stormers.
Siya Kolisi spares ref from TMO check
Ref looks like he's heading for TMO review.
Siya Kolisi: "Held up, I'm held up."
Ref: "OK... He didn't get it down, confirmed it. Goal-line drop-out."
Sound.#URC pic.twitter.com/iONGszGGOY— Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) January 29, 2022
Some may see it as an act of sportsmanship from Kolisi, although it is more likely that he just wanted to speed things up for all parties involved.
Whatever the reason, Kolisi’s already soaring popularity amongst the general rugby population has grown even more.
Rugby’s TMO system is, on the whole, a successful set-up, especially compared with the VAR system in football.
However, the major criticism aimed towards it is that games can get bogged down in lengthy discussion over obvious and trivial calls.
With the constant need to speed up games to add entertainment value and attract new fans, the actions of Kolisi and the referee are encouraging and something we hope more players will emulate.
Games sped up in URC
Another interesting moment from the game occurred when the Sharks chose to kick at goal from a penalty.
The referee Marius van der Westhuizen reminded outhalf Boeta Chamberlain that he had 60 seconds to take the kick. Throughout his kicking routine the ref kept Chamberlain updated with the time left until eventually it ran out and a scrum for the Stormers was called, with the ball still on the tee.
Referee Marius van der Westhuizen not messing around with the 60-second shot clock for the Sharks' penalty here.
Scrum Stormers.
Game finished 22-22.#URC pic.twitter.com/OH6XJ7zzIP— Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) January 30, 2022
Two time saving incidents in one game down in South Africa. We shall see if this style of refereeing begins to creep into the wider game.
See Also: The Terraces Won't Forget: Tiernan O'Halloran
