Roar Guru
Joined March 2015
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A sports obsessive with an opinion on everything. Most of these opinions are alternative facts but apparently they're just as accurate as any other...
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In the most spectacular moment of Saturday’s Super Rugby Pacific Final, Damian McKenzie sprinted in to take the ball on the full from a…
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Excitement is building to a crescendo as Julian Savea charges towards the line. He flings a pass back inside as the crowd goes wild,…
It wasn’t correct according to the current laws. There was a mitigating factor in that there was little force because of the static nature of both players. There was far less danger in the Cane tackle than in the Kolisi one.
'So many s--t emotions:' Distraught Cane says he'll have to live with red card pain 'forever', Foz questions Kolisi escape
World Rugby has no interest in player safety. If they did they would be making some effort to address the 72% of head injuries which happen to the tackler. Only 28% of head injuries happen to the ball carrier.
All they are doing is trying to make themselves look like they’re doing something by addressing the smaller, really obvious problem.
'So many s--t emotions:' Distraught Cane says he'll have to live with red card pain 'forever', Foz questions Kolisi escape
Very true. But they also had to play with 14 men for most of the match because of a poor decision by a guy not deemed good enough to actually be a ref or assistant ref at the tournament.
'So many s--t emotions:' Distraught Cane says he'll have to live with red card pain 'forever', Foz questions Kolisi escape
The discussion with Savea happened as Pollard was setting up the ball before the kick was taken. He could have reversed his decision and given a scrum instead, or even given Savea the penalty.
'So many s--t emotions:' Distraught Cane says he'll have to live with red card pain 'forever', Foz questions Kolisi escape
If I was given a choice of which hit I would get, I would choose Canes. A slow moving shoulder as opposed to a fast moving forehead to my face? From a damage perspective the Kolisi hit was far more dangerous.
'So many s--t emotions:' Distraught Cane says he'll have to live with red card pain 'forever', Foz questions Kolisi escape
I don’t blame the ref. I blame the TMO. He made a couple of game changing decisions. For a guy deemed not a good enough ref to be a ref or assistant ref in the tournament, he got to make huge decisions that basically determined the winner.
As long as there is some mitigating circumstance in each case a card should remain yellow. In Kolisi’s case it was going to remain yellow because he was bent at the waist. But the Kolisi collision was far more jarring than the Cane one. It happened at speed with both players moving quickly. The Cane one happened much slower. Kriel had only taken a couple of steps and Cane had turned from a previous tackle so was upright but not moving into the tackle. Therefore the mitigation should have been there there wasn’t a high level of danger in the Cane tackle because of the slowness. It should have stayed yellow. If there was a high level of danger in it then there’s no way Kriel should have stayed on the field. He should have been off for an HIA. It was a poor decision in the context of the game and the tournament. In such a marginal decision they should have erred on the side of an even final, rather than erring on the side of pedantry.
This shows that too much power has been placed in the hands of the TMO. The refs are chosen for their ability to let the game flow and pick the calls that should be made. The most pedantic refs have been weeded out. But there has been no such weeding out of the most pedantic TMOs. The more pedantic the better apparently.
The TMOs picked for the RWC are generally third tier refs. Not good enough to be referees, and not quite good enough to be assistant referees. But one of them was given the power to ruin the RWC final. Sad.
'So many s--t emotions:' Distraught Cane says he'll have to live with red card pain 'forever', Foz questions Kolisi escape
A yellow card for falling on someone? Faf’s knock on which apparently went back. And apologising to Savea after watching the replay which clearly showed he’d released, saying “at the time I thought there wasn’t enough release”. 3 points for something he basically admitted on the field he got wrong. That’s pretty major in a game won by 1 point.
'So many s--t emotions:' Distraught Cane says he'll have to live with red card pain 'forever', Foz questions Kolisi escape
If Cane’s tackle was such a high level of danger, why did Kriel not have to go for an HIA? The tackle was so static that was the mitigating factor which they should have taken rather than kill rugby’s main showpiece.
'So many s--t emotions:' Distraught Cane says he'll have to live with red card pain 'forever', Foz questions Kolisi escape
Yes it was a game of fine margins. But the All Blacks are a difficult team to beat twice in a row. While Ireland managed it last year the ABs are vastly better coached now. They were always going to rise to the occasion against Ireland. I actually expected them to win by a lot more, but that just showed what a good side Ireland are at the moment.
Ireland would probably have beaten France. I was always a tad surprised to see people talking about playing the All Blacks for an easier game. That’s flawed thinking.
A possible letdown spot: Can the All Blacks overcome the dreaded complacency shadow against Argentina?
Totally agree that Māori sing, marae singing is special. But Māori are only about 20% of the population. The rest of NZ doesn’t sing. I sing anytime I can but I’m not your typical NZer. They tried to get crowds at the Lions games in 2017 to sing tutira mai nga iwi and that was a miserable failure.
You can hear me sing here https://youtu.be/DnecxgDYrQo?si=2vEcxsn8FKA6HV6K
The Wrap: Why that was the All Blacks' greatest ever RWC win - but the road to fourth title is still a rough one
I doubt that Argentina have prepared any special for the All Blacks. Michael Chieka famously said that he doesn’t study other teams to plan to play them. He prefers to develop his own team to play their way.
A possible letdown spot: Can the All Blacks overcome the dreaded complacency shadow against Argentina?
Aussies barely know the words to waltzing Matilda. I just took a group of young Aussies on a tour of NZ wars battle sites and when we went to the Army Marae I had to teach them the words so we could sing it as a waiata.
I went to the third Lions test in Sydney in 2013 on the train. The lions supporters were singing it up. The carriage was about half full of Aussies so I started up Waltzing Matilda. Virtually no one joined in. Aussies don’t sing unless they’re staggeringly drunk.
The Wrap: Why that was the All Blacks' greatest ever RWC win - but the road to fourth title is still a rough one
I’ve been a kiwi all my life and a trained singer for most of it. Only when there’s enough Māori and a guitar do kiwis sing. After 10 guitars has been done, no pakeha knows a song to sing.
The Wrap: Why that was the All Blacks' greatest ever RWC win - but the road to fourth title is still a rough one
Fiji lost to Portugal. They dropped three places after that.
A possible letdown spot: Can the All Blacks overcome the dreaded complacency shadow against Argentina?
DMac is required for this game. He’s exactly the person who can tear the Argies to pieces, particularly if he comes on against a tired defence.
A possible letdown spot: Can the All Blacks overcome the dreaded complacency shadow against Argentina?
Yes there is a point. After a massive game 6 days prior, a number of players will be flat and could potentially drop the level of the whole team. The team needs to be re-energised with some fresh meat.
A possible letdown spot: Can the All Blacks overcome the dreaded complacency shadow against Argentina?
Foster said he chose Christie over Roigard for his defensive capabilities. He was clearly planning a massive defensive effort, which is what transpired, even though he never trusted Christie enough to put him on. Surely on that basis he would have to drop Christie altogether this week and pick Roigard for his attacking capabilities. They will surely be planning to attack Argentina rather than hold them at bay.
A possible letdown spot: Can the All Blacks overcome the dreaded complacency shadow against Argentina?
I wrote this about six months ago in an article here on the Roar.
Because of this (lift and hangover) effect, it is likely that New Zealand will not win the coming RWC if Ireland are their quarter-final opponent.
Playing their most recent nemesis team, the All Blacks will probably lift to a level expected of great All Black sides and defeat Ireland handily, but will lose the following semi-final succumbing to the ‘hangover’ effect.
A possible letdown spot: Can the All Blacks overcome the dreaded complacency shadow against Argentina?
I wrote this article a while ago and predicted that the All Blacks would beat Ireland if they played them in the quarterfinal, but then lose the following semifinal due to the lift and hangover effect. Argentina are capable of making this prediction come to pass.
The ‘lift and hangover’ effect: how RWC history is stacked towards chaos at the pointy end
I think the answer for the ABs is to freshen up the team with a few fizzing individuals. Those that had massive games last weekend should go to the bench. I suggest Papalii for Cane, DMac for B Barrett, Roigard for Smith, Telea for Faianganuku and possibly Blackadder for Frizzell. This should ensure there is no complacency but several players would be fizzing at their opportunity.
A possible letdown spot: Can the All Blacks overcome the dreaded complacency shadow against Argentina?
NZers and Aussies don’t sing. Unless you’re Maori, but there’s got to be a guitar…
The Wrap: Why that was the All Blacks' greatest ever RWC win - but the road to fourth title is still a rough one
Longevity doesn’t necessarily make you the greatest. For much of his career Sam Whitelock has been there or thereabouts, a bit better than a journeyman but never the world’s best lock and often not even NZ’s best lock. It was Retallick who was once named world player of the year. Whitelock has never even been in the frame for this award. How can he be our best ever lock when he’s never actually been considered the worlds best lock? He’d probably rate in the top five of NZ’s best locks but nowhere near the best
The Wrap: Why that was the All Blacks' greatest ever RWC win - but the road to fourth title is still a rough one
But it’s the assistant refs who call the offsides. It’s actually fairly easy to stop being penalised for offside. You start from a foot further back. Makes little difference to your line speed when the attack is as predictable as Ireland’s was at the end but saves giving away a penalty.
The Wrap: Why that was the All Blacks' greatest ever RWC win - but the road to fourth title is still a rough one
Wayne Barnes was superb. His performance in 2007 as a ref in his first big pressure game was poor, but he has developed into the best ref in the world. Other than his call that the ball was out when Porter pulled it out from under an AB’s foot in the ruck, he had a great game.
The Wrap: Why that was the All Blacks' greatest ever RWC win - but the road to fourth title is still a rough one
Agreed. Porter coming from the side and taking the ball out of the AB ruck from under the feet was a bizarre moment. Other than that I thought Mr Barnes had a superb game. Since I cant see England making the final he has to be the favourite to ref the final.
The Wrap: Why that was the All Blacks' greatest ever RWC win - but the road to fourth title is still a rough one
Except the bloke who got the head knock didn’t get concussed. He didn’t even have to go off for a HIA. So how was that a red card offence?
'So many s--t emotions:' Distraught Cane says he'll have to live with red card pain 'forever', Foz questions Kolisi escape