Social Media and Rugby
The relationship between rugby players and officials has always been strong. Whether the decision made by the referee is wrong, the players still show huge respect by letting the game continue without fuss. Furthermore, the referees retain complete respect from coaches, pundits and fans as they know they are working under pressure and they don't have many viewpoints available to them like a TV broadcaster does. Another aspect of a referee that sees them earn respect is the way they discuss with the players why they made a certain decision. So how can the relationship between rugby players and officials improve further?
One way which this could be developed is the use of social media websites such as Twitter which was launched in 2006 and has over 300 million users as of June 2011. Unlike Facebook, Twitter could be perceived as a more formal social network service due to the content that is posted and the particular people which use it. Users not only use it to talk to one another but also for plugging of a certain event and breaking of the latest news around the world.
Last month, Ospreys Director of Coaching Scott Johnson slated Welsh official Nigel Owens for the use of Twitter as he was talking to opposition players before their game against the Scarlets. In most cases, referees talking to players is always going to be tricky as the referee may then be biased towards a player or team. But what's wrong with referees from just having a normal conversation with a player? As long as the topic of choice isn't something which will create controversy then there shouldn't be any harm in what Owens is doing. Obviously, he needs to take responsibility for what he is tweeting but if what he is doing is helping players understand why he has made a certain decision in a game then surely it will only improve the relationship between players and officials. A few days after Johnson's outburst, Scarlet's fly half Rhys Priestland leapt to his defence saying that people were making too much of a fuss over Owens actions. Being a referee, you need to show professionalism towards everyone and make the best decisions on what you yourself have seen as well as putting your social life to one side and not letting it distract you from your job. As Owens hasn't made any dubious decisions of late, it is evident that he doesn't let his personal life cloud his judgement when on the pitch.
To conclude this small piece, the press and rugby coaches seem to be taking this sort of thing way out of context as there is no harm in referees and players having light hearted conversation between each other. The way I see it, the players and referees can, to an extent, have a laugh and joke off the field but when they step onto the pitch, that's where the fun and games stop and they play their rugby with total respect and professionalism for each other.
