Toulon outhalf Tomas Albornoz approached referee Luke Pearce as the English official made his way off the pitch. The Argentinian was incandescent and with some justification based on one or two decisions in a fraught end-game, albeit not in the manner or the forum, in which he expressed them, before being chaperoned away.
As the French side chased an unlikely shot at redemption and a trip to the Basque Country, they were twice pinged for high shots, the first by Juan Ignacio Brex, the second by his midfield buddy, Jérémy Sinzelle, both on Garry Ringrose. They were marginal calls, irrespective of allegiance. Ringrose made nothing of either challenge.
The multiplier effect in terms of frustration was that similar collisions went unpunished earlier in the game. In essence there was a lack of consistency in interpretation. It is a massive bugbear for players, coaches and supporters and it’s a huge weakness in the sport.
Leinster reach a record ninth Champions Cup final
No one expects officials to be infallible. Players make plenty of mistakes so why should officials not be afforded the same latitude. However, when incidents of a similar nature lead to different outcomes within a game that is when fuses begin to burn.
RM Block
The public and media won’t be privy to the thoughts of EPCR head of referees Tony Spreadbury. Maybe he thought the officials had a super afternoon for the most part. In absentia, conjecture and head scratching rules the roost.
There was a game within a game at the Aviva Stadium; a kind of laws – the official lingo – bingo. Both sides suffered and benefited. When is a high tackle not a high tackle? When is a no arms tackle deemed to be illegal.
When is a shoulder charge perfectly acceptable, even though it takes place after the player has kicked the ball? Well after. In what circumstances is it permissible to jump into or over a tackle in the middle of the pitch? At what point of the compass is a breakdown “side entry” a live concern and a penalizable offence.
When can a player, who is on his feet, lift a ball with two hands at a ruck, but not be awarded a penalty? There’s no point, and nor is it fair, to go through every infraction with a forensic microscope when afforded both time and the clarity of multiple replays. Sport is an imperfect science when it comes to interpreting who did what to whom. It’s in the eye of the beholders.
But just to examine one instance. Josh van der Flier got both hands on a ball at a ruck, lifted it, had a justifiable and pretty obvious claim for a penalty, but didn’t get rewarded. Play continued, Toulon subsequently scored a try through wing Setariki Tuicuvu and Harry Byrne received a yellow card for cumulative team offences.
If the correct decision is made initially then none of the latter ensues. It’s a personal take but the double jeopardy against a team that concedes a try and gets a yellow to boot is often harsh. That’s not specific to this match but as a general observation.
Pearce had warned Leinster captain Caelan Doris of the impending yellow peril for the next transgression. He didn’t have to give the card but was within his rights to do so. Toulon weren’t prevented from scoring.
Byrne’s offside didn’t prevent Toulon from scoring. It wasn’t a cynical offence, but the English referee followed through in a way that most of his peers would have done. And he wasn’t wrong by the letter of the lawbook.
There is an assumption that refereeing decisions even out over the course of a game but tell that to Toulon. They’re unlikely to agree about the end-game decisions, while Leinster will have a few quibbles about other moments, softened by the fact that they won the match and are heading to Bilbao. That’s sport, but in general terms only the winners are philosophical or phlegmatic in the aftermath.
Rugby is a very difficult game to referee, and it hasn’t got any easier with the constant tinkering. The lawmakers could do the officials a favour and iron out several kinks. They deserve that latitude at the very least.
