The France Incident Fuels Calls for a Rugby captain’s Challenge
The recent Rugby World Cup quarter-final saw Ireland captain Sam Monaghan make an in-game appeal regarding a concerning incident, but further protest risked jeopardizing her team’s position with officials in a tightly contested match decided by just five points. This situation has reignited the debate surrounding the potential reintroduction of a captain’s challenge system in rugby.
While refereeing in rugby is valued for its human element - laws open to interpretation allowing for a fluid game – human fallibility inevitably leads to missed calls. Drawing parallels with successful implementations in the NRL and NRLW, the author, Alice Soper, argues a captain’s challenge could strengthen the relationship between players and referees, shifting focus from contentious decisions to the game itself.
A previous trial of a “captain’s referral” in Super Rugby aotearoa in 2021 proved unsuccessful.The system allowed challenges on infringements from the last restart of play until a try was scored, or on suspected foul play, with an open challenge period in the final five minutes. This broad scope led to excessive challenges, often perceived as cynical, and ultimately slowed the game’s pace.
Soper proposes a revised system modeled more closely on rugby league. She advocates for a single challenge per game, retained if successful, limited to decisions leading to structured restarts like scrums or penalties, and unavailable when advantage is being played. This tighter control, she believes, would strike a balance between game speed and fairness.
Had such a system been in place, Monaghan could have immediately challenged the play that resulted in a penalty for Ireland, potentially allowing referees to review the footage and identify the incident as it occurred. The author contends that this review could have altered the outcome of the quarter-final, potentially securing Ireland’s place in the semi-final.
Ultimately, soper emphasizes that referees are performing to the best of their ability, and a collaborative approach through a well-defined captain’s challenge could benefit the sport as a whole.
Alice Soper is a sports columnist for the Herald on Sunday. A former provincial rugby player and current club coach, she focuses on stories within the growing landscape of women’s sports.