Former Test referee Wayne Barnes believes that the TMO bunker can make rugby better and that football’s VAR will improve over time. In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Barnes commented on the use of television match officials in rugby and football following his retirement from officiating. He feels that the TMO bunker needs more time to evolve and is the right way to improve the game. Barnes disagrees with those who want to ditch the concept, stating that the system will improve the game. He believes that the bunker system needs more time to evolve and that it is the right way to improve the game. The TMO bunker was trialled ahead of the World Cup in France and was implemented during the tournament to aid the flow of the game. Barnes feels that the system will improve the game and that it needs more time to evolve. The bunker came into play on three occasions during the World Cup final, with Shannon Frizell’s clearout on Bongi Mbonambi remaining a yellow card while Siya Kolisi’s tackle on Ardie Savea was also not upgraded. However, the bunker did upgrade Sam Cane’s yellow card after his dangerous tackle on Jesse Kriel, as he became the first male player to be sent off in a World Cup final. Barnes also believes that football’s VAR will evolve and get better over time. He stated that rugby has been using TMO for close to 20 years and has had different iterations, and that football is only two years into that journey. He believes that we will see the evolution of VAR and that it will get better and better. World Rugby has admitted officiating error against the All Blacks in the World Cup final, according to a report.
The Future of Rugby and Football Refereeing
