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From www.news24.com/
Johannesburg - The interchanging of the roles of rugby referees, touch judges and television match officials (TMOs) will come to an end next year.
André Watson SA Rugby's manager of referees' affairs, confirmed on Tuesday that Sanzar administrators had approved a proposal to separate the disciplines.
"We will apply it in the Currie Cup and Super 14 competitions," Watson said. "As a matter of fact TMOs have already been specialising in this year's Currie Cup matches."
It will be more expensive to apply the new system in Super 14 matches, but Watson does not expect opposition to the idea. "We will prove that it will be a better product," he said, adding that the facts spoke for themselves.
"We saw five mistakes by TMOs in Super 14 matches this year. So far in this year's Currie Cup competition, in which it was a specialist job, not a single mistake has been made in 43 matches.
"We are not saying it won't happen, but we hope the chances will decrease."
However, the manner in which specialist TMOs are appointed could lead to dissatisfaction.
"It is a rather sensitive matter," Watson confirmed. "We prefer to consider people who have been good referees as TMOs; guys who can handle the pressure."
SA Rugby has already identified 40-year-old Shuan Veldsman as a specialist TMO. "Shaun will certainly be one, but there will probably be about three of them," Watson said.
Referees will be given the opportunity to make themselves available for this job, but many of them won't be appointed.
"Only two or three matches are being televised on any given day," Watson explained. "Referees will have the opportunity to decide what they want to do, but we will then decide who will become TMOs.
"If we feel a referee is not quite up to it and may be unable to keep up with play, we can appoint him as a TMO."
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Originally Posted by tragic
