Former Irish rugby international Stephen Ferris has slammed the current state of the sport, calling it "broken" due to poor officiating and the lengthy duration of games. The 35-cap Ireland veteran was visibly frustrated during their 24-13 defeat to South Africa, watching in dismay as referee Matthew Carley handed out five yellow cards to the hosts.
The stop-start nature of the game, with multiple stoppages in play for infringements at scrum-time and penalties, left Ferris feeling that rugby had become a "mess". He believes that if a more experienced referee like Nigel Owens was in charge, the game would have been handled differently, leading to more free-flowing rugby.
Ferris's comments echo those of other players and coaches who have expressed frustration with the current officiating standards. The former Ireland international feels that World Rugby needs an urgent review to address the issues plaguing the sport, particularly with regards to the length of games.
The 24-13 defeat to South Africa was a disappointing result for Ireland, who finished the Autumn Nations Series with two wins and two losses. Ferris believes that his side still has a good chance of winning the Six Nations title, but is aware that other teams like France and England are currently in better shape to challenge.
Ireland will face holders France in their opening game of the Six Nations in Paris, with Ferris admitting that he is worried about getting off to a negative start. The former international has been there himself, experiencing difficulties when starting a tournament campaign on the back foot.
The stop-start nature of the game, with multiple stoppages in play for infringements at scrum-time and penalties, left Ferris feeling that rugby had become a "mess". He believes that if a more experienced referee like Nigel Owens was in charge, the game would have been handled differently, leading to more free-flowing rugby.
Ferris's comments echo those of other players and coaches who have expressed frustration with the current officiating standards. The former Ireland international feels that World Rugby needs an urgent review to address the issues plaguing the sport, particularly with regards to the length of games.
The 24-13 defeat to South Africa was a disappointing result for Ireland, who finished the Autumn Nations Series with two wins and two losses. Ferris believes that his side still has a good chance of winning the Six Nations title, but is aware that other teams like France and England are currently in better shape to challenge.
Ireland will face holders France in their opening game of the Six Nations in Paris, with Ferris admitting that he is worried about getting off to a negative start. The former international has been there himself, experiencing difficulties when starting a tournament campaign on the back foot.
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It's like they're trying to slow down the game on purpose! 5 yellow cards? That's crazy talk! 
At least he'd have kept the game flowing... what a shame that Ireland lost those points 
! It's like they're not even trying anymore. Five yellow cards in one game? What's going on?! 
The constant stop-start nature of the game is killing me, it's like they're more focused on penalizing players than actually playing the game 
. I'm surprised Stephen Ferris wasn't completely lost his mind out there! 
. We need some experienced refs who can handle the pressure and get the game moving again. It's not just about rugby, it's about sports in general - how can we expect our athletes to perform when they're being dictated by a bunch of yellow cards? 
. But if they start off slow against France, it's gonna be tough to catch up 
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it's like the game is being played by robots or something 
seriously though, 45 mins of stoppage time? that's just not right 
we need more experienced refs like nigel owens to bring some sense to the game 
and ferris makes a valid point about world rugby needing a review ASAP 
. And don't even get me started on the stoppages in play, it's like they're trying to make the game last forever 
. I'm a big fan of Ireland and I'm worried about this tournament, but at least we've got some good players 
. We just need to bounce back from that last game and get our mojo back 
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. World Rugby needs to step up their officiating game ASAP 
. And you know what really grinds my gears? It's not just the refereeing, it's the length of games too... who thought 80 minutes was a good amount of time for athletes to be running around in the cold and heat? 
. And starting on the back foot is never ideal... let's hope they can get off to a strong start 
i dont blame him, i was watchin that game and it was like stop start all day lol the ref was all over the place 
nigel owens wouldve sorted that out in a heartbeat 
ferris is right tho, world rugby needs to step up their game ASAP 