Owen Doyle: Video of Furlong looked damning but no clear evidence of testicle-grabbing

Judgment at Nuremberg dates back to 1961, yet remains a most compelling movie, starring the impeccable Spencer Tracy. It speaks to the difficulties and responsibilities facing judges in arriving at a just, fair verdict. The old adage still holds true, “never second guess a judge”.The judicial tribunal hearing Tadhg Furlong’s case undoubtedly faced a very tricky assignment. It took the guts of a full working day before they dismissed the charge, and the Leinster player was free to go. Irrespective of what the final written judgment will say, it’s unlikely that we will hear the full detail of everything which transpired.While the video of Furlong’s action on Gavin Coombes looked damning, nobody could actually see whether or not there was testicle-grabbing. There has been some criticism of citing commissioner, Peter Ferguson, for levelling the charge in the first place. Not so; once he saw what we’ve all seen, he would have been negligent not to cite. Neither should Coombes be criticised.One potential defence would have been for Furlong to deny the charge, and to state that any contact was inadvertent and completely unintentional. Without clear evidence to the contrary, and putting aside the emotion involved, the tribunal would have found it hard to convict; a verdict which may well have seen everybody heading to the Four Courts.READ MOREAlso, despite the commentary coming out of South Africa, it was different from the Jan-Hendrik Wessels incident, where Connacht’s Josh Murphy was red carded for his immediate retaliation in whacking the Bulls’ player. On that alone, the probability that something nasty occurred seemed beyond reasonable doubt, which in Furlong’s case it wasn’t. Murphy’s reaction – what all of us would have done – was later adjudicated not to have reached the threshold for red, which was rescinded.Connacht's Josh Murphy leaves the field having received a 20-minute red card against the Bulls last October. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho As for this most recent incident, perhaps some good can come out of it all. On health and safety grounds, there is a strong case for specifically outlawing the practice of putting an arm between an opponents legs, in proximity to the groin region, in an effort to lift or destabilise the player. It’s a clearing out technique which the game does not need.It was a miserable day for the provinces, apart from Leinster who demolished Connacht in front of a silenced Dexcom crowd. Munster and Ulster also lost, and neither ever looked like winning. These two matches showed us a contrast in refereeing styles, one good, one definitely not.For whatever reason, the URC persist with Scottish referee Sam Grove-White. I’d hoped for improvement, but that was in vain. Much of his scrum chat was difficult to understand, and he was far too verbose throughout. Other issues included overlong delay before calling knock-on advantage “over,” and positioning. Referee Sam Grove-White during the URC clash between Ulster and DHL Stormers. Photograph: Steve Haag Sports/EJ Langner/Inpho He managed to get himself stranded infield as Ulster’s Mathew Devine drove for the line; it resulted in a ridiculously lengthy delay – just on three minutes – before a try was ruled out by the TMO, the inexperienced Ru Campbell, with no help from the referee. Campbell had reffed Ulster’s previous match, against the Bulls, in a very tight encounter. These two referee performances will receive a lot of scrutiny from the head coaches, undoubtedly filling the in-tray of Tappe Henning, URC referee manager.There seemed to be a lot of genuine confusion among players in both matches. With only about 15 minutes left Grove-White told Stormers’ captain Ruhan Nel that he didn’t need five players screaming at him for decisions. Nel was expecting a penalty, but the referee was happy to tell him that there wouldn’t be a sanction.With the URC hell-bent on total neutrality, and with only two teams from Scotland in the competition, there are more opportunities for their referees than for Welsh or Irish officials. Ireland’s top two are regular appointees which leaves slim pickings for other referees who aspire to reach the top – one or two of them may never get the opportunity.And just how neutral was Andy Brace’s selection for the recent Leinster v Munster match? Well, it wasn’t. Brace is from Limerick, and the appointment of same-province referees for this particular derby has never worked, although this time Leinster’s dominance ensured that there was no controversy. It is a match with a lot of history, described by Nigel Owens as one of the most difficult – if ever a fixture needs neutrality then this is it.Referee Andrew Brace overseeing Leinster v Munster at the Aviva Stadium. Photo: Ben Brady/Inpho In 2019, former Leicester and Munster player Frank Murphy had charge of it. A bruising Thomond Park encounter was not a good or enjoyable afternoon for the referee, who also had quite the run-in with Johnny Sexton.Nobody had learned from the 2014 version, when former Leinster player and World Cup final referee Alain Rolland stepped in at the 11th hour for the injured Pascale Gaüzère. It was an appointment welcomed and agreed by both coaches. But Munster lost, and then their coach Rob Penney lost the plot, going overboard in a scathing, unacceptable report. More proof that this fixture truly raises the blood.However, all was not gloom and doom on the referee front over the weekend. Munster v Sharks saw Wales’ Ben Connor putting in a performance far beyond his years – he is only 23. Of course he is not yet the complete package, but he handled the match calmly, only speaking when necessary, and politely ensuring no debates. With both teams appearing to buy into his approach, Connor can be pleased with his evening’s work. In 2024 he became the youngest referee ever in the competition, and this was only his ninth URC match. Meanwhile Grove-White, astonishingly, has had charge of 65. It’s probably enough.