Not quite over and the prospect of more talking points

There are play-off games, the County Championship, the Aviva Cup Final and, would you believe, another England v Wales encounter at Twickenham, which replaces the Barbarians game, still to go, but for the majority of players the season is at an end; all of a month before pre-season training starts for 2016-17! What did you enjoy most, what got on your nerves, what did you think of the standard of refereeing?

Unless you were on another planet the World Cup in the Autumn had to be the highlight. I enjoyed every minute of it and the willingness to play rugby and produce a genuine spectacle, which hopefully brought in a few converts, made for compulsive viewing. Apart from the occasional lapse I thought the refereeing was first class, even if a lot was made of Craig Joubert's decision in Scotland's defeat by Australia. Think back and you will hardly remember any controversy while moments like Japan's winning try against South Africa vividly stand out. Plus,  to round it all off, a tremendous final between the best two teams in the World, refereed by the outstanding Nigel Owens who will establish a World record of 72 Test Matches when he takes charge of Fiji versus Tonga in June.

Since October much of the rugby has been an anti-climax and most of the games I have watched, at fairly low levels, have been very ordinary. With one exception I have not seen any referees who are likely to be going much higher. A lot of them have fallen into a practice that drives me mad; at half time they make their way to the sideline to consult with their watching adviser. It's all reminiscent of an old Dick Emery sketch which he ends with "What do I do now dad?" How impressed the players are we will never really know. But it is the old favourites which occupy most discussion: continually resetting scrums after a collapse, crooked feeding of the scrum, the time taken to bring the play back into action at the line out and the ever increasing use of the TMO at the top level. Those who enjoy the luxury of that facility have taken it out of all proportion.

There has been much discussion in at least one national newspaper recently about the level of abuse directed at 'grass roots' football referees and above. Nothing new here but a number of horrifying tales, related by readers, explain why the number who fancy taking up the whistle is alarmingly declining. Rugby also got a mention, to show that although the sport distinguished itself for the respect commanded by its officials there was a problem which largely involved junior rugby. The common denominator to both games was the influence of parents unable to control themselves and coaches who overstepped the mark . Speak to the overworked Lancashire Disciplinary committee and they will confirm the increasing number of reported offences in this respect, along with the resultant severe punishments handed out. A society trend maybe, but one over which rugby needs to be constantly vigilant.

Select any game whether viewed live or on television and choose a particular incident, phase of play or the match result itself. Hardly ever is there total agreement, which may be part of the attraction or perhaps is simply another indication of the complexity. You can bet the summer tours throw up more talking points to keep you going until September.

David Matthews (April 2016)