NEW head of referees, Phil Bentham, has hinted that the captain’s challenge could come into fruition for the 2025 Super League season.
The ruling has been in place in the NRL for a decade, but Super League has been unable to follow suit due to the lack of TV coverage for all top flight games.
Now Bentham, who took on the refereeing role earlier this year, has revealed why the captain’s challenge works.
“You can’t have a captain’s challenge when four games are not on telly because the competition is really really unfair then,” Bentham said on BBC 5 Live.
“Now we’ve got it, we’ve got to use it to the best ability and everybody seems to love the concept of a captain’s challenge.
Even from a ref’s point of view, it’s great because if you come off the field and you’ve not been challenged on something you can say, ‘Well none of the players even spotted it, how’d you expect me to spot it?’
“Sometimes, even the player involved in the tackle doesn’t even know that he’s lost the ball as opposed to it being stolen. So it works both ways and it’ll be a great addition.”
Bentham also admitted that letting the video referee have a look at a try whilst a conversion is being set up, rather than pausing the entire game, is in consideration.
“It’s a brilliant idea that we are already looking at for next year. If we just give a try and then whilst they’re setting up for a conversion, we can have a quick look,” the former referee continued.
“If everything’s clear it’s clear, if it’s not then we’ll pause the conversion and we’ll traditionally go to the video or have to make a decision.
“That’s got to be better, it’s better timewise and allows fans to celebrate. When the referee points for the try, it’s much more exciting than him going to the screen, isn’t it.
“Both that and the captain’s challenge will definitely work and it’s a work in progress for us ready for next season.
“If I’d been in the job earlier, I’d have probably done it for this season if I’m honest. But we can’t change it halfway through, unfortunately.”
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