No argument from me. The stay down / acting is a blight on the game. We've seen it in recent years with the crusher crackdown. If a player gets into an awkward position they will stay down holding the back of their neck often with eyes darting about seeing if the ref is paying any attention. If not they will jump up and rejoin the line. Of course the player also knows any delay ensures the bunker has a look and will call a penalty.
While refs are often maligned I still believe if given the appropriate direction and responsibility they get the calls right more often than not. (Certainly are right a lot more than the idiots in the tv boxes who howl at the moon if their team is on the receiving end)
Refs also have a better feel for what is happening on the ground and we often see "milking" calls and the player has to quickly stop the acting!!
I think things will settle down and there is no doubt some players will just have to change the way they live on the edge, (accidents will always happen and playing a player down at some stage may become just part of the game(!?) We do, however need to get rid of these late after the fact directions from the bunker and let the refs get on with the game (Refs, as in 2 by the look of it to me)
(Interesting to see what happens after one of the powerhouses (Easts) was on the receiving end last night)
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