The opening round of the June internationals provided us with some unexpected results, interesting refereeing decisions and some cracking rugby.
Refereeing
With the northern hemisphere whistle blowers taking control of the Wallabies, All Blacks and Springbok’s games it was always going to interesting to see how the game would be refereed and also how the quickly the SANZAR teams would adapt.
All of the games had moments that left some of us scratching our heads.
In the All Blacks versus Wales game, what looked like a certain try to TJ Perenara was called back for a forward pass. After TJ crossed the line, referee Wayne Barnes called the TMO, George Ayoub, asking him to check what he believed was a forward pass in midfield. The replay showed what looked to be Aaron Cruden passing the ball backwards out of the hands (which is usually how passes seem to be judged as forward or not) and Ayoub said he believed the pass was fine. Barnes however disagreed and overruled him to disallow the try. It begs the question why the referral to the TMO.
Then in the South Africa, Ireland match there were two controversial decisions which could have had a major impact on the game. In the 23rd minute CJ Stander attempted to charge down a kick from Pat Lambie by jumping in to the air, colliding heavily with him before he landed leaving Lambie knocked out. Stander was given a red card for the incident. There were mixed reactions to the red card with some believing it was harsh as the player jumped to charge down the ball, was in the air and was committed so could not prevent the contact.
Later in the same match Robbie Henshaw was given a yellow card for a questionable high tackle on Elton Janites with replays indicating that Henshaws arms did not make contact
While much of the focus here on GAGR has been on the refereeing of Romain Poite, the refereeing of the breakdowns and general play appeared to be consistent across of the northern hemisphere referees. Historically there has always been a difference when it comes to the interpretations northern to southern hemispheres.
Grey Area – who is playing the game?
Should team officials or anybody on the sidelines be able to interfere with matches?
On Saturday night we saw Mike Brown attempting to catch a ball after it was in touch.
Wallabies Defensive coach and water boy on the night, Nathan Grey, attempted to go for the ball, appearing to interfere with Brown. Grey looked to be trying to make contact with the ball to prevent a quick lineout. Grey pleaded innocence, claiming he did not move from the technical box, but he clearly made an effort to get to the ball first.
World rugby has what is referred to as technical zone protocols that govern the actions of team officials on the sidelines. These protocols are generally to stop anyone interfering with the game.
Is it fair play for those on the sideline to insert themselves into matches in this small way, or is it a form of cheating? Grey at the time was claiming he did not move from his technical area, but does that allow for team officials to interfere in the game even if they are in their technical area?
It will be interesting to see if there is any action taken. Some may recall Liam Messam, performing the water carrier duties for the All Blacks being involved in an on field incident in the past. He was found to have breached the Technical Zone protocols and fined.
Nth v Sth gap closing or illusion?
With wins to NZ and Argentina and losses to the Wallabies and Springboks it appears that the gap between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere teams may be closing. But is it just an illusion? The teams from the North have had more time to prepare together, the 6 Nations was not that long ago, whereas the Southern teams have not had that opportunity since the World Cup. No doubt the Wallabies and All Blacks both looked like teams who had not spent as much time together.
Will this change over the next 2 weekends? As the Southern Hemisphere teams spend more time training together will the results change?
Or is this a genuine closing of the gap? It is hard to deny that the Northern hemisphere teams all performed well, and better than expected by most. Have they worked out how to counter the Southern hemisphere game plans?
One salient point to consider is the kicking abilities in the Northern hemisphere sides in comparison to Southern hemisphere sides. It was the defining factor in the English teams success on Saturday night.
With the Springboks, when comparing, it is hard to not wonder how much of an impact the player quota requirement has had on their team selections and overall performances.
All Blacks – rebuilding or still as scary?
It wasn’t until late in the match that the All Blacks really sealed the win against Wales, the result wasn’t really a true reflection of how close the match was. There were an unusually high number of handling errors from the Kiwis, their usually solid defence was at times completely missing and they looked disorganised, especially in defence.
Is this a sign that their run of total domination is coming to an end? There was so much talk about the quality of players they lost at the end of last season, how can a team possibly stay on top after losing the likes of Carter, Nonu, McCaw, Smith etc?
Early in the match it looked as though they might struggle, it seemed the replacement players just weren’t up to the huge shoes they had to fill. Cruden’s kicking was well below Carter’s standard, Crotty was near invisible compared to Nonu, and Sam Cane just didn’t have the same impact that McCaw had (although Ardie Savea was impressive in his debut once he came on).
But despite that, they showed glimpses of great play, their attack always looked threatening and if they sort out their defence … well I think there is enough there to still make any opposition just a little worried.
Keeping up with the Joneses.
It is certainly interesting times for the Wallabies and Australian Rugby. At the conclusion of this tour, irrespective of the result, once the dust has settled I think Australian rugby may find the uncomfortable reality that they are at a crossroads.
We knew it was going to be interesting, and the media show would be a performance in its own right but this production is almost a reality show of its own.
The Jones v Cheika show seems to be more of just the Jones show. The English players backed up his words on the field. Brian Smith’s article on the front page of the GAGR, “Coaching genius or tip-off?” about the decision to start with Owen Farrell and bring on George Ford at an unusually early time potentially being the key to England’s victory shows that maybe Jones did out think Cheika.
Oh, can we please get a new script. Yes, the world knows the English cheat in every scrum, like McCaw was never on side. More articles from the like of Phil Kearns about it, more whinging but still not a single referee is calling it! The next complaint is about the standard of the refereeing; how Romain Poite didn’t call this or that. Aussie supporters are certainly giving the whinging poms some competition when it comes to whinging.
From the players prospective: Scott Fardy said his team didn’t adapt quickly enough to Romain Poite’s refereeing at the breakdown and scrum. “Discipline is a big part,” he said.
“We need to make sure with their 50:50s, if they’re not on we’re pulling out and not making bad decisions.
“I was guilty of a few of those when I thought I was doing the right thing but it turns out I wasn’t.
“That’s what got England the game; six penalties they kicked — when you score four tries to two before the 79th minute and you’re still behind, it’s a disappointing thing.”
The ARU may be staring to have headaches. With next weekend critical for the Wallabies on the field, the rhetoric from the Aussie media and supporters is now turning and potential dividing or tainting the general public’s perception of the Wallabies brand domestically and internationally and the risk of ostracising fans is ever present.
The second test is critical for the Australian Rugby; both on and off the field.
The ARU will be hoping that the Fox Sports antics, primarily ex-Wallaby players and especially the Hoiles stunt, won’t again be splashed across the media throughout the UK, and rugby world.
