“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.
Brett McKay
Expert
Since we're quoting Laws, what came into play in the Potgieter incident was Law 10.4: Dangerous play and misconduct And then, particularly: (e) Dangerous tackling. A player must not tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously. A player must not tackle (or try to tackle) an opponent above the line of the shoulders even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders. A tackle around the opponent’s neck or head is dangerous play. A ‘stiff-arm tackle’ is dangerous play. A player makes a stiff-arm tackle when using a stiff-arm to strike an opponent. The sanction for all of these is a penalty kick. However... Law 10.5 Sanctions then says: (a) Any player who infringes any part of the Foul Play Law (ie, ANY part of Law 10: Foul Play) must be admonished, or cautioned and temporarily suspended for a period of ten minutes’ playing time, or sent-off. So forgetting for a minute we're in a try scoring situation, Potgieter has clearly infringed under Law 10, and thus the yellow card was right. Then Law 10.2 (Unfair play) comes into play, which includes the wording Alex has quoted in his piece above. The debate about whether it was intentional or not may well rage on (and here were are, four days later), but once a player puts himself in foul play territory, there isn't a lot of sympathy around intent (ask Henry Speight, for eg) these days. I can't see how Craig Joubert has got this anything other 100% correct, as has been reported and referred here..
Buk
Guest
Totally agree Wiliam Tell. Even more worrying aspect, defending that sort of play is near lunacy given the RWC will be played in the NH with pressure on refs to send off any foul play, and especially so for SH teams if they are playing NH teams on those NH team's home grounds. Message from Cheika to the boys needs to be play hard, tackle hard, but keep it all legitimate, and especially in the red zone.
Buk
Guest
Exactly. I thought to myself 'What if that had been the Reds, and Liam Gill in that situation?' Would I be shouting unfair call? Yeah definitely, immediately at the time. But after a few replays, I would have been quietly saying, 'dumb move, Liam Gill.' I have also been in that situation a number of times on the rugby field, as well as observing it - you can make an attempt to stop a guy which is likely to include making contact with the head, or you can choose to avoid making contact with the head (which is also very likely to be less effective, as he will not be temporarily shocked or dazed). The only way I can see such a move to be unintentional would be if your arm hit something else first, and deflected your swing trajectory.
Richard Islip
Roar Rookie
Jeez......more parochial ranting. Outstanding refereeing. The big screen several times showed clear intent to whack a Highlander head by Potgieter. That is his bread and butter anyway. Again....if the positions had been reversed, and a Highlander sent off for the same offence, you would be applauding furiously.
Wozza
Guest
Regardless of what you thought of the ref, and I thought he was pretty bad, the Tahs were terrible in their own right and the better team still won. I think the highlanders could've sat on chairs in the middle of the field and they still would've beaten the Wallaby coaches team. Can't say I'm full of confidence for the rest of the year. And if people think I'm not giving the Highlanders much credit, they didn't need much to win that game.
Taylorman
Guest
Like the sxv final last year. He gave the kiwis momentum just at the right time did he? Kind of blows that theory out of the water huh?
Squirrel
Roar Rookie
Yeah 1/2 wallabies from the reds. What is everyone on up there
sesenta y cuatro
Roar Pro
I have learnt a few things reading this article: First: The real team Australian rugby is behind is not the Wallabies, but the Waratahs. Half of the article is focused on "move on / but we were hard-done / but move on..." Second: The main task of a lock is not anymore to jump at the lineout. Only this explains the inclusion of Will Skelton in the category World-Class. Victor Matfield can be seen, in fact, as a Will Skelton wannabe. Third: The Australian fans don't believe they can win the World Cup.
Johnny Boy Jnr
Guest
I disagree that Joubert plays favourites. He's one of the world's top refs whose only weakness is in sometimes going upstairs and relying on dodgy camera angles. Jonathon Kaplan - now there's a ref who Wallabies fans can genuinely hate ! Throw in Watson and Tappe Henning who and it's a 57 point head start
Rouaan
Guest
I have been saying for years that Craig Joubert favour NZ teams over AUS teams. After every Bledisloe match where he officiated the last 6 years, I have made it a point to write something about his calls on this forum to the frustration of other bloggers. I get that a ref can make a mistake, even a few sometimes. The problem with his mistakes is that there is a clear trend that his calls is too often to the detriment of the AUS team. Again, I here refer to the trend over the last 5-6 years. His mistakes also seem to happen at crucial times during the matches. Just to give the kiwis more momentum and confidence at crucial times. It is a pitty that I am not savvy enough with the latest technology to compile a video to support my claim and to convince people. I get that the Highlanders might have won anyway and that the All Blacks are better and 'might have won anyway', but that is totally besides the point. The laws of the game should be officiated consistently and fairly. If the ARU, players and coach could just muster some courage to challenge the appointment of this guy at all times, so that he can excuse himself from refereeing AUS -NZ matches!
Ra
Guest
Horne was the Tah's best defender on Saturday night.
Ra
Guest
Yeah I agree with you too Jeff. There are greater problems for Aussie rugby to think about than making another - it was the ref's fault - bleat.
tinfoil hat
Guest
Mods - is it really calling names or just applying an accurate description? The whingers part at least. World champions is a bit OTT I agree.There is a significant amount of reality denial and history revisionism going on amongst certain sections of the Tah fans. Are other commentators not allowed to address that?
Alex Wood
Roar Guru
You get that on the big jobs Harry - if you're going to play the role of enforcer, prepare to be picked on. That being said I still think the call was a bit fought, whether it influenced the outcome or not ;)
Alex Wood
Roar Guru
Thanks Sam. I think the "nail on head" in all of this is (and that I am seeing more of across the Roar) is the acknowledgement that Australian rugby lacks fundamentals in many places. Sekope Kepu set the crowd at my house alight with ironic cheering t the sight of a tighthead prop committing a defender with a textbook draw and pass - but really, in New Zealand any tight five player at Super Rugby level is expected to have that skill. Similarly in Horne, Folau and either Tomane/Speight/Nayaravoro we have a set of Wallabies back three players who lack world class kicking - the ABs would never stand for that. I think the World Cup is probably ambitious, but I think Cheika can get it right if he and the team are given sufficient time to develop - or to look at it another way, do we really think the next coach that comes long is going to be better? I would rather see Cheika guaranteed a bid to the next World Cup and given time to develop the team than be subject to a witch hunt if Australia fail to fire this year.
Alex Wood
Roar Guru
Savea is a freak, no doubt about it. If I put aside my Wallaby jersey for a second, as a fan of rugby I'm looking forward to watching his career progress.
Alex Wood
Roar Guru
Agree 100% that both the Brumbies and 'Tahs were thoroughly outmatched. The Waratahs in particular, as a unit, has an absolute shocker (it doesn't help when both your halves play the worst game they have all season) t think what's key here (and to much of the doom and gloom which surrounds the Wallabies at the moment) is that the All Blacks are not our only opponent in the World Cup. The Highlanders and Hurricanes have clearly found another level in Super Rugby this season - and as a test for the Australian squads the weekend had some positives despite the lopsided results. Thanks for commenting.
Mielie
Guest
The Tah's lost. Irrespective of the ref. Live with it. World champion whingers. [Mods. Is it REALLY necessary to call commenters / contributors names?]
stainlesssteve
Guest
yes David, i read that somewhere, but i based my remark on hearing the exchange between the TMO and C Joubert, in which it seemed that he had a strong SA accent. I have to say, favouritism doesn't worry me at all. Really. Bias is fine, and enjoyable, perhaps moreso when it coincides with my own. What annoys me is a commentator for whom there is only one team on the field, which has been the tendency for years, with ABC Grandstand Rugby Union commentary, and as I said above, and have said before, apart from this, the Grandstand team is head and shoulders above the rest, in league, cricket, and AFL. They have a magnificent culture. Why the Union guys have been so far inferior is probably due to complex sociological factors, which i won't go into here, for fear of having to be escorted off the field by beefy bodyguards
Crystal Rage
Guest
Quite a hilarious title. I wondered there for a moment was he watching the same two matches that I saw. My Dad sometimes, only for a brief moment would watch an old replay and think it was the current game. Or it was rugby highlights at halftime. Maybe the author was watching last years semi and simply put the wrong tape in the recorder.