The Rotorua connection
Two school chums played each other for the first time in a test match at Twickenham on Saturday and neither of them was born in the country they represented. Both were born in Rotorua, went to the same high school and played for the same junior club.
One was a no. 8, Dylan Hartley, who moved to England when he was 16 and was first chosen for England at 22. The other was fullback, Kelly Haimona, recruited by the Italian national side when he was 25 and becoming eligible when he was 28.
Hartley, a hooker now, is three months older and only three kilos heavier because Haimona is one of the the biggest flyhalves in the world at 107 kgs.
Dylan Hartley nails school chum Kelly Haimona
Their paths didn’t cross too often after they ran on the park at Twickenham but Hartley nailed Haimona once.
Haimona played commendable rugby in his first tests in November, but had a poor game at HQ, especially kicking at goal.
Hartley played well and behaved himself, being a serial boofhead under a last warning from his coach Stuart Lancaster.
The Murrayfield bombings
There were two sanctions before half-time of Scotland v. Wales for the same offence.
In the 31st minute Dan Biggar hoofed a bomb and chased. 30 metres later he jumped and caught the pill but his legs caught the shoulder of Finn Russell who was watching the ball, but saw Biggar at the last moment and turned his back.
Biggar was tipped over on contact and several fellows with beards including, Jake Ball, were involved in the handbag session. Commentator Andrew Cotter remarked that they were having a “beard-off”.
Russell was given a yellow card.
Dan Biggar – upended at Murrayfield
Five minutes later Jonathan Davies of Wales chased a high Rhys Webb kick and went to catch it, always looking up at the ball. He collected John Beattie who had the position, and both players went to the ground.
Davies was carded even though he jumped for the ball and Russell didn’t in the earlier example.
They were both incidents of foul play and the correct sanction was given
Players have a duty of care to their opponents and if sometimes they just get it wrong, it is no excuse: they have to get things right .
The invisible Mr Faletau
If Scotland was a tad lucky that Russell did not get a red card for his indiscretion, karma caught up with them minutes later.
Scots’ winger Tom Visser ran the ball and Taulupe Faletau applied to his right arm to his chops. As Visser fell he popped a pass which was spilt forward.
The high tackle was missed and 30 seconds later Rhys Webb scored the first try for Wales.
Taulupe Faletau – noticable in attack
There was more karma catchup for Wales for another Faletau high shot six minutes before full time and this was also missed by the officals. Reserve back Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, stepped inside and was met by a reaction left arm from the Wales no. 8, to his head.
As the ball carrier was falling he dropped the pill and referee Glen Jackson adjudged it lost forward. A “try” by outside centre Mark Bennett was not allowed.
George Ayoub, the TMO at Twickenham the day before, would have gone outside the protocol and talked Jackson into reviewing the high tackle, though not asked about it; but he wasn’t at Murrayfield.
Karma
The remarkable Johnny Sexton
The Ireland out-half had been not been in action for twelve weeks after suffering four concussions in 2014; Ireland fans were nervous as the player must have been.
Because the two Ians, Keatley and Madigan, had not fired against Italy the week before; the consquences of losing Sexton to another concussion couldn’t be contemplated in a RWC year—not to mention the effect it would have on his long-term health.
He had a shaky start passing the ball into touch but he settled down and the way he piloted Ireland around the field was as though he hadn’t been away from the game; and he kicked all his goals.
Johnny Sexton – has the game stitched up
But France targeted him and used hit-man Mathieu Bastareaud to make Sexton anxious. In one tackle five minutes into the second half there was a head clash between the pair and Ireland held his breath as blood poured from Sexton’s head and he was taken from the field.
Relief came when he returned stitched up.
Guess who was chosen as the man of the match? Too easy: it was Johnny Sexton.
The centres of attention
There were two fine outside centres on show in the England v. Italy match at Twickenham.
The England 13 Jonathan Joseph, who was overlooked for the England tour of New Zealand over the summer, was adjudged to be the man of the match, but Luca Morisi was scarcely less impressive.
Morisi set up the first try for Italy after three minutes before dishing out to his skipper Sergio Parisse, to open the scoring. Early in the second half he ran through defenders after Italy got turnover ball, and staggered over the line to score his first try after being tripped up.
Jonathan Joseph – slippery and can read the defence
Joseph played mostly on the wing after Mike Brown was stretchered off early and the backline was rearranged.
He scored two tries but his first was a gem. He got turnover ball near halfway and used quick feet to dazzle Haimona and then a quick mind to read the space between defenders to score.
These two fine midfielders in their early 20s are going to be around for a while.
Time for a foreign coach for France?
Neither the Ireland nor France coach would be that happy about the performance of their team on Saturday.
Phillippe Saint-Andre has already expressed his discontent about half backs 9. Rory Kockott and 10. Camille Lopez. The criticism of Kockott was bizarre since he picked him there for the first two games despite howls of protests. And when Clermont scrummie Parra come off the bench at Aviva, he sparked the side as critics said he would.
After a good start in internationals Lopez is struggling to find his Clermont form but perhaps a pairing with club team mate Parra will spark some improvement in the next test.
Phillipe-Saint Andre – replace him with a foreigner?
And Saint-Andre’s off-hand comment about Pape’s knee to the back of Jamie Heaslip, cracking a vertebrae, was just as ludricrous.
His predecessors didn’t have much of a clue either. Maybe the recruitment of a foreign coach after the Rugby World Cup is on the cards.
Joe Schmidt would be content with winning, but Ireland couldn’t score a try, and his measured game plan for Six Nations seems unlikely produce many against strong defenders. The plan also depends too much of the availability of Johnny Sexton.
Choke tackling, work rate and big hits can only do so much.
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