While lecturing on a coaching course last weekend, I mentioned that part of my PhD was researching referee decision-making accuracy. The room of 50 coaches erupted in pantomime boos. It was an interesting response that, in a way, highlights rugby’s relationship with the referee. That reaction, part jest, showed how deeply referees have become embedded in the game. This reality has never been more apparent than in the current Lions tour, where the men in the middle are under immense pressure to get things right. Last weekend showed that there was a gulf in class between the British & Irish Lions and Australia. The Lions dominated the…

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