‘Most ridiculous decision’: Waugh slams Super Rugby criticism from referee behind infamous Bledisloe call

3 weeks ago 3

Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh has slammed ex-referee Mathieu Raynal – the man behind the infamous time-wasting call in the 2022 Bledisloe Cup – after the Frenchman criticised Super Rugby for being obsessed with speed and its failure to attract crowds.

Four years ago, Raynal controversially penalised Wallabies five-eighth Bernard Foley for wasting time in the dying moments of a Bledisloe Cup clash in Melbourne. The Wallabies were leading 37-34 and the resulting New Zealand scrum led to Jordie Barrett scoring the match-winning try.

Raynal, who is now the head of referees in France, told Sud Radio in France on Monday Super Rugby’s emphasis on speeding up the game comes at the cost of player safety. His comments came in response to Super Rugby announcing several law variations designed to increase the tempo of the game in the upcoming season and to make it more attractive to watch.

“They [the Southern Hemisphere] want more passing, more tries, less time spent in mauls and scrums,” Raynal said.

“Whereas we [the Northern Hemisphere] defend these specific elements and are against directions being set by the Southern Hemisphere. Our championship works, our stadiums are full, rugby is more watched than football in the country.

“We don’t want to follow directions coming from countries where stadiums are empty, where they are trying to recreate spectacle and bring people back to stadiums at any cost, even if it means sacrificing fairness and the principle of player safety.”

Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh.

Speaking at the launch of the Super Rugby season in Auckland on Wednesday, Waugh firmly rejected Raynal’s criticism and, alluding to the irony of him now arguing against speeding up rugby, said the former whistleblower was responsible for “one of the most ridiculous refereeing decisions in the history of the Bledisloe Cup”.

Waugh said Super Rugby has been the premier domestic competition in the world since its launch in 1996.

“And then how that plays through with the Southern Hemisphere, winning nine out of 10 Rugby World Cups, you can’t win World Cups without having a really strong domestic league underneath it,” Waugh said.

“We’ll continue to evolve in our market. We know we’ve got the most congested market, we’re the canary in the coal mine. We’re here in the Southern Hemisphere, and we’ll continue to challenge to make the game better. And, you know, interesting comments from a guy who probably [has] one of the most ridiculous refereeing decisions in the history of the Bledisloe Cup.”

Mathieu Raynal caused drama with his time-wasting call in 2022.

Raynal came under heavy criticism in 2022 after penalising Foley for time-wasting, which is rarely seen in professional rugby. Tim Horan and Morgan Turinui both labelled it a “disgraceful decision” and said Raynal “cracked under pressure”.

Raynal was heard to tell stand-in captain Nic White post-game that the referee shouldn’t have been tested.

“You just run the time. And you know exactly ... if you think I am not capable to give a scrum and turn over ball, you make a mistake. So now you know it,” Raynal said.

Meanwhile, a noticeable absentee from the competition launch was Waratahs back-rower Angus Scott-Young, who was originally meant to represent NSW alongside fellow Super Rugby players, including Reds captain Fraser McReight, before being pulled out of the event. In a statement, the Waratahs said it was in the best interests of Scott-Young to remain in Sydney.

Super Rugby law variations 2026

It will no longer be mandatory for the referee to issue a yellow or red card to a player on the defending team when awarding a penalty try. Any sanction will be at the discretion of the referee (Law 8.3)
Accidental offsides and teams delaying playing the ball away from a ruck will result in free kicks rather than scrums (Law 10.5 and Law 15.17)
After the referee has called “use it” at the ruck, no additional players from the team in possession may join the ruck (Law 15.17)
Teams will be permitted to pass the ball back into their half before kicking a 50:22 (Law 18.8a)
Players will be allowed to take quick taps within one metre either side of the of the mark, or anywhere behind the mark, if they are within that two-metre channel running parallel to the touchlines. (Law 20.2).
The TMO will only intervene unprompted if the referee has overlooked an act of serious foul play (yellow card level or above), or a clear and obvious infringement leading to a try.

Scott-Young suffered from a fractured eye socket after being involved in a pre-season punch-up with Waratahs lock Miles Amatosero, who was served with a four-match suspension.

Subject to successful completion of counselling and education programs, Amatosero will ultimately miss two trial matches against the Reds and Brumbies.

Rugby Australia and the Waratahs led an investigation into the incident and Waugh has defended the length of Amatosero’s suspension and the handling of the incident.

“The teams run a very thorough process, and we’re hoping we can manage through the next little period and then the Waratahs hit the first game in good form and with good momentum and, you know, clearly culturally it’s the most important part,” Waugh said.

“I’ve always got a good relationship with the players and, you know, the door’s always open [to Amatosero and Scott-Young], if there’s any, you know, comments or questions throughout the process.”

Young forward Eamon Doyle was the late replacement for Scott-Young on Wednesday and is yet to make his debut in Super Rugby. The Sydney University player found out he was travelling to Auckland to replace Scott-Young hours before his flight on Tuesday.

In a statement to this masthead, the Waratahs explained the late withdrawal of Scott-Young to the launch event.

“The NSW Waratahs decided it was in Angus’ best interests to remain with the squad in Sydney,” it said.

Doyle was managing an injury, so was not on the field when Amatosero and Scott-Young clashed in pre-season, but confirmed the incident was still being managed by the Waratahs and the playing group.

“We’ve always got the leaders in the group, and we’ve got the coaches who provide the network for both players, at the day, it’s just up to Angus and Miles, to come to terms with it,” Doyle said.

“They’ll move on and put the team first, because obviously, we don’t want any more negative impact on the team.”