Rugby league legend Leon Pryce has called for a change to the “frustrating” video referee process in a passionate statement he’s released.
Recently, it’s his son Will who has been hitting the headlines after his return from the NRL and move to Hull FC, with the younger Pryce debuting in Saturday’s Challenge Cup tie between Hull FC and Hull KR.
The Robins progressed with a 32-16 win but saw two tries disallowed by the video referee whilst a number of other decisions were also referred to Ben Thaler on video referee duties.
Leon Pryce, who was among the 20,000-plus crowd at the MKM Stadium, took to social media during the game to bemoan the video referee process, before releasing a longer statement about how the process underlines the “whole point of a game” of rugby league.
Posting mid-match on X, Pryce said: “The amount of time the video ref take to make a decision – take whole ground knows that outcome after 1 look at it. It’s beyond me. It kills the game.”
Rugby league legend Leon Pryce calls for change to “frustrating” video referee process
Credit: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
Pryce was referring to Tyrone May’s disallowed try, which Chris Kendall had sent up as ‘No Try’, however, from that point onwards, it took 1 minute and 45 seconds for Thaler to give his verdict despite what seemed fairly conclusive evidence to support the on-field referee’s decision from the first replay.
Over two minutes had elapsed before play resumed, by which point both teams had utilised the time to regroup and recover, something which Pryce claims removes a key element of rugby league.
Posting a statement on X on Sunday morning, which he captioned: “I’ve thought this for a long time. Keep the game flowing. Make decisions faster please,” he outlined his frustrations and demanded a change to the video referee process.
Pryce argued: “The whole point of a game of rugby, at any level, is to see which team tires first. When fatigue sets in, that’s when mistakes happen and tries are scored.
“Taking five minutes to make a decision at the video referee slows the game down unnecessarily – especially when it’s clear from the very first replay what has happened. It’s frustrating as a fan to sit through a three-to-five minute delay when the outcome is obvious.”
He would conceded: “Yes, of course, some decisions require a more detailed review. But we must do everything we can to keep the game flowing. These longer pauses give both teams time to recover, which takes away from the intensity and momentum of the match.
“Just speaking as a fan of the game – we need to do better.”
It’s hard to disagree with Pryce given that one of the major appeals of rugby league is the fast-flowing nature and the constant stop-start aspect of the video referee certainly takes from that.
The addition of a captain’s challenge has also added to the review process, which is far from seamless, and consequently means games are taking longer to complete than ever before.
I’ve thought this for a long time. Keep the game flowing. Make decisions faster please. pic.twitter.com/BClm2jKkwv
— Leon Pryce (@leonpryce6) April 6, 2025
