Pretty sure they’d have to get the military to guard him and based on the state of them that might not be all that effective.

Can’t see him being the ref again for an SA game and good riddance.

@Ex force fan

I have read this a lot, “simplify the laws” why can we expect a flanker to know the laws and apply them during the match but not the ref?

The laws are fine, they make Rugby what it is. The problem is who they choose to apply them and how far they go to protect them.

@Wally James

You want to hold Rassie accountable but make no mention of holding Berry accountable? Why is Rassie guilty but a poor referee is not?

@Jumbo

This case needs to be brought to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

As an attorney, if Rassie was my client I’d have some serious grievances starting firstly with which law was applied by the supposedly independent tribunal set up by World Rugby.

Admittedly Sporting Law is not my field of expertise but based on a cursory reading of the judgement the ruling found that substantively there was merit to Rassie’s argument but procedurally it was incorrectly handled.

This perceived procedural incorrectness is subject to both the law being applied and also to the process the independent arbiters deem to be correct. In this, there is a great deal of space allowed in their appointment of so-called independent adjudicators for their own interpretations of what would be procedurally correct, this is based on their own interpretation of the law they felt needed to be applied as well as their own view on the sanctity of the refereeing in the game.

Again sporting law is not my field but borrowing some principles from criminal law, which like sporting law forms part of Public Law, the “law” that needs to be applied to this case is South African law as that is the locus of the action. That would then require a panel of legal experts in Roman-Dutch Law experts to be appointed and not the Common Law as practised in NZ, AUS and the UK.

This then calls to question the independence of the panel appointed as their appointment could inadvertently prejudice the outcome.

This could all be incorrect but that is my view on what should be done, CAS needs to give a judgement firstly on which law is to be applied and also on the procedural nature of Rassie’s actions as the substantive seems to be common cause.

@Piru

Don’t believe that for a second, you’re much too nice a person to be a ref also I don’t detect a seeing-eye dog?

@ Cape Town Wobbly

Sad to say yes, if my name started with B and ended with ill Beaumont and you were a talented rugby player, you’d be playing for Canada.

The problem with flexibility in rules in rugby is it is a game that by its very nature encourages people to test the limits of those rules. To me selecting players from other countries is outright cheating and should be stopped. Yes, there will be collateral damage, if memory serves James Haskell would have played for Israel but I believe players stealing other countries talent is the 2nd biggest threat the game is facing after the horrid state of refereeing.

@biltong

Technically they do, not directly but indirectly.

Adopt our rules on selection or else no tests, world cups or international club tournaments.

They have after all done it before.

@biltong

Putting a limit on the spaces available for them to go play is the point.

I am a Bulls fan and unashamedly so, our best young guys are Nortje and Elrich Louw. We need them to play in a league where they are tested and blooded to see if they will make the grade.

Take Toulon as an example, they have 15 non-French players in their squad best 2 IMO are Kolbe and Etzebeth they will stay under a 2 player limit but 13 others will be forced to play in their home countries as they will most likely not be the top “marque” players at another club or union.

My father played Currie Cup in the ’80s for Northern Transvaal and Wes Transvaal and he always said it wasn’t the guys in NT or the Springbok players he played with that taught him the game, it was the old hard men playing for East Transvaal and the like, the hard and seasoned campaigner who didn’t take a step back for anyone.

Our domestic rugby is suffering not exclusively because the top guys are leaving, our young players need to be exposed to seasoned pros to blood them.

I agree players will leave, the top ones will go and play for big clubs in Europe but the average guy that is tough as nails will stay and we will be better for it.

Currently, we are losing top players and “squad” players.

And while we are on the topic of things World Rugby gets wrong.

Eligibility is the easiest thing to fix and is within World Rugby’s power to fix within days.

2 Rules:

1. You play for the country you were born in, no exceptions.
2. No professional club, union or franchise that is affiliated with WR may have more than 2 players in their squad that isn’t from their country.

I have no desire to watch a hybrid Scottish, NZ and SA team play the Springboks. I want to see Scotland vs SA. A true “Test” of each country’s talent.

Also, WR bleats about protecting the local game across the world, putting a 2 player cap on squads will ensure a lot more of those players play rugby in their home countries and will broaden the talent pool in for example the Currie Cup. Literally, hundreds of players would return to play in SA if this rule was enforced and the standard in the CC would be arguably second to none.

@Piru

Admittedly I have some bias in my comment as a South African.

Over the years South Africa has been subject to some pretty awful shockers by referees and from my point of view that taught us that the ref is always part of the game whether you like it or not.

World Rugby is acting exactly like the Italian FA when Calciopoli was a thing which makes me even more suspicious of refereeing in World Rugby.

Instead of acknowledging that there is a problem with referees and firing incompetent ones teams are punished for airing their grievances and you get people like Poite refereeing 72 tests and retiring with honours when in fact he should not have had 1 test.

The Lions come around once every 12 years, 300 million people across the globe watched the games and now you’re meant to stay quiet when the ref in the first test has a horrible game? SuperSport, SkySport, Fox Sport etc pay billions to broadcast those matches and it is big business and you excuse the referee knowing that since 1974 the first test winner almost without fail wins the series?

To me, the problem is with who becomes referees you need the guy who played flank and played right on the limit to become a ref, not the kid who didn’t play at all. A lot of refs have no feel for the game because they don’t understand how it is actually played having never played it.

The most overrated player in world rugby right now. I’ll give him this, he is annoying on the field and has a way of being in the most annoying positions but that’s about it. Doesn’t get through tons and tons of donkey work like Mostert or du Toit, not as big or imposing as Etzebeth, De Jager or Retallick and is a long way off of the physical freaks like RG Snyman.

The way the British press goes on about him you’d think he is 9 foot tall and steals every lineout and when he hits a ruck it looks like the Somme in 1916.

Geoff always enjoy your articles and comments.

Refereeing standars ARE the issue, the feeling among South Africans are we have been on the short end of bad calls for too long.

I’ve said before I don’t believe some all powerful conspiracy is set against the Boks we just had bad luck but since 2011 too many bad ref performances have been against us.

Which is why we are saying the standard of referees from all over the world needs looking at. Even our own ref Jaco Peyper is an abomination and shouldn’t be allowed near an u/9s game.

I agree you made some very valid points in your comment.

My thinking was:

1. Only players that are fit and played in the Australian matches are eligible for selection.
2. For me the premier front row at the moment is the one the Boks normally throw on in the 2nd half and I have never been much of a fan of Malherbe to begin with. (believe he scrums with his knee on the ground which is a liability)
3. In my honest opinion the 5 best locks in world rugby all are playing for the Boks 2 of them didn’t play any matches due to injury and the 3 that did all played very well. (This is a great blessing to have but I also believe it is a bit of a curse as it makes us overly eager to play a game that plays to this strength.)
4. For me Hooper is a generational talent and I have never understood the hate he gets from Australian fans. He skippers the side.
5. Vermeulen was titanic in the 2 matches against NZ although I admit it might be a reputational pick there. Valentini is a great find for Australian rugby and I would happily pick him if Vermeulen is not a valid pick.
6. TJ Perenara played a good tournament to my eye which is why I picked him.
7. Same as with Hooper I believe BB is a once in a lifetime talent so when you can you should always pick him, Mounga is brilliant but BB is something else entirely IMO.
8. Kerevi picks himself.
9. Wings were hard as I think Ioane has been hot and cold but his sheer pace wins it for me, Reece would also be in the team but I just can’t get myself to pick him for some reason. That’s why I picked Korobeite who I believe is very solid and an underrated player.
10. Jordie B at 15 was a player I believe had a good tournament.

Now for the bench.

1. Front row can change as apart from the first 3 the rest are pretty even IMO, OX is a terrific scrummager and also plays well in the loose. Arg Hooker for the last 20 mins to bring the fire.
2. Mostert because of point 3 above.
3. Matera also for the fire and for the utility.
4. Happy to concede on Faf here, White should probably get the nod.
5. Pollard is an enigma, he is arguably one of the most talented rugby players of his era. He signed a pro contract aged 15 and won the under 20 world cup while still in school aged 17. He has so much to give and has many strings to his bow but does blow hot and cold at times. On his day there are none better and he offers utility and big match temperament, but all his skills and ability aren’t always used to the maximum. (which is why I’d pick Rennie to coach the team)
6. Mackenzie is a personal pick as I am a fan and think he is a game breaker bar none and he offers utility in covering multiple roles but I will concede there are other players that probably played better than him.

There’s my reasoning behind the team selection.

Happy to discuss any changes you think need to be made!

Been putting some thought into a combined team recently.

1. Kitshoff
2. Marx
3. Koch
4. Etzebeth
5. De Jager
6. Hooper
7. Savea
8. Vermeulen
9. Perenara
10. Barrett
11. Ioane
12. Kerevi
13. Am
14. Korobeite
15. Barrett

16. Niche
17. Agentina hooker (forget his name)
18. Best 3 of the rest
19. Mostert
20. Matera
21. Faf
22. Pollard
23. Mackenizie

Sorry for the spelling errors that have no doubt snuck in!

That is why I said ’91 no but ’87 for sure.

The 80’s SA team had 2 players in the backs that I rate among the top 5 best rugby players ever, Botha and Gerber (personally I think he is the best player in history) behind a ferocious pack of forwards.

Also had some handy men out wide with the Prince of Wings (Carel du Plessis) and the world’s fastest ever brick wall. (Ray Mordt)

It really is a shame that they could never compete as they would have dominated but perhaps that is why them not being able to had such a profound impact?

I always feel sorry for someone like Danie Gerber as the politics of the time denied him the career his talent deserved.

Never was a fan of Mr. Luyt and also not sure about ’91 but ’87 would’ve been a sure thing. Best side we have ever had. Tragedy that because of ignorance and racism they weren’t allowed to compete.

Anyway, looking forward to another one this weekend!

Bryce Lawrence and the fix that was in in 2011 would like to say hello…

That’s why we don’t like refs, it’s been happening and when we complain the rest of the world says “it’s part of the game”.

I say fire useless refs and stop protecting them from backlash instead.

@Waxhead

Unfortunately, rugby like most professional sports codes is a game of statistics.

A small nation or decent club side has between 1 and 5 “good” players.
A franchise/union has between 6 to 10 “good” players with closer to 10 meaning a stronger team.
A tier 1 nation like the Wallabies, Bokke and NZ have between 11 and 15 “good” players.

Rugby Australia’s problem, in my view, and why people are turning away from the game has more to do with this than with the style they play. People like to watch a sport as a means of escape, they don’t want to spend their hard-earned money to watch a team get beaten.

Take the Bulls at the moment, the Bulls are the strongest of our teams at present they have about 10 “good” players which places them 100% in the bracket of a very strong/dominant franchise.

Next look at an Aussie franchise at the moment, I have always liked the Tahs. Let’s say the Tahs are tracking around the middle with 8 “good” players. They have to compete on the regular with NZ teams that regularly track 10 “good” local players and then add 2 or 3 pacific island players to reach where most mid-region national teams are at about 13 “good” players.

As the result the Tahs get hammered, people stop going to matches, young boys lose interest and the cycle keeps getting worse because in 10 years the Tahs don’t have 8 “good” players they have 7 because of the eroding support.

If you want to grow the game in Australia and the rest of the world here is what you need to do:

1. World Rugby needs to enforce strict rules regarding who can play for a national team. “If you’re not born in a particular country you don’t play for them, no exceptions.” This will provide a massive boost to the 3 Pacific Island nations as they will all have about 4 to 5 “good” players added to their squads. This is also not just aimed at NZ and Australia but also England and France. The result will be adding 3 competitive sides to world rugby.
2. Next up World Rugby needs to enforce a rule that no club/union/franchise is allowed to have more than 2 foreign players in its squad. This will improve the quality of domestic leagues throughout the world, the best players will still earn their money but the seasoned campaigner will be in the domestic league where he is needed to improve the overall quality.
3. Begin a Champions League style club competition with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands sending qualifying clubs into this competition and end Super Rugby once and for all.
4. Specifically for Australia, stop playing the Bledisloe Cup. Losing a million games a year to NZ is destroying the game in Australia more than anything else. Take a hiatus, build up your strength again but you need to stop the losing trend. Cheat, send Hooper to Hogwarts, Bribery or Match Fixing use any means you have but I promise you as soon as you turn that around Rugby in Australia will be booming.
5. Create a Rugby Championship style competition for the Pacific Island nations and Japan. Get them consistent exposure to a decent level of rugby on a yearly basis with their best players available. Also have the big 3 Southern Unions share skills, coaching and analysis with them to improve their game.
6. Stop this nonsense of protecting the referee like he is the Pope. I work for a large company and as I have said before if my actions influence billion-dollar outcomes negatively I would be fired. Why are referees above this accountability? If they’re not good enough and if their failures influence results they need to be publicly called on it and then removed.

The last thing, Australia beat South Africa on Sunday in a messy close fought affair with very little in terms of running and open play and yet I have never seen more people engaged here. Winning is what Rugby needs, it’s a game for everyone and every style. That’s why we love the game. In the end, however, you do still need to win.

Sorry about the long essay!

With all due respect and no ill will intended we have no obligation to grow the game of rugby in Australia.

I admit I miss the days of Larkham, Gregan and Smith but helping Australia popularize the game is not our responsibility.

We have an obligation to grow the game in all communities in our own country and we are, ensure the next generation is going to be even more freakishly talented than the current one which they probably are and protect the game at grassroots level which we are.
More boys are playing rugby than ever before in South Africa, hundreds of thousands of people attend matches every weekend at schools and clubs and if you want to know why you can ask the NZ schools what happens when they play Grey, Paul Roos and Paarl Gim.

What we “need” to do is find better ways to translate our grassroots and age group dominance into sustained dominace in the open age groups and how would growing the game in Australia help us achieve that?

Biltong.

Some people may think it’s boring but let’s be honest, if we scored the 2 tries we left on the field that normally would’ve been scored and goaled some of the points we left out there we beat the Wallabies 50 something to 20 something.

Not saying it wasn’t a deserved win for Aus, it was. Just saying I am not throwing the baby out with the bathwater after one loss.

Rugby im SA in a pre-covid world was in a healthier spot than in any other country in the world. 300k people turning up every weekend to watch schools rugby up and down the country. Rugby growing in not just in the traditional white and coloured communities but also among black South Africans. Being the current world champs etc.

And that brings me to my point.

Rugby in South Africa is healthy because we are winning, “conservative” winning rugby means the game is growing.

If NZ and AUS think running open rugby is for them by all means we have no basis to tell them otherwise but for us playing to our strengths means the game is growing.

Can’t wait to see the comments on this one.

Also couldn’t agree more although I will concede we, the fans, might not be the bestest of losers. Personally I have been in a mood since yesterday about a scrum penalty not given and one that was given. 😔

I say there is nothing to reprimand.

I work for a large international company and if my actions or failure to act influences the outcome of a transaction or event worth billions of dollars I would no longer be employed by them.

Simple as that.

Why are refs being placed above accountability? We are letting small people who are easily bullied and manipulated influence billion dollar events through their failure to meet simple standards and then cry foul when they are publicly called to task?

We as South Africans have for most of my adult life been told refs make mistakes, 2011 Bryce Lawrence, Bismark 2013, 2015 WC Semi Final deciding penalty to name a few and have been told this is “part of the game”. I don’t believe there is some overarching conspiracy but I believe there is an incredible failure of leadership and accountability by World Rugby.

Hold refs accountable to higher standards, fire those that don’t make the cut and find others that can. When a surgeon operates on someone and makes a mistake he is held accountable, people don’t say “it’s against the spirit of the hosiptal to say anything in public about the doctor that killed him”.

I love this website and have been reading and occasionally commenting since I was 19, and in of those years (29 now) this is by far the ugliest post I have felt the need to make and the blame for that shouldn’t be placed at Rassie’s feet, it belongs to Bill Beaumont and the rest of the stooges at World Rugby who have failed to find professional refs for a professional game.

Red&Black the Doom of Mandos was a curse on the Noldor for 8000 years not sure I’d like SA rugby to wait that long 😉

Owen Farrell at 10??????

I dislike NZ and I’m the most one eyed critic when it comes to them but Barrett 10, Barrett 15 and the best rugby player in the world Ben from accounting at 14.
Also a personal wish of mine is to one day see Hooper, Coetzee and Read as my loose forwards.
Also don’t agree with 9 and 12, it’s Murray and Hemshaw for me. The rest I don’t disagree with too much apart from Etzebeth at 5 instead of Itoje.

Really SandBox, you’re an Aussie and you call us dirty? NZ and Aus pretty much invented cheating in sport.