Lucky Maree
David Campese, one of the true legends of the game of rugby has come forward to tell the gods of rugby (that’s High-Priest Bill Beaumont and his disciples at World Rugby) a few things they need to know.
Campese, considered to be one of the great rugby wingers of all time, has described international rugby as a farce.
Of the many things he told Daily Mail Australia, he specifically gave the referees and the Television Match Officials a roasting.
“The referees think they are the most important people on the field. They think it’s about them, but it’s not. It’s about the game. It’s about the players and the supporters,” he said.
“The TMO and referees are ruining the game.”
Campese, at 59 years of age, is no longer afraid to speak his mind.
We all know what happened to Rassie Erasmus for speaking out, and one imagines that Bill Beaumont and the Boys regularly pat each other on the back for suppressing Rassie with a brutal sledge hammer when he told the truth.
But how many players and coaches, speaking from behind a beer mug and looking over their shoulders as if they are committing a sin, would disagree with Campese when he says, “People don’t pay money to watch a referee blow his whistle. They want to see tries, not penalty goals. The way things are now, it’s a joke.”
Which of the people actively involved in rugby would give the current ruling system an unqualified thumbs-up?
Nobody. Nobody wants the ref to be the most powerful man on the field. Nobody, that is, except the men with the whistles in their mouths and the cards in their pockets and the scary voice of the TMO coming on the mic, saying “I’d like you to have a look at number 12, please, Sam.”
Right now, international rugby is at a crossroads.
It’s a ticking time bomb that is going to explode at any moment and the serious player-injuries highlights that. More and more players are collapsing with injuries or simply buckling under the pressure of playing test matches every week.
Rugby needs a lot of creative thinking, but the people who should be looking for solutions are merely giving referees more and more powers.
To be fair, Campese has always been the semi-obnoxious Aussie player (not quite at the level of Nic White) that we all know Aussies can be, but this time he has hit the nail on the head.
He adds: “I’m an old fart, I admit that, but I’ve always been outspoken, and I can’t say things are good if they are not.” Image source: @SkySports
