England vs New Zealand: Players tackling lower leading to more offloads and running
Owen Doyle: A crying shame that World Rugby is not studying the scrum and attempting to restore this pivotal part of the game to its original purpose
The Whistleblower
Owen Doyle: Video nasties required to show just what merits a red card
Forget words, written or spoken; visuals are needed – clear, unambiguous video clips of what foul play gets what punishment
Owen Doyle: The defining skill of top referees needs to be brought up to speed
‘Too often we see referees falling behind the play, failing to anticipate what should be blindingly obvious’
Defusing rugby’s bomb squad: Revised replacement rules needed to protect player wellbeing
Sweeping replacements up front mean fatiguing opponents face what amounts to a new opposing pack
Owen Doyle: World Rugby needs to stick to its guns with no replacement red cards for ‘aggravated foul play’
World governing body’s new proposals could allow a replacement for Cane-like incidents while remaining utterly unforgiving of hard shoulders to the head and similar foul play
Owen Doyle: Brutal and compelling Test was great to watch – but who’d want to play it?
South Africa v Ireland: In their reimagining of the game, it’s very doubtful that this is what World Rugby have in mind
Owen Doyle: Ireland-South Africa match officials unlikely to enjoy performance reviews after poor day
The lack of TMO review for RG Snyman’s tackle on Craig Casey stood out as an incorrect decision
Owen Doyle: Dangerous tackling not limited only to head-high tackles
Owen Doyle: World Rugby would do well to remind us that the full rigour of the game’s laws must be applied to all forms of dangerous tackling
Owen Doyle: Referees must handle outside pressure from South Africa for Ireland Tests
Referee Andrea Piardi had a brilliant game in the URC final, despite the comments of Bulls coach
Owen Doyle: Bulls deserved to beat Leinster, but the match deserved an elite referee
The URC has a problem on its hands when it comes to appointing match officials
Owen Doyle: Injury exists in rugby and match officials need to keep pace with demand
A new generation of referees is emerging for this URC, a competition which has grown immensely in stature and now heads towards the semi-finals and grand final
Key decision against Leinster highlights risk of refereeing system failure
A worrying cohort of referees appear dependent on their TMO comfort blanket
Owen Doyle: Extra-time yellow card for James Lowe was a huge call – and a harsh one
Owen Doyle: Antoine Dupont makes the crucial difference for Toulouse but for Leinster losing three consecutive Champions Cup finals is the stuff of sporting nightmares
Ask Owen Doyle: When should a rugby referee give a warning, and when should they give a penalty?
Our refereeing expert Owen Doyle answers readers’ questions on warnings, complicit officials and breakdown etiquette
Owen Doyle: Let’s stop the law tinkering – safety issues apart
Owen Doyle: World Rugby proposals remain a work in progress but still not strong enough to discourage serious foul play
Rugby referee mailbag: Send your questions to our refereeing expert Owen Doyle
Send in your question to our columnist, former Test referee and former director of referees at the IRFU, Owen Doyle
Owen Doyle: Mathieu Raynal’s calm demeanour contributed to a great occasion at Croke Park
French referee’s Mathieu Raynal's clear officiating at the scrum in Croke Park an example which others would do well to follow
When it comes to the 20-minute red card replacement, World Rugby should play it safe
The ugly side of rugby has not gone away, and the deterrent of a straight red card should not be diluted
Owen Doyle: I have a growing sense of unease around ‘pick and drive’ tries
Referee Karl Dickson was very much centre stage but there was no disputing Leinster’s superiority against La Rochelle this time around
Owen Doyle: Strong referee performance is vital when La Rochelle visit the Aviva next weekend
Brousset was reactive and overly patient instead of delivering a clear plan to increase the level of sanction in Leinster-Leicester match
Officials should not be able to hear pundits such as Austin Healey during matches
The people who said Leinster’s Luke McGrath should not been sent off against Bulls were wrong
Owen Doyle: Severe brain damage is the elephant in the room for World Rugby
A fundamental need exists for World Rugby to rid the game of danger
Owen Doyle: The Six Nations was good, but France should have finished fifth
We need to know exactly why Ireland’s Tadgh Furlong was denied a try against Scotland
Owen Doyle: Two thundering matches have saved this year’s Six Nations, but not all of the calls were spot on
A pair of action-packed encounters at Twickenham and the Stadio Olimpico showed two very different approaches to refereeing
Failure to give Italy another penalty after Paolo Garbisi’s miss was baffling
But it’s generally good we’re hearing less chatter from referees
Owen Doyle: Common sense was lacking in denying Scotland their late try against France
Surely, these very tight situations should be treated in the same way as a penalty try, on the basis of probability
Owen Doyle: Inexplicable rescinding of Caulfield red card against Connacht sends the wrong message
Owen Doyle: If seriously endangering a prone player’s head via a reckless boot is not a red card then rugby’s future is grim
Owen Doyle: Ugly red card incidents a bad advertisement for rugby
Finlay Bealham and Tom Ahern were injured by ‘reckless’ actions which saw culprits deservedly sent off
Owen Doyle: Nika Amashukeli shows he has joined the top rank of referees
Georgian Nika Amashukeli showed once again in Munster's win over Toulon that he is now established in the top quartile of elite rugby referees
Owen Doyle: We’ve seen the type of clearout on Jack O’Donoghue before - Ralston should have seen red
Connacht wing being shown the wrong colour card is the latest evidence that officials have become too lax at the breakdown
Owen Doyle: Controversial Slade try shows we hear too much TMO input at times, not enough at others
French TMO Cédric Marchat shouldn’t have asked to check Slade’s onside position, but rather that of the lazy runners - he did not
Owen Doyle: Matthew Carley promised cards for backchat but didn’t deliver
English referee frustrated by frequent remonstrations from Leinster and La Rochelle players
What is the function of a referee coach? Simply put, it is about performance improvement
It’s small price to pay for putting these vital red card calls back in the hands of the referee
Owen Doyle: The scrum has lost its purpose, it’s time World Rugby made some changes
The scrum has moved far from its original purpose and has become, too often, a penalty-generating machine
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