LIKE many sports fans not out watching live action last weekend I tuned in to the dramatic finale of the RBS Six Nations on the BBC, and what a climax it was, going right to the final minute of the England v France clash.

But aside from the excitement as the drama unfolded, there was another aspect of the game that struck me, and that was the treatment of the officials.

It is not a new argument that football could learn a lot from rugby union about how to respect a referee.

But as someone who rarely gets the opportunity to watch the Six Nations due to work or football supporting commitments, it was refreshing for me to see.

When you see big brutes like England captain Chris Robshaw and France counterpart Thierry Dusautoir standing listening attentively to Welsh referee Nigel Owens like naughty schoolchildren and adhering to everything he says, it is an eye-opener when you have been weaned on millionaire footballers chasing officials around a pitch or, in some cases like that infamous Paolo Di Canio incident at Sheffield Wednesday with Paul Alcock, pushing them to the ground when things do not go their way.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think the standard of refereeing in football this season has taken a nosedive and can understand the frustrations among players and managers alike.

But surely the man in the middle is there to do a job and should be respected.

It was interesting to read Mark Halsey’s excellent weekly column in the sports pages of this paper on Wednesday when he questioned what had happened to the ‘Respect’ campaign that was so well-publicised when all the clubs signed up to it several years ago.

Like most of football’s initiatives, it fell by the wayside quickly and we were soon back to seeing angry players surrounding the men in black.

It is unsavoury to watch, however much injustice those players may feel.

It would probably take a generation to change the culture to be more like that in rugby but shouldn’t the powers that be at least give it a try?

Of course, a lot of the anger with decisions can be eliminated by following another of rugby’s excellent features and that is the referee explaining his decisions clearly on each occasion.

By wearing a microphone for the viewing public to hear, each controversial decision is explained with the help of an adjudicator in the stand – much like they have in cricket.

You are left in no doubt why the decision has been taken and thus dismissing any further debate.

As my colleague on the sports desk, Neil Bonnar, pointed out ¬ you do not need to hear from a referee afterwards because all the questions have been answered.

The call in football is often for post-match interviews with officials, but why not follow the rugby path and have a third-eye, as it were, watching on in the stands?

Technology is available for a quickfire look at the big decisions so why are we not using it to make sure officials get it right?

The argument that it would drag the game out is ridiculous – it would be as quick as checking the latest scores on your smart phone.

We live in the 21st century – let’s drag football there.