June Internationals not involving Australia
- Thread starter waiopehu oldboy
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Up the Guts
Steve Williams (59)
Typical 9 always looking to get out of contact.
KOB1987
John Eales (66)
Watching the replay and can confirm the he said ‘I just want to check if I stopped the player’.
Ha ha. So he checks just to confirm he doesn't care if he did, and apparently cannot do anything about it if he did anyway.
Dan54
David Wilson (68)
KOB, did you watch in the replay how early the French 9 ran into the ref? I really thought he did it before Smith had even picked up ball at scrum. Just wondering is all, and wondered why he did it. And would add I don't know how to find it on the net, or I would check it again
KOB1987
John Eales (66)
KOB, did you watch in the replay how early the French 9 ran into the ref? I really thought he did it before Smith had even picked up ball at scrum. Just wondering is all, and wondered why he did it. And would add I don't know how to find it on the net, or I would check it again
Yes on reflection he might have been trying to milk it a bit and maybe that's what the ref determined, but the point was that he said that he wanted to check to see if he 'stopped' the player and it's hard to argue that he didn't.
Grant NZ
Bill Watson (15)
I've always thought it's weird that there's no law about the ref obstructing defenders. It's hardly new, most halfbacks at top level are good at exploiting the ref's positioning as a way to put the defence in two minds.
It's a bit rough at times, but on the other hand the ref has to go somewhere and it's also worth noting that if the French HB hadn't been in an offside position, he'd not have run into the ref. He's required to either stay by the scrum or retire 5m until the ball comes out and he was clearly making his way into no man's land before the ball was cleared.
It's a bit rough at times, but on the other hand the ref has to go somewhere and it's also worth noting that if the French HB hadn't been in an offside position, he'd not have run into the ref. He's required to either stay by the scrum or retire 5m until the ball comes out and he was clearly making his way into no man's land before the ball was cleared.
Grant NZ
Bill Watson (15)
KOB, did you watch in the replay how early the French 9 ran into the ref? I really thought he did it before Smith had even picked up ball at scrum. Just wondering is all, and wondered why he did it. And would add I don't know how to find it on the net, or I would check it again
He kind of follows the ref, but he's looking at Smith all the time and may not have even known. But he didn't actually run into him till the ball was (just) cleared. Here's how far he got with ball still in scrum.
Dan54
David Wilson (68)
Meant to add, you can see the ABs are trying to play to the second line of their attack to avoid rush defence, and this seems to be changes that were talked about. Seems they not quite as keen to take ball to line before offloading as often, but using the players coming in behind from depth.
The torpedo
Peter Fenwicke (45)
Or alternatively the ref could - oh I don't know - step out of the way?
Grant NZ
Bill Watson (15)
The ref actually backs up as the ball is about to be cleared, it's just that the French player - in moving to an offside position - follows him.
How is he offside?
Grant NZ
Bill Watson (15)
A halfback has to either stay beside the scrum or retire back with everyone else. They can't crab across like that before the ball is cleared (though they always do).
Fair enough - it's like the calling of a blocker in forming a maul then, or not immediately passing the ball back to the hindmost player in the maul - happens almost every maul, gets called once every few months. As you say, you see 9s in this position all the time. Like many Rugby laws, more honoured in the breach.
Grant NZ
Bill Watson (15)
As it turned out, he'd probably have been better off hanging back near the scrum anyway - if he'd been there to pressure Smith immediately, he'd have had to pass earlier and DMac would have received the ball behind the advantage line & the rest of the defence would have had more time to adjust.
That said, it's a nonsense that the law doesn't provide for defenders being clearly disadvantaged by the ref.
Dan54
David Wilson (68)
Yep but the ref is watching the ball , was he to step in someone else way? Just remember the 9 ran into him for some reason, the ref didn't move into his way.
Blake
Ted Fahey (11)
That’s crazy, the French just had no one marking our 5/8 who was standing at first receiver, which was why he had to join the defensive line. Was their 5/8 on the wrong side of the scrum marking no one?
KOB1987
John Eales (66)
That's the gravy stroke, you can see him holding his earpiece to his ear while he's watching the replay, I reckon someone radioed in (probably Ben Skeen from Sydney!) to tell him he was allowed to impede players as long as they didn't have the ball.
Derpus
Nathan Sharpe (72)
Please stop, my eyes can only roll so far into the back of my head before i tear off the optic nerves.
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