As the French XV prepares to face Australia on Saturday to conclude its series of test matches, a renowned coach returns once again to the Thomas Ramos episode.
The red card of the weekend is brandished by Eddie Jones.
In his column for the PlanetRugby websitethe Australian coach rants against video refereeing, which takes up too much of a place in sport, and disrupts the rhythm of matches.
“Let’s analyze some statistics from the weekend,
explains the Japan coach. During our match (against Wales, editor’s note), we had 93 minutes of total playing time. For 41 minutes of actual play and 52 minutes of stoppage time. Is this really what the spectators came to see? »
It is therefore video arbitration, TMO, which is in its sights.
“In addition, across all matches, there were 61 video referee interventions, for a cumulative stoppage time of 170 minutes! That’s nearly three hours of hesitation that broadcasters paid to cover. This is simply absurd. We saw 14 yellow cards and two reds, including one red card and another red with a 20 minute penalty. In my opinion, that’s way too much intervention, and those cards have a huge impact on the flow of the game.”
Thomas Ramos, a red card too severe?
For the Australian technician, rugby is on the wrong track by spending too much time dissecting images. Especially since these can be misleading, particularly in the case of the red card inflicted on South Africa for a dangerous tackle on Thomas Ramos.
“One of the biggest issues is freezing and slow motion, Judge Eddie Jones. They don’t do justice to the dynamics of rugby. Take the example of Lood de Jager against France; Lood measures 2.06 m and is about to tackle. Thomas Ramos is on his knees, technically no longer in action. As it approaches, the multitude of simultaneous actions is considerable and must be taken into account. Decisions are made in a binary manner, and there is a tendency to match images to protocols rather than letting actions reflect reality. »
“For those reading this who have played at a decent level, these are moments where every second counts; impossible to react quickly enough to change the situation. We’re talking about fractions of a second, and asking a 2.06 m, 130 kg man to change position in such a few seconds is almost biomechanically impossible. » According to Eddie Jones, Lood de Jager’s action did not deserve such a sanction, because the South African second row, at this speed of play, could not have predicted that Thomas Ramos’ head would end up on the path of his shoulder.
