Rugby

Despite us colonial teams beating ourselves up the more important topic is the upcoming northern hemisphere tours later this year

That will really test where the ABs and Wallabies are at . I’m really looking forward to those games

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True and we all get over these things and if we’d won the last 20 we’d be more circumspect. Trouble I have is this was our best chance in years, there’s only 2 games (that’s dumb as well) and even if we beat the ABs next week NZ will still hold the cup.

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Yes I’m not sure why only 2 games this year. That only usually happens in a World Cup year

I’m still fuming (as you can tell) and off for my swim maybe that’ll cool me down or at least take my mind off it.

Yes, I’m definitely looking forward to the tour think both teams may struggle.

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Nz had a frustrating time with Australia in the late 90s and early 2000s. Australia held the cup but year after year there were 2 match series which required 2 wins to take it. In that era NZ had heartbreak after heartbreak with late comebacks from Australia.

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Yep remember them well IDAK

Onwards and upwards - both teams will want the next one in Auckland , maybe wallabies more so to prove a point and break the Eden Park hooduu which has been around too long in their eyes

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And one last comment. I hope that jerk Swain’s yellow card gets upgraded to a red card. He’s put that AB fellow out for at least 9 months, that was real dangerous play and needs to be stamped out.

He’s got form, he must be a bit dense to keep doing it

Mind you there was an AB forward called Richard Lowe who was a real mongrel, if he was playing today he would be banned for life for the stuff he use to do, he must be dense also

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While I don’t condone foul play it gets a bit arbitrary picking out one player, there’s been horrendous things done by lots of players from every team at some stage. Funny that both the ref and his assistants only viewed as a yellow card yet they yellow carded at least one player for nothing. I think the ref lost control of the game and hopefully will not be given such an import game again, it was truly a poor performance.

Well I don’t care I’m off to the Cottage to celebrate ha​:crazy_face::crazy_face::crazy_face::crazy_face::crazy_face::crazy_face:

Only joking, yes poor refereeing all round , I don’t get these assistants either, weak as p**s water if you ask me

Pete Samu had a fantastic game, I don’t know why Rennie has not used him before in the starting 15

He was with the Crusaders for a couple seasons - one that got away, I rate him highly

Now seen the incident at the end of the game and as a neutral think Australia were hard done by. Lots of other games the referee would have allowed time for the penalty to be kicked into touch. Agree with Pete there is not much consistency. Reminds me of a recent 6N game where Farrell was warned of an impending yellow card if England continued to offend. Farrell asks the referee if he can speak to his players. The referee says yes. Whilst he is talking to his players and most backs are turned the referee changes his mind and allows a quick tap penalty and (I think) Wales score an easy try. I think that referee was French too!!!

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Having watched the game I agree. Swain does indeed have form and the TMO did well to pick it up. A yellow is a poor penalty in such circumstances (for the player).

As to the game, it was bish & bash to my eyes, with poor discipline on both sides (far too many pens), and the AB’s should have put the score beyond doubt but, like other performances of late, their awareness of what’s around them when making breaks is lacking.

As to the ending, I couldn’t make out what was said on the ref mic and Foley was taking his time. I think it was a difficult game to ref as both sides lacked discipline at times and there was a lot of sealing-off at breakdowns IMV. The AB’s were also fortunate not to get a yellow for the off-the-ball dump at a breakdown.

I’m not normally mean spirited in these things but I think the right team won as Aus should have been playing with 14 post Swain’s actions.

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So one referee’s mistake washes the other, sorry I can’t agree. Using that kind of thinking there’s probably lots of games where the outcome should or would have been different.

As for the ridiculous penalty at the end the Aussies apparently thought it was time off, even the Kiwi commentator thought it was tough and in his 30 years had never seen it happen.

Both incidences were caused by poor refereeing, there’s tough judges, tv referees and the on field ref and they still can’t get it right. Ruins the game.

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Pete - it was very odd, noting England played Wales a few years back in the 6N’s and there were some highly odd decisions that day, also by a French ref (since retired IIRC).

I’m not sure if the below is accurate but it seems as if it could be the case, in which event Foley wasn’t listening (or was selectively). The pen must be taken quickly per the laws (it wasn’t a kick at goal).

78.25: Penalty.
78.50: Raynal (Ref) - “Play on please”.
78.55: Raynal - “Quick play”.
78.56: Raynal blows time off. "Time off.
7 seconds elapses. “You play now. Time on.”
Three seconds.
78.59: Raynal “Ten?” - Foley looks back, begins kick.
79.04: Blows freekick

39 seconds had elapsed

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True, I’m not arguing that it’s just why choose then and at that point in the game to grow some balls. For a law that’s never (or hardly) used to cost a team a win, sorry he had a shocker. At least one of the yellow cars (Aus) wasn’t the correct call.

There was a lot of noise and confusion, and so what if he was wasting time every team’s guilt of that. The punishment didn’t fit the crime.

Pete - agree on the yellow for the Aus 9. No way did he cause the maul to collapse.

On a macro aspect, it is increasingly clear that matches are seeing far too many cards and pens, these things for a number of reasons – and, to my eyes, there could be far more as some things aren’t being penalised which should be e.g. joining mauls in front of the ball carrier and the constant pre-latching-on to the ball carrier. Teams/players have learned how to game the refs and the laws in some cases.

Things have got over-complex IMV, making the role of the ref even more important. Add a hawk-eyed TMO in to this mix and it’s no wonder things get messy.

I couldn’t agree more if the laws are that hard to enforce something gone wrong, I hate watching a game that’s stop start and ruined by bad or inconsistent refereeing.

Something has to give.

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Very odd referee’s decision- All Blacks will be conducting a review though as at 31-13 they should have closed that game down a lot easier than they did

Yes Samuel that is the most important issue to come out of this game

At 31-13 why didn’t they get on with it and go another couple of try’s

Very odd / Aussies very good and came back big time

Reading the media today ( which is always a worry ) and Foleys interview in the street , he accused the ABs of influencing the refs penalty which I thought was pretty disgusting

Time to move on

What’s disgusting the ABs influencing the ref or Foley saying it.