Part VI of Not Set Pieces covers the TMO, law crackdowns, the semi-finals, quotes of the week and the team of the semis.
Waiting for the TMO
The TMO
The TMO was over-used at the beginning of the RWC, not only in frequency, but also in the time that was needed for each review. It was used for some trivial matters as though the officials were scared to miss anything.
This would make more sense in the NFL where every scrimmage is a set piece and the actions more discernible, and in rugby league where the players detach from each other quickly after every tackle.
But rugby union doesn’t stop with a tackle: the contest keeps going and there are a lot of players around the ball trying to retain it or steal it. A forensic examination of any ten seconds of play after contact in any game could probably come up with one or two breaches of the law.
It’s up to the referee to decide on materiality and that is why you don’t want the TMO chirping all the time.
The TMO process was streamlined after the debacle of the first game of the tournament and the organisers deserved some credit for that—though not for the public censure of Craig Joubert on another matter.
Tomas Lavanini – carded for a grass cutter with no arms
Law crackdowns
Phil Kearns stole my thunder on the weekend when he asked why some things were being cracked down upon in the RWC, instead of twelve months ago.
This would have reduced the number of infringements per game at the tournament and maybe avoided some turnaround moments.
The grass-cutting tackles where players used their arms as an afterthought after throwing their body at the legs of the ball-carrier was punished constantly—as Tomas Lavanini of Argentina found out in the semi-final.
Not using arms like this is a useful ploy against large humans. I recall that when Nemani Nadolo had his first game for Exeter four years ago an opponent launched himself at his legs and turned in the air so that the big fella tripped over his back.
The commentators of that game commended, with some humour, the good sense of the defender and did not discuss that he wasn’t even penalised. How times have changed.
The “neck roll” injunction is a good thing for rugby and it is just as well that Bakkies Botha has retired. It was always foul play and therefore illegal, but even the mildest use of it is being pinged at the Rugby World Cup [RWC].
South Africa were awarded a penalty in the 62nd minute of their semi-final and “Dead Eye Dick” (Handre Pollard) stepped up to take a shot at goal from 40 metres out. But “Ming The Merciless” (TMO George Ayoub) had spotted Victor Matfield mildly caressing the noggin of Kieran Read in an earlier clean out, and the penalty was reversed.
It seemed harsh but to be fair to the officials, Matfield, who played poorly as a reserve, should have known of the crackdown—but a likely three points were forgone and 18 minutes later the Springboks lost by two.
Semi-finals
Neither New Zealand or Australia conceded a try in their semi-finals, and their benches were superior to that of their opponents; so it was probably no fluke that they both progressed.
Jerome Kaino – NZ didn’t score another point in the first half after this try
New Zealand v South Africa
The wet weather made wide rugby dodgy for the All Blacks and therefore brought the Springboks into the game.
Plan A rugby was used by the Springboks to bash the All Blacks for much of the match and when that didn’t work they tried Plan A again. They kicked the ball away too much, ran the ball for only 150 metres in 80 minutes and got over the gain-line only 20 times.
Despite that they were better than the New Zealanders in the first half. Although the Kiwis enjoyed 65% possession and 72% territory, they couldn’t score a point after an early Kaino try. Their skills faltered and their poor discipline offered too many penalties to the Boks, who led 12-7 at half-time.
But the no.1 team in the world remembered who they were after the break and led by 20-18 when the crunch came with eight minutes remaining. 15 metres out from their own line they turned the Springboks’ ball over from a lineout drive, cleared the ball to 35 metres out, poached the Boks’ lineout throw and then ran the clock down.
You’d struggle to find a South African who was better than his Kiwi counterpart; so you’d wonder how they got to within two points, especially after missing 20 tackles and losing four lineouts.
The answer was probably that the physical assaults had some effect on the Kiwis and that they had at least earned the right to slot six penalty goals. But this was through the merit of the group and not so much, the individuals.
Wallabies v Argentina
Before the game Aussie backs’ coach Stephen Larkham looked over in the direction of set-piece coach Mario Ledesma as though to see if he was singing the Argentine national anthem, and indeed: it looked like Ledesma was mouthing the words. Why not?
Though playing with their most experienced starting lineup ever, the Wallabies were wary of the Pumas who put Ireland away in the quarter-finals with brilliant rugby and had been making line breaks against everybody.
Indeed, Argentina ran with the ball for many more metres than the Wallabies did, and attacked to a fault. They had more than double the clean breaks and made the Aussies miss 33 tackles, but at pivotal moments of the game they failed. The Aussies didn’t.
Compared to the street fight the day before this semi was exhilarating.
Australia got to 14-3 after ten minutes from a cheap intercept try by Simmons, of all people, then an Ashley-Cooper try after a left-handed Harbour Bridge pass right on the money by Foley.
Despite losing skipper Creevy, legend Hernandez and form winger Imhof, Los Pumas got to within seven points early in the second half. It was nail-biting time but after Ashley-Cooper scored his hat-trick try set up by a run for the ages by Mitchell, the Aussie bench finished the game for the Wallabies who won 29-15.
No tries against was a good effort but the Aussies will realise that their just-in-time scrambling defence won’t work against the Kiwis and that so many opportunities can’t be given to the Men in Black.
It was a brave effort from Los Pumas but as was the case with South Africa the day before: Argentina found out that slotting penalties was not enough
Springboks have to change their game
Quo Vadis Springboks ?
I remember writing in the old “Scrum” and “Super Sportzone” rugby forums just after the 1999 RWC that rugby had changed in the professional era and if the Springboks wanted to be contenders in the tournament from then on they would have to change the way they played rugby and use more expansive players and a more attacking style.
How wrong I was: they didn’t change, and although Australia beat South Africa more times than they lost since then, they didn’t win a Rugby World Cup and the Springboks did: in 2007.
But now South Africans are saying the same thing: that they have to use the ball more and not just kick the ball into opponents’ territory and play their rugby there.
They have the players to do it now—if they want to.
Michael Cheika and friend – “We have to improve massively”
Quotes of the week
Nick Mallet
While saluting the bravery of the South Africans, who came so close, let us not forget that New Zealand scored two tries and we scored none.
Heyneke Meyer
If you lose you lose, I don’t care if it is one point or 50 points
Augustin Creevy captain of Argentina
It’s a very good starting point. I feel very happy that rugby is progressing in Argentina and there are beautiful things ahead. The team is here to stay and will carry on playing to coach Daniel Hourcade’s plan: his offensive game. That’s the way to stay at the top of the world game.
Paul Cully
The Wallabies need to find another two gears in the final
Michael Cheika on the improvement needed to beat New Zealand:
We’ve only beaten them once in the last 10 matches; so they’ll be feeling they’ve got our measure and it’s going to be up to us to do something special: something extra just to be competitive.
So we’ll see how we go. We’ve got to improve massively from what we did today, to even be in the hunt next week.
Team of the semi-finals
It’s hard to judge players from days when the weather and conditions differed so much and one was so much of an arm wrestle and the other, free flowing.
I took a liberty in the centres, but this is my team, so why not?
[one_half last=”no”]
1. Marcos Ayerza (Argentina)
2. Dan Coles (New Zealand)
3. Ramiro Herrera (Argentina)
4. Kane Douglas (Australia)
5. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)
6. Scott Fardy (Australia)
7. Francois Louw (South Africa)
8. David Pocock (Australia)
[/one_half]
[one_half last=”yes”]
9. Aaron Smith (New Zealand)
10. Nicolas Sanchez (Argentina)
11. Drew Mitchell (Australia)
12. Damian de Allende (South Africa)
13. Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand)
14. Adam Ashley-Cooper (Australia)
15. Ben Smith (New Zealand)
[/one_half]
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