TMO

The tiny smattering of applause that greeted them heralded the start of the New Zealand rugby season, so for all of Queenstown's picturesque beauty, the cameras couldn't for one second hide the fact that Super Rugby Pacific was being held at a ground usually used by teams made up of local farmhands and tradesmen (especially since they set a couple up in the miniscule changing rooms).

Williams, the TMO for both Super Rugby Aotearoa round 3 matches in Christchurch and Auckland, came under public scrutiny for botched decisions in the games between the Crusaders and Chiefs last Saturday night and the Blues and Highlanders the following day.

Despite the mistakes, Williams will still referee the blockbuster game between the Blues and Crusaders in Auckland on Sunday afternoon.

Williams played a lead role in the high-profile errors in round 3 of SRA.

Neville was serving as the television match official in England’s win over France at Twickenham on Saturday. She played a major role in the outcome of the match by overturning referee Andrew Brace’s no try decision in the final minutes of the match and awarding Maro Itoje a try. This is a decision that many people have viewed as the right call.

General Manager of Rugby Brian Hopley says it will assist with the referees’ decisions and improve the game.

The efforts by SRU are spearheaded by their Match Officials pathway coordinator, Anae Tui Komiti and National Analyst, Hari Junior Narayan whose goal is to make the dream a reality.

“This is a tool that will be available for coaches for post-game analysis. It will help with the review of players performances for entry into the High Performance Unit, Samoa A, Under 20’s, Manu Sevens, Samoa 10’s and possibly Manu Samoa,” said Mr. Hopley.