The NSW Waratahs are crying foul after giving up the biggest lead in Super Rugby history in a heartbreaking 31-29 loss to the mighty Crusaders.
Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson, himself a multiple championship winner with New Zealand’s powerhouse franchise, was full of praise on Saturday night for the Crusaders after they overhauled a 29-0 first-half deficit.
But he rued no action being taken against Crusaders prop Joe Moody for taking out Waratahs centre Kurtley Beale in the lead-up to the home team’s first try in the 35th minute.
“That’s an elbow to the throat of a player unprotected. It’s a red-card offence. The try should not be scored. The guy should not be on the field,” former Wallaby-turned-Fox Sports analyst Rod Kafer said in commentary.
Gibson was unable to hide his frustration after the Waratahs had to settle for a losing bonus point to retain their Australian conference lead.
“A couple of decisions proved really costly – obviously the Joe Moody incident with the elbow, which the referees missed,” he said.
“In my book, it’s an elbow to the head so I’m sure the powers that be are looking at that.”
The Waratahs led 29-0 after as many minutes following a dream start at AMI Stadium, only to concede five unanswered tries to fall painfully short in their bold bid to end a 14-year winless drought in Christchurch.
The Crusaders’ epic escape also extended New Zealand teams’ winning streak over Australian opposition to 39 matches since the Waratahs beat the Chiefs in May, 2016 in Sydney.
Waratahs five-eighth Bernard Foley had the chance to snatch victory late but missed a 40-metre penalty – 15 minutes after also hooking an easier attempt.
Ultimately, though, the Waratahs paid the price for their ill-discipline with yellow cards for halfback Nick Phipps and winger Taqele Naiyaravoro either side of halftime leaving the visitors a man down for 20 minutes of the dramatic encounter.
“It’s hard to beat these guys with 14 men,” said vanquished captain Michael Hooper.
“We can stack points on quickly and play a really exciting brand of rugby and put a top team under pressure.
“We know what we’re capable of and it’s disappointing we let that one slip.”
The Waratahs had arrived across the Tasman on Friday to a protester confronting Israel Folau for his controversial online posts about homosexuality.
But it clearly didn’t rattle the superstar fullback as he delivered a blinding first-half display that silenced the shellshocked home crowd until the Crusaders began to mount their incredible revival.
Winger Cam Clark bagged NSW’s first try after a superb counter-attack sparked by Foley, who missed the conversion but added a penalty for an 8-0 start.
A Naiyaravoro intercept try extended the Tahs’ lead to 15-0.
It was 22-0 after 24 minutes when Folau started and finished his own spectacular try by soaring high in contact to retrieve a Crusaders bomb and combining with Beale.
When Folau won another aerial contest to set up NSW’s fourth try through Curtis Rona, the Waratahs were flying.
But the Crusaders turned the helter-skelter match with three quickfire five-pointers through Moody, Codie Taylor and a coach killer to Seta Tamanivalu, four minutes after the halftime buzzer following Phipps’ dismissal, to cut the deficit to 29-19.
Winger Braydon Ennor crossed out wide while Naiyaravoro was in the bin, before the Crusaders finally hit the front in the 68th minute with a penalty try after repeated NSW scrum infringements on their own line.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
PeterK, you prove his point for him.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
"...especially when Hooper brought it up and this was the only time Hooper had questioned anything..." Regardless of the result and missed calls, this here needs to be addressed and changed. The last minute of the game is not the time to be pleading with the ref for a penalty. Why is Hooper not talking to the ref, respectfully, when its needed. They got scrummed to death, he needs to talk about Crusaders potentially boring in (whether they are or not, who knows what happens in there, I was a back haha). The Beale hit, definitely needs a lot of noise about it so it is made right on the field at the time. Citing after and all this whinging doesn't change the result. I am not a Cam Smith fan at all, can't stand him, but I have seen him walk out, while a kicker is placing the ball on the tee and stopped the conversation from happening so the ref had to review something. Try was eventually overturned. Hooper, or the next Captain need to get better at this.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
Maybe they need to bring those into the School Cricket Comps too, because if you are bringing "Australia" into it, maybe check the house is clean first. Neither Aussie, NZ, SA, Japan, or Argie have the moral high ground enough to look down their noses at the rest of us from atop their squeaky clean white high horse. Not defending the action, it was reckless and dangerous. But don't pretend the Aussies are Angels.
Sydney Potae
Guest
They are switching because they havent had a win against NZSR teams in over 2 years i suppose thats the refs fault ?
Dan
Guest
LMFAO Fred!!! I was just going to type that.........hahahaha!!!
Taylorman
Guest
Geez dont bring that other 10 into it, weve managed a whole day without it, Moodys chuffed hes now more popular than that other guy!?
Sylvester
Guest
Yip. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/22/pr-exec-fired-racist-tweet-aids-africa-apology
Tah-Man
Roar Pro
Seriously though, what are you giving the thumbs up for here? Would you be saying thumbs up if he was some Islamic fundamentalist saying all apostates and non believers deserve to burn?
Tah-Man
Roar Pro
He’s a back mate and not even a play maker. Seriously, he’s good at catching the ball in the air, but that’s not what wins rugby games.
Tah-Man
Roar Pro
I’m with #TeamCommonSense, and #TeamLogic personally. Both seem to have passed Folau and is ilk by.
Tah-Man
Roar Pro
Mate, actually that’s not his right as an employee. As an Australian he has that right (although not as limitlessly as people imagine - we don’t have a bill of rights enshrining freedom speech like the US), but companies aren’t democracies and as I wrote above, plenty of people have lost their jobs over vile or stupid social media posts.
Tah-Man
Roar Pro
As for intent, you do know the difference between good intentions and good acts, right? The Australian government had good intentions when the abducted aboriginal kids, but that doesn’t make the act any less horrid.
cinque
Guest
"Yet they ignore the horrible display of the same ref in the leadup to Tahs being 29 points ahead." Let's see who avoids this evidence-less click bait.
Tah-Man
Roar Pro
100%. Seriously, this bloke just massively needs to pull his head in. Yeah he has the right to free speech, but others have lost their jobs for less. Remember that Scott McIntyre soccer bloke who worked for SBS and lost his job because he called the ANZACs a bunch of rapists and war criminals? I sure as heck don’t remember people being so concerned about free speech with him, and frankly I thought SBS had every right to fire him for his stupid remarks. Yeah he’s allowed his opinion, but if his opinion is stupid - like Folau’s - and he bleats it self righteously and arrogantly to the point where he’s spitting in the face of his employer, then frankly they’re within their rights to show him the door.
Tah-Man
Roar Pro
LMAO if conditions of his employer were a concern he wouldn’t be shoving his beliefs down everyone’s throats champ. I think it’s pretty clear the only one with an agenda here is Folau. The bloke seems to do nothing else but post about why all the gays are going to hell (but of course he has nothing against them personally lol).
MH01
Guest
Guess we do, cause in Australia kids grow up with Best and Fairest awards .
Fred
Guest
In the office but on The Roar lol
MH01
Guest
I do my share of fee OT - my choice - I don’t demand it on others , nor judge them for it . Your assumption is that he does not care about the game cause he does not post about it? What if his contract has conditions about him postbig about his employer ? He is causing strife? Nah mate - people with agendas are causing the strife . Anyone critising the bloke who baited Izzy? Cause his intent was clear .....
cinque
Guest
Given the evenness of the SA conference and the dominance of NZ, there is a good chance that two Oz teams will make the play-offs. That will happen if Tahs & Rebs do well against their bottom three.
Syd RFU
Guest
Anyone can Photoshop a angled line......