NZ Super 15 Teams 2013

[Rassie]

They're bloody cheats. Offside, diving off their feet, taking out players beyond rucks, obstruction beyond rucks, slow the ball down by falling on the ball, obstruction in the backline. It's incredible no referee has the balls to ping them.

That is where the need for a chirpy halfbacks comes in to moan and distract the referee while they slow the ball up illegally.

 

[saderista]

They're bloody cheats. Offside, diving off their feet, taking out players beyond rucks, obstruction beyond rucks, slow the ball down by falling on the ball, obstruction in the backline. It's incredible no referee has the balls to ping them.

Maybe the refs don't ping them because they are not really doing anything different than every other rugby team, no matter where they are from. Perhaps, you could take off the blinkers when you watch, that way you might have a more objective view of what it is you are actually watching.

 

[Rassie]

Maybe the refs don't ping them because they are not really doing anything different than every other rugby team, no matter where they are from. Perhaps, you could take off the blinkers when you watch, that way you might have a more objective view of what it is you are actually watching.

Then why is everyone trying to knee a Kiwi flanker in the face or smash his face in? Let me put it like this.

This was the great Michael Jones's era.

When tackled the tacklee wouldif he valued his hands, release the ball pretty much immediately. Forwards would link up (backs would not dare to be involved) to drive over the tackler and tacklee, both of whom would either try to roll away or cover head, face and other parts sensitive areas to avoid being trampled into the ground. Bruises and scrapes now and then received would ensure if you were foolish enough to slow the ball down or if you fell on the wrong side and purposefully sealed the ball off you know what was coming next TIGER STRIPES courtesy of a size 11 boot!

This is Richie McCaw's era

A player is tackled then rolls around for a bit adjusting his body position in an attempt to place the ball back advantageously for his teammates. Meanwhile the tackler pops back up to his feet and squats over the tacklee trying to rip the ball from the tacklee's grasp or, at the very least, to stop its release. Meanwhile everyone else in the vicinity launch themselves into it or drives to ground piling up over the ball because more bodies means more space the ball must cross which means it will be slower. Meanwhile some will stand at the side with their hands raised pretending they know exactly what they are doing when no else does.

While this is all happening everyone fans lazily out across the field with the knowledge the ball will not be coming out anytime soon. The scrum half could put on the kettle phone his mum and have a chat to his sister while who is visiting his mum.

That is todays rugby and he who cheats the best will win the game. And they ask if McCaw is the best ever in his position.

Well I think I just explained why he seems so good. Back inn Jones era he would not get punched in the face or kneed. He would not dare to slow a ball up. In fact none of these fetchers would try and cheat.
Traditional rucking produced quick bal and also occupied forwards who might otherwise loiter in midfield clogging up the pitch.

 

[saderista]

I agree, bring back rucking and half of the shenanigans would stop right there.
The problem nowadays is the different interpretations of individual referees, if they could be more consistent then it would be alright. Too many times players have there hands in the ruck stealing the ball after a ruck has been formed. G Smith has been guilty of this since his return and he has been getting away with it. The refs turn a blind eye to infringements from the team that is dominating the tackle. Players diving in the rucks on the pretense of cleaning out, when all they are doing is sealing off.

Rucking would stop this PDQ.

Never going to happen though is it.

 

[Rassie]

I agree, bring back rucking and half of the shenanigans would stop right there.
The problem nowadays is the different interpretations of individual referees, if they could be more consistent then it would be alright. Too many times players have there hands in the ruck stealing the ball after a ruck has been formed. G Smith has been guilty of this since his return and he has been getting away with it. The refs turn a blind eye to infringements from the team that is dominating the tackle. Players diving in the rucks on the pretense of cleaning out, when all they are doing is sealing off.

Rucking would stop this PDQ.

Never going to happen though is it.

Never say never mate. There is always hope.

The problem with inconsistency of the referees will always be a problem. No one think alike unless we get robots to referee. I cannot think of another sport where the interpretation of the rule by an official so clearly influences the way that teams play the match.

Different referees have a different sequence or approach to the decision, but they must judge, more or less in order. How the tackler interacts with the tackled player, when the tackle actually occurs. Four or five things happen more or less simultaneously, and so it really is a judgment call.

Ultimately, what the decision comes down to is assigning roles to the involved players, and deciding on the order in which events occur every tackle has similar events, and the job of the referee is to sort through the order in which they occur, and if he sees a different order to you or I, then his decision will be accordingly different.

 

[ACR]

Ma'a Nonu is just an idiot. Serial offender, called for being lazily offside (by about a metre) then 5 minutes later yellow carded for a ridiculous shoulder charge. He's been doing those exact two things his entire career.

Good to see Jamie Mackintosh back.

 

[Nusadan]

Ma'a Nonu is just an idiot. Serial offender, called for being lazily offside (by about a metre) then 5 minutes later yellow carded for a ridiculous shoulder charge. He's been doing those exact two things his entire career.

Good to see Jamie Mackintosh back.

Walsh the ref had to reconsider his decision not to award Nonu a yellow, but upon complaint from Ali Williams and seeing the replay on screen, he finally did the right thing.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Walsh the ref had to reconsider his decision not to award Nonu a yellow, but upon complaint from Ali Williams and seeing the replay on screen, he finally did the right thing.

I guess Walsh might not have seen enough in real time.
There was so much intent that a red card was a possibility, IMHO.


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[ACR]

I guess Walsh might not have seen enough in real time.
There was so much intent that a red card was a possibility, IMHO.


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lol It was possibly the most blatant shoulder charge I've seen, I reckon Walsh just bottled it. Got it right eventually though. Cost us 12 points that yellow card.

Oh BS call Walsh, since when did refs start calling that out of the ruck.

And the Highlanders throw away another try 1 metre out.. story of the season lol

Aaron Smith not paying attention at the back of the ruck.. story of the season.. not lol

 

[ACR]

Oh okay, spend 5 minutes just obliterating the opposition but wait, that means we might score a try! Quick, KNOCK IT ON!

ffs, how many chances is Aaron Smith going to get. Bring on the international superstar Fumiaki Tanaka.

That's just not a penalty, it's so bloody simple. He looked at it on the big screen. Guy is in the air and the kicker runs into him. Wut?

 

[ACR]

Injuries, injuries. Run out of back replacements. Front rowers coming back on. Locks on the flank, flankers on the wing.

AND WE FINALLY FINISH A TRY! FIRST TIME THIS SEASON. Took Jamie Joseph long enough to replace Aaron Smith, jesus.

 

[ACR]

Oh these fucking run away tries. How many times this year. 2 by the Chiefs, 2 by the Cheetahs, another 1 by the Chiefs. Reds playing their best game of the season and winning by 1 point. Honestly, sometimes you just need a bit of bloody luck.

We've had absolutely fkn none this season, and about 60 unforced errors.

 

[ACR]

I can honestly say, the Highlanders have been average this season but they do not deserve to have lost 6 games in a row. Sure they're making errors but so are all these teams playing against us. We've had parity (or the better) statistically almost every game. Every single game (except the Cheetahs), we've gone into the last quarter of the game with the chance to win. I've come out of every single game this season (except the Cheetahs) wondering how we lost.

I can expect people to argue that when you make mistakes at key moments you're going to lose but I watch a hell of a lot of rugby and other teams are winning games doing the same things, a lot of the time, playing much worse. I think I'm going to call this the Nonu curse. The rugby gods have been angry this year my friends (said in the voice of George Costanza). I'd better go do some farming and drink some beer to appease them.

Oh and if Aaron Smith starts the next game ahead of Fumiaki Tanaka I'm going to lose the plot (more so). When I started playing terrible my coach dropped me for an obviously worse player, tell you what, it bloody worked. When I got my next chance I took it.

 

[qwerty51]

There's no way Hore can be an AB this year. Woeful.

 

[Rassie]

No team play. Too many individuals doing their own thing rather than combining all the talent and skill into a overall team performance. Reason why its so easy to spot who is playing well and who is not for Highlanders