Rugby league chiefs in talks about making video ref calls clearer for fans

SUPER League is in talks with Sky about making fans inside grounds get a better view of what video referees are deciding.

The top flight now has an on-screen official at every match but at some stadia, supporters in attendance are left bemused at what they are looking for.

Rugby league’s head of referees Phil Bentham is speaking to Sky Sports about making on screen calls clearer for fans in stadiaSWPIX.COM

But the Rugby Football League’s head of referees Phil Bentham admits talks about making it better – and changing the way it looks after being left frustrated by the scoreline – are taking place.

He said: “I was at a game and I was going mad as I wanted to see what the video ref was doing and I couldn’t see it for the block at the bottom with the scores on.

“That’s been fed back to Sky as to whether or not they can change the way it looks on the screen. We’re also doing some work with Sky to try and improve the footage.

“If the video ref’s looking at the grounding, for example, and the image comes up on the screen, that’s a computer-generated image.

“Then when Sky flick to their main HD production, the footage is a little bit clearer, so we need to get that footage on to that.

“If you’re looking for whether there are fingers on the ball or not, that clarity of picture can make all the difference.”