Expert
Joined October 2012
2.7m
Views
612
Published
27.9k
Comments
Geoff is a Melbourne based sports fanatic and writer, who started contributing to The Roar in 2012, originally under the pen name Allanthus. His first book, A World in Conflict; the Global Battle For Rugby Supremacy was released in Dec 2017 to critical acclaim. For details on the book visit www.geoffparkes.com Meanwhile, his twin goals of achieving a single figure golf handicap and owning a fast racehorse remain tantalisingly out of reach.
Published
Comments
Around 40 minutes was how long it took for the Rugby Championship to sort itself into an ‘A’ division and a ‘B’ division. More…
With yet another Super Rugby title safely locked away in Christchurch, frustrated Australian fans look on and wonder despondently, ‘what is the point of…
It’s hard to know where to start with the remarkable Crusaders. Seventeen times Grand Finalists for what is now 14 wins. No other franchise…
It’s hard to imagine two more contrasting semi-finals; one a gob-smacking, Blues-spanking no-contest, the other a tense arm-wrestle only decided in the final few…
The starship that is the NRL enterprise shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Attendances in 2023 are up and TV ratings are…
And then there were four. Which feels a tad harsh on the Hurricanes, because all season there have been five teams head and shoulders…
We’ve all heard the arguments against Super Rugby’s eight-team finals series. In a 12-team competition, it lacks integrity, it rewards teams with 35 per…
Let’s address the elephant in the room right up front. Anyone who saw Stan’s post-match interview with outstanding Chiefs No.8 Luke Jacobsen will know…
In what was a chaotic weekend, six teams fighting for three finals spots became five teams fighting for two, with the Waratahs emerging from…
The early years of Super Rugby were marked by the sport's transition into high scoring; a phenomenon the game had never seen before on…
Once the relationship between Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos and chairman Hamish McLennan degenerated to communication only via e-mail, there was only ever going…
The Chiefs’ best start to a Super Rugby season continued to rollick along on Saturday night and, scarily for the chasing franchises, it shows…
If the heads of Australia’s major football codes felt any trepidation about being held to account after they first became aware of public hearings…
At the heart of this nonsense are two generals with an insatiable desire to implant themselves as the centre of the story.
With rugby under siege for a diminishing ability to provide entertainment value, a suite of changes was introduced this year to Super Rugby, primarily…
Moreso than the continued domination of New Zealand franchises, one of the things ailing Super Rugby in 2023 is the predictability of outcomes. Both…
Only one and a half seasons after the addition of the Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua franchises into Super Rugby, it is already clear…
The advance of AI into our lives grows by the day. Machine learning technology is already in routine use, in ways that most of…
Long-time laggard when it comes to head injuries, the scourge that is concussion and the debilitating conditions affecting ex-players, the NRL has finally made…
Scott Robertson will rightfully take the helm of the All-Blacks in 2024.
That was originally going to be the theme of this article, Carlin.
How poor teams have been this year at exiting well after scoring points.
Friday night was a prime example.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
I remember being frustrated after that 2000 match too, Colvin.
But not by Eales, he was entitled to step forward and kick the goal.
I was annoyed by the AB’s stuffing around and not executing at the final line-out, then Craig Dowd giving away a silly penalty.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
😂
I’m just not sure that this initiative has helped speed anything up or made any difference at all.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
One thing that confuses fans, which many of our posters are frustrated by, is why there is no mandatory HIA for players subject to head contact serious enough that the offender is sent off?
There are countless examples, and it really defies logic. Last week, after the Lomani incident, Josh Canham stayed on the field and wasn’t subjected to a HIA until after the match – which he failed, and he was then put into a RTP protocol which saw him miss this week’s game.
All of the medical staff Super Rugby – club and neutral – are well-meaning and professional, but that feels like a flaw in the process that could be tightened up.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Sean Moloney is consistently accurate, Lem.
Not a chance he does a Nisbo and starts calling everyone Mapimpi.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
That’s what I was getting at Muglair, saying that if a try is scored at 78.30, by a side that is winning, as it stands now, if they want, their kicker sits on the ball, that is game over.
Why play 78 1/2 mins not 80 mins? When the rationale for the shot clock is to provide for more rugby?
Perhaps the better way to go is to stop the clock for any try in the final 90 seconds. So there is always a re-start (unless the try is scored post 80.00)
In fact, make it final 60 seconds, and reduce the conversion time from 90 secs to 60 secs. That’s too long.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Yes, not as crazy as it might initially sound, HiKa.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Not sure where “your friends” comes from, Scott! 😂 For the record, I’ve never met Leigh Clifford.
My understanding is that things are at the final stage with the DOCA and the administrator, and a creditors meeting will be called in the near future.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Thanks JDK, I get the point you’re making, but I really think that’s a recipe for more subjective inconsistency that the game doesn’t need.
For mine, leave it to the ref, or else have a shot clock but use it accurately. There was talk at the World Cup about adding to the fan experience by having this visible on the scoreboard and having the fans count it down.
But as it stands, it’s a bit of this and a bit of that, and everyone is in the dark. Including poor Reihana.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Not bad, CW.
The Tahs have a tough run. I think they’ll miss and the Crusaders will still make it.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
That’s becoming a popular suggestion, cookie.
My view, having seen a lot of Carter at training, and his leadership in team meetings, is that he’s a natural playmaker/decision maker. He needs to be the guy running things.
I don’t doubt that he could make a good fist of 12. But I think, as he continues to develop, he’s going to be a very good 10 for the Wallabies. Having a 10 that can distribute as well as he can, and defend as well as he can is a real bonus.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Fair observation, goofy. The Rebels’ run in is far tougher than the first half.
We’ll know a lot more about where they really are in 6 week’s time.
Re the playoffs, 24 points was the mark last year for 8th place, 23 points the year before. The Rebels already have 24 points, so they’re basically there, even just one more bonus point should confirm it.
But clearly, that’s too low a bar now. If they lose all remaining matches and still make the finals, even though that would be better than ever before, nobody will be hailing that as a massive triumph. That’s what I was getting at in the article. Making finals is important, but from here, it’s more about playing to their full potential, whether they finish 8th or somewhere higher.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Well, he could have asked Berry himself to confirm if he could run the clock out or not, PP.
That’s what Carter Gordon did on Saturday night; he asked if he could use all the time up, and Paul Williams told him to kick it because whatever happened, there would be a restart.
I don’t mean to be too hard on Reihana – it’s a situation that is new, and he’s inexperienced at this level. But… this is the world’s most successful pro rugby franchise. It cost them a match they badly needed to win.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Agree Paul, this definitely wasn’t comparable to the one Kerevi got the YC for at the 2019 World Cup.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Yes, to be clear, my comment about this wasn’t aimed at the Stan guys. It’s endemic in Australian rugby.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Same response to you as to James above, Phil.
Instead of slinging innuendo about board members who give service and their own money to rugby far in excess of what anonymous snipers do, I suggest you wait and see what the administrator has to say about the DOCA, how the creditors vote, and then come and tell us what you see as the best path forward.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
That was really messy all-round, wasn’t it, Wrecked ’em?
Maunder thought the ball was in the ruck because it was against his player’s calf, but it was on the ‘outside’ of his leg and not the ‘inside’, hence ref Williams calling play on.
From there, as you say de Groot seemed to fall short in a couple of areas, which the ref looked straight past. At the end of the day, it didn’t affect the result so we put it down to experience and move on.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
No doubt there are still opportunities to clean up ‘lost time’, JJ.
The refs are noticeably better at speeding up line outs, although teams are still willing to push the boundaries.
One thing we do have to be careful of is balancing the aerobic fitness requirements against the strength elements for props and locks. Too fast and we’ll see rugby teams look like league teams, with a similar sized athlete throughout the pack. If we want decent scrums we have to allow some time for those guys to catch their breath. But yes, that doesn’t mean there are some things than can and should be faster.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Great to see him back, Muzzo, and yes, he had a strong match considering how little he has played.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Swinton was claiming he had his jersey tugged as he came off the scrum.
You could hear Nick Berry say they would check it, and then soon after, that there was nothing to it.
Swinton was way out of line approaching the AR like he did, and he owes Ned Hanigan plenty for pulling him away before he did something really silly.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
I noticed that timing too, acjj. But, having been burned by this previously… the clock we see on the TV is not the official game clock.
So in this case, the comms ref Berry was having with the TMO about the timing was referring to a different clock. Which may or may not have been faster, slower or the same.
Fully agree with your point though. If there is going to be a shot clock, then it needs to be visible to all, so that players, coaches officials and fans at the ground and at home, know exactly what we’re dealing with.
Or else, leave it alone and leave it up to the ref’s discretion, like in AFL.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Hadn’t heard that about the Tarneit power failure, robbo. Yes, hopefully not an ominous metaphor…
RA has a million things to fix, and not much money with which to do it, but finding a way to make the womens’ competition longer has to be right at the top of the list.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
Sometimes I feel like I’m p15sing into the wind CW, but I’m continually banging on about how people assign too much credit to the head coach when a side wins, and too much blame when they lose.
The head coach is crucial, sure. But there are so many variables that feed into a teams’ success/failure.
More detail to follow down the track, but I’m currently working on a project, to be released later this year, that will hopefully illustrate this very point.
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby
You’re a tough marker, Mirt! 😂
The Wrap: Crusaders' shot clock fiasco and shhh, don’t put the moz on Darby