After a week during which too much of the rugby world was on the front pages instead of the back pages, it has been great to have an exciting weekend of Super Rugby to focus on.
It was a topsy-turvy weekend, with only two home wins from the six games played and both the Canes and Crusaders unable to get a win. So without mentioning Instagram posts at all, let’s get stuck into the main talking points from the weekend.
The best of South Africa
The South African conference is really exciting! Having been criticised over the past few years for being uncompetitive and flat, 2019 has seen a real evolution in the conference. As of the end of this round four of the top eight sides on the Super Rugby ladder are from the South Africa conference and three are from the top five.
This weekend there were some impressive performances from South African teams, including the Jaguares’ fantastic win against the Hurricanes in Wellington, the Bulls beating the Rebels by 15 points in Melbourne and the bottom-placed team in South Africa, the Stormers, earning a brave draw against the mighty Crusaders.
There have also been some great individual performances from South Africa conference teams this weekend, including a powerful display of leadership from Siya Kolisi – not only did he score a good try but he also stamped his authority on his team at the end of the game, insisting that his team take the three points on offer and draw the game instead of following the many voices in his team that were barking in his ear to go for the lineout.
There’s a lot to like about the South African conference right now – well, except for…
Pablo Matera of the Jaguares (Steve Haag/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
And the worst of South Africa
Unfortunately all that glitters is not gold, and in the past few weeks, while South African conference sides have been impressing, South Africa’s referees have been coming under a lot of fire.
Last week saw an infamous performance by Egon Seconds, and this week it feels like the pattern is continuing. It’s not surprising that referees come under fire from the fans of the losing team, but the data is getting hard to ignore. The Lions, for example, have been on the beneficial side of the most incredible penalty count in recent home games. When the Lions played the Highlanders, Waratahs and Rebels there were South African referees in charge of the whistle and the penalty count was 43-6 in favour of the Lions.
Does that sound realistic to you? When the Lions played the Crusaders in Round 11 they conceded 11 penalties compared to the Crusaders’ ten. In Round 10 they conceded six penalties against the Chiefs and then seven against the Brumbies in Canberra in Round 9. So are we expected to believe that they average two penalties a game at home but somehow become less disciplined overseas and average more than seven penalties per game?
To be fair it’s not just the referees who are attracting the wrong sort of attention. The television match officials have got themselves in the crosshairs of fans as well. Last week the Lions scored a try from an obvious forward pass but neither the ref nor the TMO even hinted at the idea of just glancing at it on replay. This weekend, however, when the Crusaders scored a crucial try against the Stormers, the TMO was on the radio saying that he’d seen an obvious forward pass. Replays showed that it could well have been forward, but plenty of similar passes have been let go as people understand the ball can travel forwards thanks to momentum.
This isn’t meant to be a referee rant, but it’s quite concerning these patterns are occurring in South Africa with South African officials.
(Christiaan Kotze/AFP/Getty Images)
If you can’t convert your conversions, you’re in trouble
The importance of having an accurate kicker in your team has long been appreciated, but fans were reminded of just how important it is this weekend in a couple of games.
The Reds outscored the Tahs by six tries to four in Brisbane and at times looked like they were going to get a very sweet victory over their rivals. But in the end the Tahs walked away with the win and the Reds didn’t even pick up a losing bonus point.
How is that possible when you score six tries? Well, unfortunately only one of those tries was converted. While Bryce Hegarty had a great game in many areas, scoring two of the six tries himself, he missed five conversions and left ten points out there on the field.
The Highlanders too suffered a similar fate. They scored the same number of tries (five) as the Lions in their Johannesburg clash, but whereas Elton Jantjies was a sharpshooter with his conversions, the Kiwi side missed three conversions and walked away without a losing bonus point. That one bonus point would mean that right now they would be sitting in joint sixth place on the competition ladder instead of in a three-way tie for eighth place with the Tahs just behind them.
In the final few rounds, in such a tight competition, every single point is going to matter and kickers must be nailing well over 75 per cent of their attempts at goal. Tries are hard enough to score in the first place – leaving them without the two-point cherry on top time after time is just not good enough.
When is the Queensland Reds rebuild going to be over?
Speaking of the Reds, questions need to be asked about how they are travelling. For much of the game against the Tahs the Queenslanders looked like they had far more energy and desire than their NSW rivals. But yet again simple errors and some poor discipline allowed the opposition back into the game and the Reds lost another game that they really could have won.
Now there’s always lots of talk about how Brad Thorn is building his side from scratch and really investing in youth – seven of the starting eight players for the Reds pack on Saturday come from the team’s under-20 side.
But how much longer is this building going to take? In 2020 the club will lose some of its best talent and experience as Samu Kerevi and Scott Higginbotham are leaving for overseas opportunities. Are the baby Reds ready to cope with that loss?
If the Reds fail to make the finals this year, questions will start to be asked about when the side can expect to be back at the top. If there aren’t some good answers, you wonder if Thorn will be given another year to turn ‘rebuilding’ into ‘built’.
(Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Bet RA thought that Folau was the only thing on their agenda this week
You wouldn’t be blamed for assuming that Raelene Castle’s to-do list for next week was pretty much all Israel Folau-focused. However, there’s going to be a few new line items in there thanks to Tolu Latu’s behaviour before the weekend.
For those who haven’t read about Latu’s incident, he was allegedly found slumped behind the wheel of his car at 4:30am on Thursday by the cops and later charged with drink-driving. But wait, there’s more. The Wallabies hooker apparently decided to keep this all to himself and didn’t tell the Tahs or Rugby Australia, who found out on Saturday.
There are still legal processes to go through to find out exactly what happened and what the punishment might be, but it doesn’t look good when another high-profile player is accused of behaviour that goes against the code of conduct of their employer. Both the Waratahs and Rugby Australia will be very disappointed in Latu and will be angry that the spotlight on the whole sport has been further intensified at a time when it was pretty brutally bright already.
Being found drunk after a big night out is one thing. Being found drunk behind the wheel of a car is something that all involved will be very upset about.
(Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Returning heroes and leaving talent
Amongst all the goings-on of the weekend there was a fantastic story that should have all rugby fans smiling. Sam Cane returned to play for the Chiefs after over seven months of recovery from his broken neck. It was so good to see him back in action and, worryingly for many of the teams who still have to play the Chiefs, he looked in great shape.
Unfortunately the return of one great player cannot mask that the Super Rugby competition is going to lose some exciting talent before next year’s season kicks off. In recent days and weeks there have been some more stories of Super Rugby players heading overseas after the 2019 World Cup. The list is extensive and there is some of the best talent in the competition heading away from it in only a few months.
Of course it makes sense that after a World Cup those players who are nearing the end of their careers and believe they won’t play in another World Cup will look to have new experiences and make as much income as possible in their final seasons. But that still means the Super Rugby competition is losing some of its best players who are real drawcards for fans and other players alike.
For the good of the competition as a whole Super Rugby must do everything it can to keep all the top talent, younger and older, in the southern hemisphere. We’ve already seen the likes of Scott Fardy and Will Skelton achieve great success in Europe and choose to stay away from Australian clubs and potential Wallabies selection.
With more players from all nations heading north for lucrative contracts, Super Rugby’s vision to create and maintain the best possible rugby product is going to get harder and harder.
Lux Interior
Roar Rookie
I'm not wrong, I just don't agree with the modern day interpretation of this. Throw in the schmozzle that the breakdown has become and the attacking side screening off defenders, rugby is losing it's pull factor slowly but surely for this camper.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
Well, you would be wrong then. But that’s fine. There’s hasn’t been that much confusion around the call, SANZAAR just confirmed what most people knew already. Anyways, new weekend, new round, the games start soon. Let’s take this one offline and start whinging about refs all over again on Sunday (yes, I’m aware I was the one whinging about the ref).
Lux Interior
Roar Rookie
Sanzaar says? That bunch of numpties! As for saying "everyone who understands what a forward pass is", well clearly confusion reigns if that pass is now ok. Sevu had to make an extra effort to catch up with it as travelled upfield and away from him. We know SA throws up dodgy hometown reffing, has done forever. But that, for me, was a commonsense decision even if it cost a team I support a bonus point win.
Lux Interior
Roar Rookie
I watched the game and the replay and am capable of finding video footage if I want to, so don't trouble yourself on my account. I don't agree with this backwards out of the hands/momentum rubbish when I could see how far the ball was taken by the receiver ahead of where it left the passers hands. By the way, as a Crusaders fan, I wasn't happy about watching it live.
Paulo
Roar Rookie
SANZAAR says it was the wrong call, and confirmed what everyone who understands what a forward pass is, has been saying.
graymatter
Roar Rookie
So, as I raised on another thread, How is it that Jaco and Seconds are two of the match officials appointed for the Brumbies Vs Bulls match on Friday night in Canberra!!!!!
Germán
Roar Rookie
.... and/or away at Buenos Aires.
Jarryd
Guest
Simply looking at where the ball was released vs where it landed doesn't take into consideration momentum. You can throw the ball directly behind you whilst running and your momentum will take the ball forward from where it was released, there's a really good video I can find for you, if you'd like. Fact of the matter is that its very doubtful it was a clear and obvious forward pass like the TMO claimed, if forward at all, and it cost the crusaders a victory at a time where it's a bit suspicious how favoured certain South African teams have been treated by the ref.
CUW
Roar Rookie
@ Nobrain its not just the argies. Blues and Japs have been getting bad reffing on a constant basis. Lions at home with saffa refs have been getting the most favorable reffing. the management of super rugger is strange indeed. for eg : during a world cup year , they decided to cut off 2 experienced refs - one of which is the best Asian ref Kubo - and appoint two club refs to the panel. both have been hopeless - with Jacobs a little better than Murkey , who is more or less dominated by the more experienced touchies and TMOs. if given the choice im sure many will say that : Jackson is better than O'Keef Marius is better than Peyper Rasta is better than Seconds easily if people want to see some good reffing and teamwork - go watch Bath v Leicester. bath won 32-31 and there was at least 10 TMO referrals as i recall. SANZAAAR is all talk - how great SH rugger is , how great super rugger is , how better tournament super rugger is - DUH super rugger is surviving becoz of the players who give it a go week in week out despite the odds - everything else is rubbish.
CUW
Roar Rookie
" Egon Seconds has a penalty count 43-6 for SA vs away teams over 4 matches. " Nope - that is the penalty stat for Lions playing at home with a saffa ref in their last 3 matches. However when they tour penalty count against Lions has been in double figures - so go figure :P
Lux Interior
Roar Rookie
Despite looking like it came backwards "out of the hands", Ennor's pass was touched by Reece a metre and a half in front of where it was released. That is a fail at the art of passing a rugby ball. Tough call in a tight game but the correct one by an often detested TMO.
numpty
Roar Rookie
Can't use wins to determine a ref's bias. If you only ref crusaders at home, you're gonna look like a pretty bias ref. You have to look at penalty count at least, and really you need to independently review match footage. Egon Seconds has a penalty count 43-6 for SA vs away teams over 4 matches. That, too me is a much more telling stat. It would be interesting to look at the numbers for other refs to see how they compare. And also of note, is attacking vs defending penalties. Teams in possession particularly seem to get the rub of the green.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
Good post Peter! I agree to most of that, although the loss of experienced players and coaches each year has certainly taken its toll on the Chiefs and Highlanders, who aren't what they were. Just look at the coaches - Mauger is no Joseph or Brown and Cooper is no Rennie. Then you have a scrum coach like Hoeft, who brought through Tu'inufiake, Hames, Harris, Moli, To'avao and Laulala into the All Blacks, off to Japan and look at our scrum this year. Mind you, the Crusaders have done alright out of Blackadder leaving! The other point is that we have done a fantastic job of selling the product abroad. We get millions to play overseas outside of the test windows or to have Adidas and AIG on our jerseys. But the system is set up against us. We don't get paid a penny to play at Twickenham, where they ramp up the prices when we play there such is the demand. We also don't get paid anything when foreign clubs poach the players that we have paid good money to develop.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
I'd go even further and have a clear policy like NZ Ireland and England, the three top Nations in the world for most of the past few years. We lose the odd top player, but not as many as Australia and South Africa because the jersey keeps most of them home. I'm not interested in anyone who doesn't value the jersey. If you only select home based players, the experienced guys mentor the youngsters, driving up standards, and you don't give other countries that intellectual capital. You can also manage their travel and workload, call them up for camps and input into their club coaching. That easily makes up in the long run for the players you lose.
Peter Evans
Roar Rookie
Every year Southern Hemisphere says the same. And every year we find new brilliance. One might argue if it weren't for the constant culling of those who now need a decent paycheck the scene might be congested with little room for new talent. And when there is less chance for newbies they stop trying and the pool diminishes. Keep up the good work New Zealand in particular. Everything points to NZ having great systems for developing new talent. The most important being the depth of provincial rugby. I particularly enjoy NPC/Mitre10. This is a great product and deserves better support. BUT NZ has a small population. They need to sell that product abroad.
Nobrain
Roar Guru
Ha !!! You are a hurting man. Pls refer to the last twenty minutes of the game. Just not look for the penalties, but also the ones that were not called. Three tackles over the shoulders went unnoticed, how convenient when the three pointers were at hand. Come on man!!! There were plenty of comments about it , and even mentioned in last weekend Wrap. The ALMOST national team is because we have only one team, the same team that everybody critiqued two years ago for not being competitive enough. Well , Jaguares looks pretty competitive now, Don ‘ t you think?
Short Arm
Roar Rookie
Yes Nobrain, as you can see from my comments & stats further below, Jaco is very much a home ground ref. SA teams must love it when he refs them at home.
Short Arm
Roar Rookie
Thanks Oliver for the article. Unfortunately you might be right about some of the SA refs. Seconds mightn’t be the only one, as Jaco Peyper’s stats aren’t real flash either. Up until round 13, Jaco has reffed 6 games for 6 home team wins. Seconds has done 3 games for 3 home wins. Rasta has done 6 games for 4 home wins. With handing out yellow & red cards, the SA refs don’t seem to have a significant difference between home & away teams. Of interest is that Seconds & Jaco are in the same ref pod group. So you often see Jaco talking non stop into Second’s ear all game from the sidelines when Seconds is in the middle. So all the blame shouldn’t rest on the less experienced Second’s shoulders. For your interest, the worst home ground ref for AU is Agnes Gardner who has 4 home wins out of 7 games, with a card count (yellow & red) of 7 for the away team & 2 for the home side. For NZ, it is Glen Jackson who has 5 home wins out of 7 games, with a card count of 6 (away team) to 1 (home). Oliver, it might be just that teams play up while away & is the reason for the lopsided count or these refs in particular just don’t have a spine to upset the locals??
Piripiri
Roar Rookie
Rubbish. Your replacement props were scrumming illegally and being under pressure the jags were infringing regularly in ruck. You guys always complain with no specifics... just bc you’re almost a national team doesn’t mean u should win!! I repeat...give me specifics of what okeefe did. Jags are biggest whingers and Hollywood artists going....this is rugby not football!!
Nobrain
Roar Guru
Jaguares have to play with SA ref as well Kiwi refs and we are always in the wrong side for them. O “Keefe las week was awfully wrong in the last twenty minutes of the game. Not to mention Jaco Peyper , not Jaguares or Los Pumas has ever won a match when he is the ref.