Rugby World Cup final referee Nigel Owens says that the television match official in rugby can be over-used.
The Welshman joined Off The Ball and Brian O'Driscoll on the line tonight to tell us exactly what it was like to referee rugby's biggest game, but also spoke about the use of technology in modern rugby.
"You can't referee a test match on your own any more. You need two assistant referees to support you and you need a good TMO and you need technology sometimes to get things that are humanly impossible for you to get right. So technology is here to stay," he said.
"What we have to do is we can't overuse it, we can't rely on it to get every decision in the game. We have to referee it ourselves and only use the technology when it's needed. There is no doubt that on occasions now, the TMO is over-used. We need to get better as a group of referees and officials in using that technology better."
He also had suggestions for better use of technology.
"I'd be all for changing the protocol and going for just try-line and then possibly a serious foul play and then having one captain's challenge for the game. I think that may work."
Owens also spoke about the difference captains can make to referees.
"There is no doubt that a good captain can make a difference especially with young referees coming through who are inexperienced, exactly the same way as young players getting their first cap or playing their first big game," he said, before telling Brian: "Yourself in Leinster and Ireland were a great captain as well, Paul O'Connell, a lot of other people in the world, who were great captains and great leaders."
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