During the Saracens vs Harlequins match, an incident involving a potential act of foul play against Owen Farrell was not reviewed by the Television Match Official (TMO), Stuart Terheege, leading to controversy. The incident, flagged by commentator Austin Healey on TNT Sports, was not acted upon, raising questions about the influence of match commentary on TMO decisions and player safety. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the Professional Game Match Officials Team (PGMOT) have since addressed the situation, with the RFU issuing a statement clarifying that the TMO had made a decision before the incident was raised by Healey and regretting that the conversation was broadcast as 'unusual and regrettable'. The RFU defended the integrity of their officiating and stated that TMOs do not actively listen or react to live commentary. Despite the controversy, the RFU has announced that it will not change the television match official protocols. The incident has sparked a debate on player safety and the decision-making process in rugby.
RFU statement: TMO reaction to alleged foul play against Owen Farrell. #SARvHAR #GallagherPrem #EnglandRugby Click below for more ⤵️ https://t.co/E0sWwhI7oA
RFU admits incident in which TMO appeared to ignore foul play because it had been raised by pundit Austin Healey was ‘unfortunate’, but will not change protocol @TimesSport https://t.co/85A5n2dikM
The RFU has defended the integrity of their officiating after what they described as the “unusual and regrettable” incident in the Saracens vs Harlequins game. It was alleged that the TMO heard commentator Austin Healey call out an act of foul play during the match. https://t.co/6QwfVmvuq5
The RFU will not change the television match official protocols after a “regrettable” incident in which a TMO appeared to ignore foul play because it had been raised by the pundit Austin Healey Read more ⬇️ https://t.co/RJQ4gjRDYN
RFU backs TMO after TV commentary ‘distracted’ him during Farrell decision https://t.co/QJ8mGtGjTB
The officiating body has denied that TMO Stuart Terheege’s decision not to review an incident further was influenced by co-commentator Austin Healey. https://t.co/F5phJtRICp
Massive can of words opened with this clumsy RFU statement but the burning question is… Why did the TMO request for the incident to be clipped up by the director if the RFU are saying he was happy with the on-field decision? https://t.co/6LGFfiW8Sc
The RFU's Match Officials Team apologized for the "unusual and regrettable" incident during Saracens vs Harlequins where the TMO appeared to ignore foul play. TMO Stuart Terheege was heard on TV opting not to show potential foul play, after it was noted by Austin Healey live. https://t.co/znJvUC2alz
Here is the full part of that section of the RFU statement ⬇️ https://t.co/IoaxWXAaOl https://t.co/X0Hab5myS6
📺 BREAKING: The RFU has issued a statement on the TMO confusion at the weekend. It says that the TMO has already made a decision before Austin raised the incident. The RFU says it was ‘regrettable’ the conversation was broadcast. However, “TMOs do not actively listen or react…
🚨 STATEMENT ON THE TMO AT SARACENS V HARLEQUINS 🚨 "The Professional Game Match Officials Team (PGMOT) regret that questions have been raised about player safety and decision-making. Match officials take player welfare incredibly seriously and it is their overriding priority.… https://t.co/EP5A9CKhVx
📺 The Saracens-Harlequins TMO incident from the weekend will be addressed by the relevant authorities. #GallagherPrem 🗞️ Full story below. 👇 https://t.co/gS5Hd4vKYl
A potential act of foul play on Owen Farrell appeared to go unchecked by the TMO during the Saracens v Harlequins match in order to avoid the impression he had been influenced by the match commentary 👀 Austin Healy flagged the off the ball hit on Farrell on TNT Sports, however… https://t.co/O4b14GSdOe