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Greg Growden Chief Rugby Correspondent | May 23, 2009
AUSTRALIAN officials are considering following American football in having their Super 14 referees "miked up" so they can announce their decisions to the crowd.
A common complaint in rugby is that spectators at major games are often bamboozled by the referee's decisions, with some of the hand signals proving vague or confusing. Coaches and players are also often at a loss to know why their team has been penalised.
To overcome that, the Australian Rugby Union is considering trialling referees wearing microphones that are connected to the ground's public address system. When a referee awards a penalty, he would then explain to the crowd exactly why.
ARU deputy chief executive Matt Carroll said the proposal was among a list of innovations SANZAR officials recently discussed in a bid to improve the game.
"We've been kicking around some ideas for Super Rugby, and what technology we can bring to bear," Carroll said. "I just thought that the NFL having the referees explaining the decisions looks good. You do have these dead spots when the referee has made his decision, and you can see all the thought bubbles in the crowd, where spectators are wondering, 'What was that about?'
"It's something that you would trial, and see what the fans think. If the fans hate it, there's no point doing it. If they are attracted to it, then it's something we might do."
Meanwhile, the Queensland Rugby Union might openly oppose the proposed fifth Australian Super team being based on the Gold Coast, but their NSW counterparts are adopting a wait-and-see approach on the side possibly being located in their backyard - western Sydney.
QRU officials are pushing Melbourne as the best venue for the 15th team from 2011, believing that a Gold Coast side would cannibalise the Queensland rugby market.
The Waratahs will have a similar problem if SANZAR opts to place the fifth Australian team in western Sydney. But NSW Rugby Union chairman Edwin Zemancheff said yesterday it was not yet time to either support or condemn a second team being based in Sydney.
"We support the SANZAR expansion, because more rugby is critical not only to NSW but Australian Rugby generally. But at this stage we're not making any comment [on the fifth team's location], because we want to see a bit more detail," Zemancheff said yesterday.
"When that happens then we can think a bit more deeply about it. We're not saying: 'Absolutely no way another team should be in our backyard,' because I think that's the wrong approach. Instead it is important to step back, wait and see the detail, and then look at it objectively.
"We could argue both ways. Let's say the team is in Parramatta. You can argue it's good for the code because it attracts more people and players, therefore more exposure, sponsors and members. There is the counter argument that it might detract from all of those things."
Zemancheff said the Waratahs would conduct a review of their Super 14 season, and that it would be reasonably positive. "We have a culture of excellence at the Waratahs," he said. "We had high expectations for 2009, and the bottom line is that we fell short. It doesn't matter whether you fall short by an inch or a mile. We still fell short.
"There were still some real positives which came out of this year, including beating four out of the five New Zealand teams. But for me the biggest success we had this year has been the commitment shown by so many of the players re-signing with the Waratahs.
"Many of those guys had options to go to other provinces and offshore for more money, and most have decided to stay because they've got unfinished business. That's a really positive sign."
While the SANZAR expansion in 2011 will improve the Waratahs' finances, primarily through more home derbies, life until then will be difficult.
Zemancheff said: "We will have one less home game, and are already putting in plans and strategies to try and cushion what will continue to be a tough environment to operate in."
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