Guinness Pro12
Lyn Jones frustrated by lack of TMO in Pro12
ESPN Staff
September 8, 2014
Lyn Jones is concerned about the lack of TMO © Getty Images
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Dragons coach Lyn Jones has expressed frustration the Guinness Pro12 does not have TMO (television match official) facilities at every game and believes it damages the league's credibility, reports the South Wales Argus.

Speaking in the wake of his side's 16-11 defeat to Connacht on Saturday, a fixture which was not televised and thus did not have retrospective television footage for crucial decisions, Jones argued that the Pro12 would "continue to play second fiddle to the Premiership" if such changes weren't made. In the Premiership, every game has TMO facilities.

Jones was aggrieved with a decision made by Italian referee Marius Mitrea, working on the advice of the touch judge, to deny lock Andrew Coombs a try for an apparent knock-on on the stroke of half-time, leaving the scores tied at 8-8. While there was a fumble in the build-up to the score, it was immediately clear to the Dragons management, watching on their laptops, that the ball had gone backwards.

"I think it's important for the credibility of the league that the TMOs are constant in matches," said Jones."We scored a perfectly good try which was disallowed and that was the difference in the game, while several decisions were coming in from one touch judge throughout. There's no TMO, there are no neutral touch judges and it just makes for a lottery."

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