‘Get rid of it out of our game’: Sir Steve Hansen wants major changes to rugby rules

Former All Blacks and Rugby World Cup winning coach Sir Steve Hansen is calling for the TMO to be scrapped, claiming fans are being turned away in their droves by the game being refereed in replay.

Hansen has blasted the rules of the game and the way they are being officiated after a stop-start Rugby World Cup final won by the Springboks 12-11 over the All Blacks.

But Hansen was quick to point out, when speaking on Sky Sport’s The Breakdown, that the referee in charge of the final, Wayne Barnes, was not the problem, despite being the one who was copping the majority of the flak.

“Gone are the days when the referee has control of the game in rugby,” Hansen said.

He felt even Barnes was getting frustrated himself with the stop-start nature of the final and said referees are no longer getting a fair crack.

“The problem is the way that we’re controlling the game, it’s being refereed in replay.”

Hansen said rugby can learn a lot from the way rugby league is using its bunker.

“It’s time to sack the TMO, get rid of it out of our game, other than when the referee asks ‘is there any reason why I can’t award this try or is there any reason why I should award this try’,” Hansen told The Breakdown.

Hansen said the result of that was a stop-start game with no flow that fans were gettin