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Anyone who has ever watched cricket umpires decide whether a catch has been taken close to the ground or not will be well aware of the issues a two-dimensional picture poses when dealing with a three-dimensional event.
With a mid-year program described by some as ‘light’, Ian Foster and team were going to have their work cut out narrowing in on their starting XV and bench for the first Bledisloe Cup match, which is only a few short weeks away.
Is it just me who is concerned that the All Blacks’ coaching panel does not seem to be demonstrating a commitment to the core of their first-team selection and combinations, nor a core game plan that fits those selected?
The run-up to the World Cup semi-final in 2019 had many a New Zealand rugby union supporter experiencing increasing nervousness as the coaching panel were displaying an unshakeable belief that no matter how slow ruck ball became, and no matter how much time defences had to reset their full defensive lines on the back of […]
As we settled in for the mid-year internationals, there were a few things well worth keeping an eye on.
The path to the new rugby world started back in the Six Nation as Antoine Dupont, Charles Ollivon and Gregory Alldritt combined to use quick ruck ball to snipe and offload close to the ruck and take advantage of the defensive lines that simply could not get reset in good order.
The word is out that New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and the Players Association are meeting again this week to try and move this deal forwards but given that the Players Association are proposing a solution to a question that is not being asked it is highly unlikely that any meaningful progress can be made.
I recall a response from then Manchester United Manager Alex Ferguson when questioned about potential favouritism given the number of penalties his side were awarded during the season, when he pointed out that his side were simply in the opposition penalty area more than anyone else.
Does anyone else remember the opening weeks of the Super Rugby Aotearoa rugby competition in 2020?
Opening round of Super Rugby 2020: the Highlanders are at home to the Sharks on the ridiculously early date of February 7.
This British and Irish Lions tour year provides some real conundrums for the travelling coach, who needs to decide on players with either history or form.
Let’s get the disclosure in early: making broad pronouncements following a relatively one-sided run against a side who have lost 30 games in a row does not provide one with the sturdiest of platforms, but there was something about this Ireland side.
With safety increasingly paramount in the game, referees are taking a hard line on shots to the head – as they should, and perhaps, as they always should have.
Now all of the code constituents are firmly facing in the right direction after Part 1 of this series, we should appreciate the wider changes evident in the game based on attention to a relatively small number of centralised changes.
Call it what you will: the ripple, contagion or domino effect. In our code, small changes have a wide impact on how the sport is played.
At the end of the last Six Nations season, I saw a statistic that George Kruis was the leading hitter of attacking rucks in the Six Nations, on a ruck-by-attacking-minute basis.
Officiating kept its place in the spotlight this week as World Rugby told referees they have been searching too hard for mitigation, while Nigel Owen kept himself in the headlines advising that referees need to officiate the law book as written.
There is no doubt who is the form rugby player in the world right now.
Before a ball was kicked, word was out that World Rugby’s new match officials supremo, Joel Jutge, had spoken to the refereeing panel to ensure both the five-second law and the breakdown directives of 2020 (which had largely been ignored at international level last year) were correctly officiated.
I have met a number of referees over the years, all of them called Sir and they universally referred to me as “six”.
I’ll get you started
I sort of have been accused of making comments last week and before the match, I never said anything about the TMO. I am not sure how the narrative has changed from that point of view.
All of the major British media outlets jumped on the late development, and while Gatland hasn’t publicly commented, they described as being “furious”.
Big calls if anyone can prove he did say something
Gatland might have got his game plan and selections all sorts of wrong – but he wont be answering any charges about attacking Marius Jonker
Warren Gatland is ready for a Lions-Boks 'cup final'
Please show me the public comments that Warren Gatland made.
Anywhere he mentions the TMO appointment and names official before test day
Simply didn’t happen – no matter how many times it gets incorrectly repeated
I ‘ll wait
Warren Gatland is ready for a Lions-Boks 'cup final'
Doesn’t mean what got into the press was in line with our games values , what it does mean when the sanctions start flying this week Gatland is clean.
He should have spent more time at the selection table and on the game plan than his media strategy though.
The Springboks handle the British and Irish Lions 27-9 to level the series
Show me the quote Harry – this is the telegraph
‘Warren Gatland, the British & Irish Lions head coach, has been left furious after learning that South African Marius Jonker has been appointed as television match official for the Test series against the Springboks’
He said nothing in any pubic forum
The Springboks handle the British and Irish Lions 27-9 to level the series
Find me a single quote where Gatland mentions Jonker by name and the TMO appointment i in the week before the 1 test
Either at a presser or interview
It didn’t happen
Only the asst coach on the friday morning mentioned it and that was all bland.
Lots of ‘it is reported that’ and ‘it is believed’ but Gatland did said nothing about the TMO appointment until right before kick off in a sky interview
Looks like they planted something in the press – but Gats is clean from sanction- very clever
He did have a shot at him after the SA A game, but in terms of the TMO appointment – nothing
He made a point of getting this out there before game time yesterday
The Springboks handle the British and Irish Lions 27-9 to level the series
Absolute free ride, unreal at this level, esp with Marx throwing – gives him the easy out too.
The Springboks handle the British and Irish Lions 27-9 to level the series
Well, we have a decider.
Boks did Bok things better and were the only side that looked like wanting to move the ball (albeit laterally most the time) for most of the day.
The big difference week 1 to 2 was Pollard taking the opportunity to play a lot flatter to the line and Lions not having an openside capable of getting out and closing him down, thought Curry was quiet second week in a row. Faf presented that running picture absent from week 1
Overall the Lions loose forward trio were more 1H of last week than 2H, awful offensive breakdown, just awful, not enough guys quick enough to get to the breakdown nor accurate enough to effect the clean out and the Boks picked them off at the turnover for fun.
In that vein who would want to be in a backline serviced by Conor Murray, one of the big errors at the selection table, Lions under pressure behind their own line every time they didn’t kick it away, a major Gatland blooper again based in picking a side not to lose rather than one capable of going out and winning.
80 minutes 73 kicks – hardly a surprise given the two coaches but how poor were the Lions catching the ball, another selection error in leaving out Liam Williams.
But if 80 minutes of football is going to take 120 mins to complete our game is in all sorts of trouble.
Oh – one last thing, who was calling the defensive lineout for the Lions, behind on the scoreboard and EE takes 5 consecutive lineouts at the front unmolested in 2H – the Lions didnt think their way through this game, SA did.
The Springboks handle the British and Irish Lions 27-9 to level the series
That’s the 1 thing very noticeable this year
Captains get called by their names and everyone else by their number
Berry was very clear on this last week
It’s a great advance
'I didn't feel respected': Springboks captain backs Erasmus rant on Aussie ref
I heard a study quoted this week Nick that said there are penalty offences at 91% of all breakdowns. ( was a Uk but I can’t find the study online but bear with me)
So using that study there should have been at least 126 penalty offences that could have been identified on the day, say half and half, Rassie missed another 37 offences potentially in his team favour, rather lax of him.
Now that is never going to happen but it shows that any video selecting any number of offences between 0 and 167 when only looking at one side is totally pointless.
'I didn't feel respected': Springboks captain backs Erasmus rant on Aussie ref
I cant think of a better parallel
'I didn't feel respected': Springboks captain backs Erasmus rant on Aussie ref
If you watch his interview and are convinced of his personal veracity on the subject then I will respect your view JN.
For mine it looks like he is just following the party line.
Paul Ds review of the 80mins and referee interaction is pretty clear though
'I didn't feel respected': Springboks captain backs Erasmus rant on Aussie ref
I haven’t heard the word parallax since old study days of trying to figure out how far stars were from the earth.
'I didn't feel respected': Springboks captain backs Erasmus rant on Aussie ref
Thanks for taking the time to do that for us all PaulD
God knows I wasn’t going to go back over that again
And your result, hardly a surprise is it
Not so sure I have Kolisi in the villain corner, more victim, didnt look to me like believed what he was saying, he has to back the management/coaching staff.
At least until next week when they are all suspended
'I didn't feel respected': Springboks captain backs Erasmus rant on Aussie ref
what shady unofficial stuff?
And they dont make they themselves available to one team and not others – you are off in weeds making stuff up
Seems the process that every rugby coach in the entire world has been using effectively for years doesn’t apply all of a sudden when SA get beaten.
Self-centred entitlement at its very public worst.
Wonder how those Code of Conduct reviews are going at SARU and WR right now
Indefensible
'I didn't feel respected': Springboks captain backs Erasmus rant on Aussie ref
This would have happened and is the reason the officials didn’t respond until Tuesday
Not too hard to follow is it
'I didn't feel respected': Springboks captain backs Erasmus rant on Aussie ref
keep going PaulD
'I didn't feel respected': Springboks captain backs Erasmus rant on Aussie ref
There is a process that has been in place for years
Sunday – Individual review of the game by the official
Monday – Officials team review in junction world rugby referees team- JP Doyle advises this is a five hour process
Tuesday – available to both team for discussion and clarification
It has always been thus
Not sure why should change it because the Special One is having an episode
'I didn't feel respected': Springboks captain backs Erasmus rant on Aussie ref
SARU and WR code of conduct and list of sanctions could not be clearer.
Time to step up
Erasmus's extraordinary 62 minute video rant at Aussie ref Nic Berry stuns World Rugby
And they should, its just another mechanism to slow the game down
Erasmus's extraordinary 62 minute video rant at Aussie ref Nic Berry stuns World Rugby
His lack of awareness of personal responsibility here is just astonishing, thought it should probably be pointed out.
Erasmus's extraordinary 62 minute video rant at Aussie ref Nic Berry stuns World Rugby
OK, I couldnt resist at least one cheap shot.
Erasmus's extraordinary 62 minute video rant at Aussie ref Nic Berry stuns World Rugby
Sometimes the timing of ones article just doesnt go in your favour
This one rather usurped by wider events
Has Rassie's 'Kool-Aid' gone stale?
WR have been taking an activist approach to the game this year, and largely for the better.
But right now they have to come down hard on this behavior in order to protect every referee at every level of the game.
If SARFU do nothing
This wont even be an if sadly PK.
Erasmus's extraordinary 62 minute video rant at Aussie ref Nic Berry stuns World Rugby
He actually gets a supporting leg to ground first – as you say – Watch the video
Was this worthy of a red card?