Lions coach Swys de Bruin has piled heat on Australian referee Angus Gardner ahead of the Super Rugby final, saying the Crusaders’ constant bending of the rules goes unpunished.
In comments which have raised eyebrows ahead of the competition decider in Christchurch on Saturday, de Bruin accused the eight-time champions of routinely pushing beyond the boundaries of the lawbook.
The visitors want a fair deal from Gardner and de Bruin will meet with him to ensure his claims are heard.
“They can’t because they are champions and people think they are good get away with certain stuff,” de Bruin told South African journalists.
“Because going through their clips – and you guys know me, I speak from the heart – there is a lot of things they get away with, more than other teams get away with.”
De Bruin identified the offside line and their hit on the loosehead side of the scrum as two areas he will magnify with Gardner.
Last week’s 30-12 semi-final win over the Hurricanes showcased where the Crusaders were so effective at bending rules, the Lions coach said.
For example, de Bruin pointed to a rushing Crusaders defensive line which he said encroaches the 10m offside line from scrums too early in a bid to shut down the opposing backline.
De Bruin’s comments fly in the face of those from captain Warren Whiteley, who was intent on making friends when his team touched down on Tuesday night following travel from Johannesburg.
“Christchurch, what a wonderful place to play,” Whiteley said.
“No one’s giving us a chance and that’s just because of the quality of the Crusaders. They’re just a fantastic side.”
Paulo
Roar Rookie
Come on Sheikh-I-am, you don’t like green kiwi and ham?
Paulo
Roar Rookie
Only against the Tahs, and they are out now so...
Sheikh
Roar Rookie
You can't eat a Kiwi - they go off so quickly that the meat turns green!
Paulo
Roar Rookie
Lordy, the game hasn’t even been played yet and the ‘we was robbed by a biased (Aussie ) ref’ talk has already started. How can people take this kind of talk seriously?
DanFan
Guest
Tastes a bit like a cross between koala and platypus.
Ken Catchpole's Other Leg
Roar Guru
Angus may favour the Saders Because he’s an Aussie And Aussies love kiwis (once you get through the feathers the meat doesn’t taste too bad).
rebel
Roar Guru
Wonder if Gardner tells him they only have to be back 5m from scrums when they have their meeting. What a revelation that would be for a professional coach.
Ralph
Roar Guru
Ha ha, I can feel the excitement building. He's trying for an ambush, I'm pretty sure we see it coming.
taylorman
Roar Guru
You had me at 'I just mentally.'.. :-)
Kane
Guest
Mowen is in my opinion Australian ruby's biggest loss in the last 10 years.
woodart
Guest
yep, All Blacks have just been lucky.......for a hundred years!!!
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Geeez Highlander, looks like Jimbo, will need to just lay back & wait!! I hear the nurses are out on strike, mate Lol!! Possibly till after the final, so they just might have to rope him down in the mean time! Hahaha.
Fionn
Guest
Should have just emphasised that they get away with elbows to the jaws of defenders off the ball, aye? :)
ClarkeG
Guest
https://youtu.be/8eR9-IZ6Z74
Highlander
Guest
Nurse Nurse!!! He’s out of bed again
Fionn
Guest
Whiteley is all class. Wish he was an Aussie, or a Brumby. Actually, he reminds me a lot of Ben Mowen. Wish Mowen had been our captain and starting 8 for years too also.
Jimbo81
Guest
How do we remove the unconscious bias from the game? Do the kiwi teams need New Jerseys? I just mentally deduct 12 points from Any kiwi score to get the real score minus ref bias. Those AB’s are looking pretty shabby on 50% win ratio. They need a new coach and some more depth in the centres.
Machpants
Roar Guru
Um the 10 metre offside line from scrums.....? What a muppet! I hope they stay 10m back from all the scrums, Saders will waste them more!
Kia Kaha
Roar Guru
Nothing to see here. He’s looked at what the bookies are paying for a Lions win and he’s said I’ll have me some of that. Can’t knock a bloke for trying to even the odds.
Highlander
Guest
Isn’t this the same guy who calls for no more whinging a day or two ago. Also, he might want to learn the laws before making a goose of himself at a press conference