Munster Team Talk Thread - Beirne After Reading

It's a fairly useless statement in reality. If a ref can't remember the laws then he shouldn't be a ref. I know there's interpretation in some aspects of the game and consideration for keeping a game moving and entertaining which can lead to misapplication or loose application, but this was a basic failure of the entire officiating team to understand a clear law... and not for the first time! There's not that many laws and interpretations for a professional ref to know. Imagine if he was paid to be a professional lawyer or judge with far more extensive laws, interpetarion and precedent to know. It wouldn't be good enough for the justice system to hold their hands up and go "ah the judge didn't know the law and the internet was down in the court that day so he ruled against you and we won't be trying to reverse any prejudice suffered".

It does beg the question if Piardi knew about the issues with the app; and if so he should have been more hands-on with the process, imo.

Indeed, there's an argument he should have been more hands-on independent of that, or a process should have been more clearly defined since the last time this happened Munster.

But even besides that, I'd agree with this part of the statement tbh:

Referees will be made aware that they must own the process and reminded that they are ultimately responsible and accountable for the final decision of the correctness of any substitutions and all decisions during a match.

I generally have some sympathy for referee's - genuinely think it's the hardest sport to ref - but that sympathy wanes when you consider 1) this is the 2nd time this has happened Munster this season (which is shocking) and 2) the tap and go that was missed, which is something that would have taken about 5 seconds to review.

I think that's a bit of a cop out tbh, Podge. We can obviously assume he thought he had received the right information (otherwise the URC have even bigger problems).

The actual salient question is, if he didn't know what the law interpretation should be himself, instead of assuming the touchline officials were correct, why didn't he stop the game?

That's what we were told would happen after the last time.

Why didn't it? Because Piardi himself didn't stop the game to confirm. I had friends in attendance in the terrace who said there was clear confusion pretty early on. It took 20 minutes total before it was corrected. It should have been stopped way before it was.

He wasn't wrong; the touchline officials were wrong.

If he didn't know the law himself and had to ask the touchline officials, there clearly was confusion for the only person who matters and has control over all of this.

Even if we grant you all of this, it took 20 minutes before play was stopped to correct this. If he had any doubt at all - and he clearly had as the statement says the following:

The match referee Andrea Piardi consulted with the technical zone officials to ensure this was the correct interpretation of the Law.

…. how long would it realistically have taken him to stop the game and consulted this graphic, and the technical team:

I've no issue with him not knowing this law off the top of his head. I've every issue with him not stopping the game to confirm the law, which is what we know from the last time, should have happened.

It really is a cop out.

The referees need to own the process themselves, not outsource the process.

He did follow the process though, he made an incorrect call in the moment, checked it and the team who have the time and responsibility to confirm or challenge his check failed to correct him. Piardi made an error among hundreds of decisions he has to make over a game but crucially followed the correct process and his backroom team failed him. It's also not clear whether Piadri was unsure of the law or was unsure why Jager and Archer went off. He has copped an unfair amount of blame imo

The app wasn't working and they didn't know the rules, if I did that in my job I'd be fired

Missed one in the build up too

Was that final pass not a mile forward?