The blame game must not be all about the referee That Gloucester snatched victory with a dramatic last-gasp penalty from Twelvetrees was arguably not unfair given their greater creativity, but it was not without controversy. The officials undoubtedly erred in missing players being over the halfway line at the kick-off and the ball being brought back into the scrum by the Gloucester number eight Ben Morgan. The award of a penalty against Northampton was debatable and had I been a Saints fan I would not have been happy. All this said there is a trend occurring that is not good for rugby. The reaction of the media and coaches towards officials in this and other games recently has been less than useful. Comments of James Mallinder and Dorian West post the final whistle will be looked at by the Rugby Football Union to see if there is a case to answer, but Mallinder was nearer the mark when he said "We've got to make sure that parts of our game we are more accurate with. You have got to try to put the referee out of the equation. The fact that broadcasters push for more revelatory coverage of changing rooms, in-game comments and walk-off or immediate post-match interviews is understandable. Their desire to break ground and offer something commercially different will always mean seeking access to hitherto unopened areas of the game. However, just because you can do something does not mean you should. I am not against these developments for any other reason than I cannot see that they will lead anywhere other than in a negative direction. If the musings of a player or coach are anodyne they are of no interest beyond note; seeing inside a dressing room is not special beyond the first few times. The trite is of no use to broadcasters or viewers. They want the sensational, but what delights them is not always good for rugby. Players and coaches need to be protected from themselves when things go wrong. You could say they should hold their tongue but they are in a difficult position once interviewers begin asking questions to which they feel obliged to give candid answers. We have begun the inexorable slide towards focusing on officials as the only decisive factor in a team's fortunes. We know where this goes, it goes to everyone blaming the referee and we have to resist this. Commentators, and I include myself in this, have to ensure that officials" mistakes are only described in context and that a losing team's faults are given the greater prominence they almost always deserve. Referees need to be accountable but so do coaches and players who make far more mistakes then any official.