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France’s television broadcaster of the Champions Cup responded to Bath boss Johan van Graan’s criticism of the television match official (TMO), saying “the video referee is the master of what he wants to see”.
Van Graan said incidents of foul play were missed during his side’s semi-final loss to Bordeaux-Bagles and called for more consistency in the replays shown by the officials.
He said they missed three incidents of head contact at Alfie Burberry in Bath, but the broadcaster said all the footage was shared correctly.
“The video referee is the master of what he wants to see, and these days he has access to every camera, every angle,” France Television rugby editor Cedric Beaudoux told AFP.
“Until he makes his decision, we leave him to see what he wants to see. It’s impossible to hide the footage.”
Van Graan admits his team is finished 38-26 loss But said “some things don’t pick up when you play away from home in France”.
European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), which organizes the tournament, has also defended the TMO and explained how video footage is used by video referees.
“The TMO intervention is conducted by television broadcast,” the EPCR told AFP.
“Two screens are used: one live, and the other with a five-second delay. This is identical for all EPCR matches.
“Each incident that the TMO wishes to study can be the subject of a formal review.”
The Champions Cup final will take place on May 23 with Bordeaux defending their title against Leinster.
