World Cup refs 'three shithouse decisions per game' KPI a success
NEWSDESK: World Rugby officials revealed tournament referees are making more shithouse decisions than ever before - and this time it's by design.
Referees boss Dominic Blazer-Stain revealed RWC has tasked world cup referees with making three or more clearly shithouse decisions per game - with severe consequences for those that fall short.
"Our analysis shows three shithouse decisions per match drives the game forward, our refs are very clear on what's expected.
"Post-match reviews clearly identify which decisions have attained the shithouse bar. We support referees that are struggling through the TMO, as you saw in Ireland Japan."
In a sport notorious for endless fucking tinkering with the rules, World Rugby is now relying on its officials to leave fans angry and confused.
"The metrics show decisions sitting between crap and shithouse drive social media talkability, with massive spikes on Twitter. We only ask they use the '#shithousedesicionsrwc2019broughttoyoubysocietegenerale' tag.
"I mean, criticising referees is all Michael Cheika has got, personal-branding wise. Take that away and you're just left with a big forehead," said Blazer-Stain.
RWC are confident shithouse decisions will drive interest throughout the tournament. "As we progress, you're going to see player suspension for knockout matches become a factor, which will add real interest for fans," said Blazer-Stain.
Thanks for reading - Richard
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Selected weekend fixtures
Saturday night is the pick of the RWC this week, with England v Argentina on at 9pm, followed by Japan v Samoa at 11.30pm, it's all on Spark Sport
And before that, you can watch the Otago v Canterbury shield challenge at 7.35pm, it's on SKY
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