Ref-cam on trial at Newcastle Falcons v London Scottish It suggests a low bar for gobsmackery in the Morrison viewing habits - one worries that an Imax could actually blow his mind beyond repair - but there is no doubt that it is quite a neat piece of kit, teething troubles aside. As the match kicked off, perhaps worried that the viewers at home might be getting a bit queasy, Sky producers put their new toy away and it was not until 12 minutes that we saw ref-cam live and unleashed on actual sporting action, as we viewed a line-out from Carley's position. This was exactly like watching a line-out on TV in the traditional ­fashion, if the cameraman had been drinking heavily or was trying to film the rugby while juggling on a uni­cycle. Soon afterwards, we enjoyed a close-up of the referee's wristwatch. The early signs were that ref-cam will not be revolutionising the entertainment industry like, say, talking pictures or the VHS. Commentator Johnnie Hammond and analyst Dean Ryan were on message, speaking enthusiastically about ref-cam's charms even when it was showing embarrassingly low-quality and confusing shots. Sadly, without a Hammondcam or a Ryancam on their faces, viewers will never know how sincere they were being. There was alarm for viewers of a nervous disposition when Hammond said: "You almost want to tackle the man yourself because you're so close to the referee's point of view." Speak for yourself, Commentatorcam. However, as things settled down (and viewers had taken their seasick­ness tablets and lashed themselves to their bunks) one began to understand how ref-cam could bring the audience at home closer to the action. After 40 minutes, viewers saw how the scrum looks from the ref's perspective (unpleasant, complicated) and hints of what the technology could really provide: an insight into the technical chicanery that goes on in scrums, rucks and mauls, and how the complicated laws are interpreted by the man who matters. This could be a significant boon to the enjoyment of rugby for the non-expert fan, but the initial experiment in the Newcastle match suffered from a major flaw: too often pro­ducers used ref-cam to show pictures that are already available from better, less jerky, traditional cameras. Whatever else the technology did or did not do, however, it did hammer home one lesson: those lads in the front row at London Scottish are not a pretty sight close up, and Mr Carley is a brave man indeed for getting so near to those jaws.