MESSING ABOUT WITH THE NUMBERS GAME

 David Matthews advises that you keep the calculator handy

 

Have a glance at the score lines right across the board this season and you will find some amazing figures; from The ‘Rugby Championship’ down to level 6 and beyond the sharing of over 60 points, with only a few separating the two teams, seems to be a regular occurrence. It would be encouraging to believe that the new scrum laws are partly responsible but there is nowhere near enough evidence to support that notion. Rather, a combination of ideal playing conditions, early season adventure and (dare we say it) a willingness from coaches to allow their players to think for themselves has produced these try fests.

Important then that the referee keeps an accurate record of the score. If you think that is blindingly obvious I have already witnessed three matches so far, all closely contested encounters, where there was uncertainty over the score. Unfortunately, the referee was central to the plot in two of them: somehow, when the scoreboard should have shown 18-30 a misplaced 3 points meant that 21-27 was displayed which made all the difference to how the final, frantic ten minutes were played out, crucially, because the referee agreed with what he could see on the board. Only after the eighty minutes were up was the matter resolved.

For exhibit B, with the referee not guilty, delay in activating the scoreboard (the regular ‘operator’ had not been replaced!) had the score at 27-31 as a last minute penalty was awarded in kicking range. Confirmation that it was in fact 29-31 was needed before a successful shot at goal could be completed. In a third case this season, also directly linked to scorekeeping, a referee, shortly after the break, announced to the captains that owing to a leg injury he would be ending the game after sixty minutes, at which point the result stands in league rugby. As it turned out the match went the full distance but, with seventy minutes on the clock, the score was an intriguing 31-36; in the event the away team triumphed 31-39 but had their mindset been altered by the referee’s reported intention to finish proceedings at the critical hour mark?

Law 6A.4(c), ‘The Duties of the Referee in the Playing Enclosure’ – don’t you just love referees who can quote chapter and verse like this! – states “The Referee keeps the score.” Back in the mists of time after refereeing at Wharfedale and making idle conversation with the 3rd team referee, I enquired as to what the score was in his game. His stunning reply was “ Oh, I never keep the score, I find it can affect my decision making.” I later discovered that it was 34-32 for the home side, hardly an example of it being irrelevant. He would be just the man for league rugby in autumn 2013!

David Matthews