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“The guy’s only millimetres away from scoring. It’s a swinging arm to the head. It prevents a probable try. It’s a yellow card and a penalty try.” Hearing those words from referee Craig Joubert on Saturday was like a punch in the guts.
Appeals from Dave Dennis fell on deaf ears. Like everyone invested in the success of NSW rugby the captain would have felt sick to his stomach watching a heartbroken Jacques Potgieter make for the sideline as it began to sink in that the campaign for the 2015 Super Rugby title was over.
Let’s call a spade a spade here. The decision made by the ‘best referee in world rugby’ to sin bin Potgieter for foul play is at bare minimum, on the evidence provided by TMO George Ayoub, as commentator Rod Kafer put it “a really tough call”.
Kafer went a bit further in his comments after that, and in my opinion hit the nail on the head: “I can understand a penalty try, but a yellow card? That’s not the right call.”
The Daily Telegraph and Fox Sports incorrectly reported that the circumstances demanded a penalty try under the laws of the game.
Having had more than one pundit point to this as justification by the time I write this on Sunday evening, I’m compelled to point out that this statement is simply not correct.
Section 10.2 (Foul Play) of the Laws of the Game, which those outlets appear to be referring to, state verbatim:
“A penalty try must be awarded if the offence prevents a try that would probably otherwise have been scored. A player who prevents a try being scored through foul play must either be cautioned and temporarily suspended or sent off.”
However, the context of this paragraph, which the outlets I mentioned appear to refer to, is within Section 10.2 (a) entitled: “Intentionally Offending”.
The rules do not provide specific guidance on the sanction if foul play is not intentional. It stands to reason then, that the decision to send Potieter to the sin bin was made at the discretion of the referee rather than the direction of the rules, and his decision is open to examination.
Potgieter’s tackle was a desperate and last-ditch attempt to prevent a try being scored where both players were diving for the ground from a full sprint. The impact to the opposition player did not appear malicious and there was certainly no intent to cause injury to that player. While it may or may not have illegally prevented a try – it was neither dangerous nor deliberate.
This decision stands in contrast to an earlier one made by Joubert where foul play that was clearly deliberate – a Highlanders player repeatedly rucking a grounded Waratahs player that was nowhere near the ball – was sanctioned by penalty only.
As it turns out, I agree with Joubert’s decision not to go beyond a penalty in that instance. However, it would seem that the Highlanders’ offence, being deliberate as it was, should be considered less favourably than the one that earned the Waratahs a yellow card.
Add to that the lack of any serious effort by the referee to stop the visitors infringing the offside line inside their own 22-metre line despite repeated requests from the Waratahs captain. Then add to that Richard Buckman being deemed not held having hit the ground during a run where he went on to score a try, where Nick Phipps was penalised for a similar play just minutes before. It’s fair to say that NSW can feel justified thinking they landed on the worse side of the whistle.
Under normal circumstances, I avoid implying that the referee may have swung the outcome of a match. In this case the Potgieter and Buckman-Phipps decisions alone led directly to 14 points, and 10 minutes with a one man advantage for the Highlanders so it at least rates a mention.
At the end of the day, that’s rugby and the truth is that if NSW had not been their own worst enemy in terms of handling and lineout errors the outcome could have very easily been different, bad calls or not.
It was just very hard to swallow knowing that the Brumbies too had crashed out a couple of hours before. Just like that we have gone from fanciful talk of an all Australian final to having no further participation in the 2015 Super Rugby tournament. What a difference a day can make.
With Australia sitting at sixth on the world rankings and momentum desperately needed headed into a short international season and a Rugby World Cup it stings watching our top two teams fall short knowing the seasons had all the required elements to be a turning point for Australian rugby.
It’s not all doom and gloom though. The Brumbies and Waratahs, who you must expect will make up the majority of the Wallaby XV, chalked performances that while vastly different show that significant potential exists in our current crop of players.
If coach Michael Cheika can find a way to strike a balance between the Brumbies’ set-piece consistency and the Waratahs’ potency in attack, you would have to think you’re a long way along the road to an outfit that could beat any other in the world.
Most encouraging was that in both matches the Australian scrum held up to the best New Zealand had to offer. This may suggest, touch wood, that the Michael Cheika and his attack coach Stephen Larkham have accepted the widespread opinion that there is a cultural deficiency in the way that Australians approach the scrum and taken action to address this.
The other huge positive is that a number of players of key Australian players appear to be hitting peak form.
By now, Rob Horne must have done enough to move on from being brilliant but underrated to holding the title of best winger in Australia. He looked dangerous every single time he was in play, and was rewarded with a magical try in the first half that was responsible for keeping the Waratahs in the match.
Horne is also the best defender in the Waratahs’ back line, and strikes a balance between positional play and frankly brutal collisions which the Wallabies will need if they are to go all the way.
Joe Tomane must have stitched up the opposing wing by now, too, backing up his three-try haul against the Stormers with another solid performance. Despite not scoring he looked dangerous throughout and along with Tevita Kuridrani was one of only two Brumbies players to look like a legitimate threat in attack.
Last, but certainly not least, Will Skelton has responded to his critics of seasons past proving that he can play 80 minutes. He can put his enormous frame to good use on the paddock and he can play smart rugby. He is shaping up as Australia’s only genuinely world-class second rower and if he can carry his Super Rugby form into the international season he has shown the potential to rival players like Brodie Retallick and Eben Etzebeth.
The final positive is that Michael Cheika can now devote 100 per cent of his time to the Wallabies and has now gained a valuable extra week in camp to prepare them for a very tough international schedule this year.
Like anyone, I question how much Michael Cheika will be able to achieve between now and the Rugby World Cup in September. I am more hoping that he will be able to do enough to survive the now dreaded ‘pool of death’, maintain the reigns of the Wallabies beyond 2015 and make the most of a generation of Australian rugby players who are shaping up to be truly world class.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.