Refs at media conferences

Referees are to be present at Super 14 media conferences after matches this, according to Lyndon Bray, SANZAR's referee coordinator and the manager of New Zealand's top referees.

 Lyndon Bray said there was a desire to take some of the mystery out of rugby's laws, while the referees themselves have agreed they would like to be publicly measured.

Bray said: "The referees have probably always been slightly threatened in the past by the concept of facing up on TV after games.

"We've all acknowledged this is probably an important step. It brings us into line with the coaches and the players, who also have to do this."

This was the practice in South Africa a few years back and it worked but fizzled out because visiting referees from overseas were not keen.

The practice then was that the referee, his two assistants, the television match official and the assessor would all come to the conference. They did so after the two teams, which meant a long wait for the referees but ensured that they could answer any queries from what the teams had top say.

The assessor would merely give some statistics of the match - penalty count, tackle count, scrums and line-outs.

On one occasion, in Pretoria, it was possible to display the difficult decision while all could see and ask questions.

The system certainly had its upside and eventually petered out because the media people had no more questions to answer!

The system had the advantage of bringing the referees and the press into great contact, making each realise that the other was human!

There may well be greater need this season with greater emphasis on the tackle and the scrum.