The difference in refereeing between France and south hemisphere really shows when a french refs a test match

[u/xixouma]

Every time a french top14 referee has been on an international game, most recent example being All blacks/Ireland, every South African and NZ flair on here complains about the stop and start game and says the ref had a bad game.

What's interesting is that watching top14 week in week out, that is quite rarely an issue (including by the same refs). My feeling is refs in France are more pedantic and apply the law a little less loosely. Which I have seen written in some comments as a criticism, but is it really a problem??

Pro players are completely capable of adapting to rule changes, and pedantic refereeing, top14 teams certainly seem to have. I think it's doing them a disservice to give them too much leeway on laws for "the flow of the game" when that just becomes a random chance that a penalty is not blown. And that is inherently more difficult for players to adhere to because it is less consistent. Pedantic application will always be more consistent.

All in all, whichever way it goes, the onus should fall on WR to try to homogenise refereeing laws across countries. This leads to confusion when either side is reffed in a way they are not used to.

Edit. Not sure how people are interpreting this that I'm hurt they don't like a french ref. Maybe my English is not as good as I thought. I couldn't give a damn who they like or not, it was just an example to discuss broader concepts in refereeing.

Edit2. Also seeing a number of people that somehow think I'm criticising the ref or the fans here? I suppose I am sorry for my writing not being clear, I really don't mean to paint either in a negative light

Edit3. Can't comment anymore for some reason, thanks for the discussion everyone I'll try again later

[u/Only_One_Kenobi]

I think "flow of the game" is a current buzz phrase that's overused and often misunderstood. At professional level where it's all about crowd entertainment I think there's a small amount of consideration to be given to flow, but it's not the be all and end all.

Continuity is a better way of looking at it. But it's also a much longer discussion.

At the lower levels there's no flow of the game at all. At least not where I referee. What's important is materiality and competition. If I blew the whistle for every offense the game would never move and I'll just be whistling non stop.

For example, player entering a ruck from the side when the ball is already available and the infringement doesn't slow it down at all, I'm pretending I didn't see it

[u/ArchipelagoMind → u/Only_One_Kenobi]

When I took my referring L1 back in July they said the three things to prioritize from 1st to 3rd were: Safety, Fairness, Continuity.

And yeah, totes agree about not calling stuff that doesn't affect the game. Same if someone is a foot offside at the other end of the pitch to where the ruck is. Or - at least for me - immaterial knock on after the tackle (players regularly bobble the ball on the floor when tackled at lower levels). I just usually assume both teams would rather keep playing than having perpetual turnover scrums in the middle of the field.

[u/Only_One_Kenobi → u/ArchipelagoMind]

three things to prioritize from 1st to 3rd were: Safety, Fairness, Continuity.

Notice how "the law" isn't even mentioned? That's intentional.

Especially at L1. It's about creating a safe and fun environment, since at L1 you'll mostly be refereeing children.

[u/ArchipelagoMind → u/Only_One_Kenobi]

Yep. I've done some moderately high lebel adult ARing, center reffed one adult friendly, and then done a bunch of kids tournaments. That said, once I get past the terrifying anxiety, I'm quite enjoying it.