How does that work? Perenara can't advance until Phipps picks up the ball, and Phipps passed off the deck.
Yes, he can advance as long as he remains close to the scrum and keeps both feet behind the ball (his offside line) until his opponent picks it up. What he can't do it go onto the slot between the opponent's flanker and No. 8.
The reason for that charge-down is twofold:
1. Phipps' big, slow loopy pass
2. Having a clearing kicker on the left side of the field who cannot kick with his left foot.
Both of these gave TJP the time he needed to get there; a flat pass or a left footed kicker and it doesn't happen.
I honestly don't understand why Cheika has got such a hard on for Phipps anyway. Nick Frisby is a better scrumhalf and he's a long distance goal kicker too. I'd pick him as the starter with Nic Stirzaker on the bench.
On the disallowing of Henry Speight's try, IMO, the TMO was correct to
check the actions of Dane Haylett-Petty, and in the end it was a 50/50 call. Whether you agree with the call or not depends largely on which team you support. Cheika will no doubt whinge on and on about this for a week or two, but the fact is that if the shoe had been on the other foot, and an All Black try had been allowed after a potential try saving tackler had been intentionally been taken out in the same way, he would whinging about that too.
If you don't want to force the referee or TMO to have to make a 50/50 call, then don't put them into play. The blame for the disallowing of this try falls fairly and squarely on the shoulders of one, and only one person... Dane Haylett-Petty. What he did was dumb, unnecessary and cost his team a try; and more importantly a try that might have put them in front with 35 to play.
Anyone see Cheika in the post match interview? I'm losing respect for him, he is really painting a poor picture for himself and Australia in the media.
Cheika has some far more serious problems to deal with than a couple of 50/50 calls that didn't go his way, like
1. Why his players missed
29% of their tackles! (62 attempted, 18 missed)
2. How his team had 68% possession and 65% territory and yet were only able to score one try
3. Why his team were almost able to match the All Blacks running metres (503 v 523) yet conceded six tries and could have conceded eight were it not for two 50/50 calls that
did go their way.
Michael Cheika needs to turn his gaze inwards toward his team to find solutions, not outwards toward the way the game is officiated.
