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On Tuesday, the rugby writers around the world received a less than informative IRB media release with the headline: Tri Nations Match Official Change. The release went on to confirm that Cobus Wessels, the South African assistant referee in the Wallabies – All Blacks Test in Melbourne, had been replaced as assistant referee for the Christchurch Test.
A New Zealander, Keith Brown, is to take his place. Wessels will be the television match official.
The release noted that the re-arrangement of officials followed a ‘routine review’ of match officials in Melbourne, and that the change had been approved by SANZAR.
There was not enough information here for my liking. I sent an email to the appropriate IRB official asking “why has Wessels been stood down?”
On Thursday, we all received an answer to this question. The IRB apologised to Drew Mitchell for being given a yellow card (his first for the match) for an illegal tackle on Richie McCaw.
During the Test the ‘tackle’ was missed by the television producers. I saw it later and what it amounted to was a slight hit on McCaw after he’d passed the ball. It’s history now that Mitchell was given a second yellow card for stopping a quick line-out being taken by the All Blacks.
And two yellow cards equals one red card. So Mitchell was off the field for 47 minutes all up.
The IRB referees boss Paddy O’Brien said that Wessels “saw something that did not happen … All we are saying is that referees need to be accountable.”
Hear, hear. Wessels is often seen raising his flag when he runs as an assistant referee. Too often in my opinion.
There has been a spate of yellow cards this Test season. The All Blacks’ Ben Franks was given one for a so-called shoulder charge which was more of a premature tackle.
Tacklers are taught to drop their shoulder before going into the tackle. Franks did this. Sometimes, though, the runner rushes into the tackle instead of bracing for it, rather like a driver trying to beat a red light.
When this happens, tacklers often find their shoulders making contact before they can get their arms up to wrap around the runner.
I’d like two changes to the way all this is being refereed.
First, the red card system should be abolished. It’s a bit like capital punishment – too severe, even if the person is guilty, and overwhelmingly unjust if the person is not. The rugby league system of putting a player on report should be used.
Second, before a yellow card is handed out, the referee and the video referee should look at the incident on the video replay system. This would ensure that incidents are avoided like the Mitchell debacle where the Wallaby winger, according to O’Brien, “put his hands up to avoid a collision with Richie McCaw.”
When Mitchell was first sinbinned, the Wallabies were down, but not out, at 21 – 14. When he returned, it was game over, 32 – 14.
As O’Brien points out, the yellow card that wasn’t had a “major impact” on the Test. His statement also conceded that several other yellow cards in the Tri Nations series had been ‘soft’ judgments.
And this bring us to an interesting point made by Robbie Deans.
The All Blacks have played three Tri Nations Tests this season and are yet to play against 15 players in the opposition for the full 80 minutes. Deans reckons that if all the Wallabies stay on the field for the entire match, they could give the All Blacks their first defeat in 13 Tests and prevent the sequence of All Blacks victories over the Wallabies inflating out to nine.
Wayne Smith writing in The Australian makes the point, though, that at Christchurch, the Wallabies will have to contend with “their nemesis referee,” Jonathan Kaplan.
I was at Wellington in 2000 when Kaplan allowed injury time to go on for nearly 7 minutes before awarding the Wallabies a penalty which John Eales kicked to win the Test. The mobile phones of the locals at the ground received a message when the full-time whistle was finally blown: “Bugger.”
Since 2000, though, the Wallabies and Australian teams in the Super Rugby tournaments have struggled when Kaplan is refereeing. According to Smith, Kaplan’s relationship with the Wallabies has been “spectacularly rocky.”
I asked a Super Rugby coach about Kaplan’s refereeing style. He told me that Kaplan allows a virtual free for all to take place at rucks and mauls. But as soon as he gives a call like ‘hands off,’ he expects an instant release.
He intensely dislikes foul and snide play. And he does not like being challenged on his decisions.
There is a sort of emperor complex about his refereeing, I would say.
So the Wallabies need to listen carefully and take note of exactly what instructions he gives them and the All Blacks. This means that Rocky Elsom will need to be more switched on mentally than he was at Melbourne.
If this sort of ‘referee/captain’ role made famous, or infamous, by Sean Fitzpatrick and George Gregan is beyond him, Deans need look no further than Will Genia for his next – and probably best – captain.
All this is before us, though.
On Saturday, the Wallabies are facing a confident All Blacks that is playing well. Deans has brought (through necessity) a new centre pairing of Anthony Faingaa and Adam Ashley-Cooper. In the slippery cold conditions of Christchurch, this combination looks to be a good one.
Kurtley Beale at fullback will provide some of the slick passing and running that Quade Cooper has given to the Wallabies this season.
The promotion of Saia Faingaa in place of Stephen Moore at hooker should give the Wallabies a bit more pace and menace in the pack. There is no Scott Higginbottom, which is a surprise.
Let’s hope this Test will feature 15 on 15 for the full 80 minutes.