Thoughtsofanidlemind's Blog

Tag: TMO

  • Paris and Toulouse in one rugby weekend

    This past weekend I travelled to Paris and Toulouse to be the TV Match Official (TMO) for two games in the opening round of the 2011-12 Heineken Cup campaign. First up was the game between Racing Metro 92 and Cardiff Blues in Stade Colombes on Friday night followed by a…

  • International rugby in Cesena

    The upheaval in the technology market over the last few weeks has made me remiss in terms of updating this blog with details of what’s been going on with rugby. Right now it’s an important time for the national teams who are scheduled to play in the Rugby World Cup…

  • Catalan triumph in Barcelona

    It’s been a big rugby weekend in Europe as the Heineken Cup quarter-finals were played in Ireland, England, and Spain. Despite Spain’s relatively low status in world rugby, it hosted two games, both moved from France. The Olympic stadium in Barcelona, where I was the TMO, was the location for…

  • Communications failure in Twickenham

    On March 13 I was back at Twickenham to be the TV Match Official (TMO) for the England v Scotland Six Nations game. This is the oldest international fixture and was first played in 1871, so there’s a bit of history and whenever the two teams come together you can…

  • TMO’ing Six Nations rugby in Twickers

    It’s been a while since I reported on rugby activities, so here goes. Saturday last (February 12) saw me at Twickenham, London for the England vs. Italy match in the RBS Six Nations championship. Whilst I have been the TMO for other internationals, this was my first Six Nations game…

  • Tales of the unproductive TMO

    I fear that I am the most unproductive TMO in rugby. The last six matches that I have been involved in have seen just one potential try decision referred to me (480 minutes for one decision, very low productivity). I guess I have been fortunate to work with referees such…

  • Cameras and the TMO

    Following on my post describing some of the challenges facing officials engaged in professional rugby, I received some notes asking me what kind of TV camera angles are available to a TMO when they are asked by a referee to give a decision about a try. I think the question is…

  • Travel challenges in professional refereeing

    Being part of the refereeing team that works professional matches sounds interesting to people who are fans of the different sports that support professional teams and it is truly wonderful and privileged to be a part of massive sporting events such as a Heineken Cup final. However, like most things…

  • Busy with rugby in Limerick and Scotland

    This time of year is a busy representative period for rugby in the Northern hemisphere as there are touring teams from New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Fiji, Argentina and Samoa visiting to play games against Ireland, England, France, Wales and Scotland. On Tuesday, November 18, I was at Thomond Park…

  • Games in Paris and Toulon

    I’ve just returned from a swing through France where I was the TV Match Official (TMO) for games in Paris (Stade Francais v Crociati Rugby in the Amlin Challenge Cup) and Toulon (Toulon v Ospreys in the Heineken Cup). These were the first matches for the teams in this season’s competitions.…