All Bates wants is a bit more clarity

Dec 31 2009 by Nick Purewal, The Journal

FOR Steve Bates the turn of the year carries no monumental Newcastle Falcons resolutions, just the vain hope the powers-that-be can nail down refereeing interpretation.

Rugby director Bates is well aware there is much to improve at Kingston Park, but he considers his squad and his coaching team very much on the right track, or at the very least heading in the right direction.

If only the same could be said for the referees and the lawmakers, then former England and Wasps scrum-half Bates would see in the New Year a fairly satisfied man.

Every year every coach calls for consistency from the referees, but even putting that sentiment aside, what Bates has to say on the subject still makes perfect and cogent sense.

The new tackle laws and their vagueness have been the subject of endless discussion so far this term, and while there are those who understandably challenge teams to ignore the vagaries and attack, attack, attack, there is still a tangible problem to be resolved.

Of course the neutral would love to see attack-from-anywhere flair rugby at all times, but it is not hard to sympathise with the more pragmatic approach provided it yields net gain.

Newcastle’s recent 25-13 Gloucester defeat at Kingsholm offers a microcosm of the problem, especially when Bates explained the post-match debrief with the refereeing assessors. Coaches of both sides have open dialogue with the referee bosses after each Premiership game, and that is to be praised for its openness, but of course sometimes the system also highlights potential sticking points, as Bates explained.