The eyes have it, but in this case they didn’t

But Naas Botha wasn’t sold on the idea at the time, saying that the two touch judges are just as capable at assisting a solitary referee as one on-field ref would be to another. In fact, he was asking why we need two pairs of eyes if we already have three pairs fixated on the action at all times.

So Naas got his wish and we stayed with one ref, armed with two men on the sidelines whose titles have been upgraded to that of assistant referees nowadays, who of course don’t have the authority to stop play, but can consult with the ref or bring something to his attention during a break in play.

Fast forward through the years and rugby now have the luxury of four pairs of eyes if you include the TMO, whose duties have also been bumped up significantly from the initial days of Shaun Veldsman’s familiar one-liner: ‘’You may award the try.’’ With referee Mike Fraser in charge, assisted by fellow New Zealander Jamie Nutbrown and South Africa’s Stuart Berry and another local in Willie Vos behind the television monitor, one didn’t expect the eight eyes they possess between them would miss any piece of the action when the Lions took on the Reds in a Super Rugby match at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Well, if they missed a sneaky punch somewhere in a ruck or cleverly disguised bag-snatching under a pile of bodies I would have excused them. But what the foursome missed was plainly and simply shocking. During a move in the first half, Reds flyhalf Quade Cooper tries to decapitate Lions scrummie Faf de Klerk without even attempting to use his arms in the hit, while Reds winger Izaia Perese also blatantly crashes into Lions prop Jacques van Rooyen neglecting to use his upper limbs.

But no, Fraser didn’t see anything, neither did Nutbrown, Berry or Vos. Unbelievable. In my book officials need to watch play, in other words where the ball is going. That is why I forgive them when they miss off-the-ball stuff when okes start misbehaving in a ruck. But when you miss a massive infringement of the law – two in fact – that happen right in the path of the ball, you’re are either completely incompetent or your eyesight is failing.

I will be as considerate as to allow a Steve Smith-like “brain fade’’ from the ref, but the moment play stopped both his assistants and TMO should have been in his ear about the incidents. Especially after De Klerk stayed down so long after the collision.

Do you really mean to tell me while during this break, not one of the assistants could have even queried anything with the ref? Shocking. Yes, karma did catch up with Cooper in the second half when he was red-carded for his neck-high tackle on Rohan Janse van Rensburg, but in the very same move the officials miss a spear tackle from Perese on Elton Jantjies.

So ja, as always, Naas was right. Seven guys running around with whistles won’t help if not one can see properly