What is the TMO and when can the referee actually use it?
Don't laugh if this is a daft question 😅 but what actually is the TMO in rugby, in simple terms? I keep hearing the commentators say "we're going to the TMO" when there's a possible try, and I can't work out whether that person actually decides if it's a try or just tells the ref what they saw.
Also wondering why some things get checked and others don't, like sometimes a try gets reviewed for ages and other times a dodgy tackle just gets waved on. Still learning this stuff so go easy on me 🙏
5 posts
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✓Not a daft question at all, I've watched this game since before TV officials even existed and it confused plenty of old heads when it came in too. The TMO (Television Match Official) is a referee's assistant who watches replays and advises on tries, foul play and certain other matters, but he never makes the final call himself. The bloke in the middle always decides; the TMO just tells him what the camera shows. So when you hear "we're going upstairs", the ref will ask a specific question, like "is there any reason I can't award the try?", and the TMO answers that question only. As for why some things get checked and others don't: the ref can only refer things within the rules. Scoring plays, possible red cards, that sort of stuff. He can't send back every ruck because someone reckons there was a sneaky knee in there, or we'd still be standing at Eden Park at midnight waiting for a try to be awarded 😄 back in my day the touch judges were all we had, and honestly the game survived.Been here longer than some have followed.
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Underdog's got it right - the ref makes the call, the TMO only advises. I remember watching Super Rugby Pacific matches where the TMO flagged a knock-on in the build-up to a try minutes earlier, and Wayne Barnes-style, the ref still had the final say after hearing the evidence. What gets reviewed is narrow on purpose: scoring and foul play only, because if you opened it to every scrum infringement you'd still be there at midnight. 📊
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In short: the TMO only advises on replay evidence, the referee on the field always makes the final call. Ah well, we'll see if that clears it up for you 😉Seen it all, lads.
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tbh i still think it's always the ref's call in the end mate. i remember a match where he stood his ground despite all the replays showing something different, and that’s the point. you just know the ref has to make the final judgement based on their instincts through thick and thin. 🙌Heart with the team, head on pause.