Hansen calls for referee ‘transparency’

Steve Hansen has urged World Rugby to improve communication around refereeing decisions and make officials more accessible to the rugby public.

The former All Blacks coach’s comments follow criticism of Andrea Piardi’s performance in the Wallabies’ 42-38 win against the Springboks in Perth, during which the Italian referee showed four yellow cards to Australian players in the last 12 minutes.

Former Wallabies captain Michael Hooper subsequently suggested Piardi should not referee Australia again, arguing that such a decision would also protect the official following previous contentious Tests involving the Wallabies.

MORE: Ex-Wallabies captain calls for ref ban

Speaking on the Rugby Unity podcast, Hansen agreed that greater consideration should be given to referee appointments but believes the wider issue lies with World Rugby.

“We need more transparency. More understanding of the why and the how, and more communication,” Hansen said.

“There’s not enough ability to communicate with the referees and build relationships. It’s really hard to bag someone you like – you don’t see too many people doing that. But it’s hard to like someone that you don’t know.”

ALSO: Hansen, Mallett slam ‘Please call me’ scenes

Hansen also argued that rugby’s laws leave too much room for interpretation, making consistency difficult for officials.

“We are asking these guys to do probably the hardest thing in the game because the rules have got so much ambiguity around them,” he said. “They’re so inconsistent; the rules I’m talking about, not the refs.

“So that creates inconsistent referee decision-making within one game from one ref to the next ref. Now that’s not their fault. That’s because of how our game laws are set up.”

PLUS: URC coaches urged to talk to refs

Hansen believes the lack of communication has contributed to a public perception that referees escape scrutiny.

“I think there is a sense among some people that they are protected because of that lack of communication and that lack of transparency, and they’re not,” he said.

“But it starts at the top. It starts with World Rugby, and they have to be held accountable for that, not the referees.”

Photo: Janelle St Pierre/Getty Images