21 Sep 2015

Hansen says refs will "sort out" TMO use

8:26 am on 21 September 2015

The All Blacks coach Steve Hansen says he doesn't think the heavy reliance on the Television Match Official in the early Rugby World Cup games is a trend that will continue.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen Photo: PhotoSport

England's opening win over Fiji at Twickenham took 102 minutes to complete, with the South African referee, Jaco Peyper, using the TMO on several occasions.

The most notable was when Nikola Matawalu was awarded a try after a stunning run in the first half, before Peyper called on the TMO when the replay on the stadium's big screen showed him losing the ball on the line.

There were also a number of stoppages to check for foul play, leading many in the media and those watching at home to complain about the slow pace of the game.

When asked about the situation at Wembley Stadium this morning, Hansen was reluctant to criticise the officiating after deflecting questions about the refereeing in the tournament yesterday.

"Someone tried to pass me a shotgun yesterday and there's no point trying to pass me another one today about the TMO stuff," he told reporters.

However he suggested that because it's the first time Hawkeye technology has been used in a test match, may have been the reason TV footage was relied on so heavily.

"There's no point me jumping in on it, they'll sort it out.

"They've obviously got a new toy that they're playing with, the Hawkeye, and people are a bit excited about it, but it will come back."