Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Andy Farrell takes pot shot at ref: 'I don't know the rules any more regarding that'

By PA
Stuart McCloskey on the run /Getty Images

Andy Farrell admits Ireland’s laboured win over Georgia was unacceptable and accused his players of lacking belief. The Irish failed to assert their dominance over inferior opposition in Dublin as they ran out unconvincing 23-10 victors to secure second spot in Group A of the Autumn Nations Cup.

ADVERTISEMENT

Tries from Billy Burns and Hugo Keenan helped put the hosts 20-7 in front at the break but they were unable to add to that advantage during a dismal second half, which finished 3-3.

Asked to assess the performance, head coach Farrell said: “Not good enough, not good enough.

“Certainly in that second 40, it wasn’t the standard we expect of ourselves, especially playing at home.

Video Spacer

Which Welsh players will make the Lions?

Video Spacer

Which Welsh players will make the Lions?

“After a first 40 that was decent enough, flowing at times, still obviously things to fix at half-time.

“In the second half, I just thought we didn’t have any courage of our own conviction.

“Georgia thoroughly deserved to earn the right to slow our game down by being total menaces at the breakdown, and all credit to them for that.

“But that’s not good enough from us.”

Victory for Ireland ensures they will host Scotland in next weekend’s third-place play-off.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, the manner in which it was achieved is a far more pressing matter for Farrell, who had made nine changes to the team convincingly beaten by England last weekend.

Georgia had not registered a point in the competition before arriving at the Aviva Stadium but broke their duck in fine style with a superb solo score from Giorgi Kveseladze.

While he offered a frank assessment of the overall display, Farrell also questioned the decisions of referee Mathieu Raynal to not allow first-half tries for Stuart McCloskey and James Ryan.

McCloskey’s effort was chalked off after Jacob Stockdale’s pass was adjudged to have travelled forward, while the French official later ignored stand-in skipper Ryan’s claims he had grounded the ball.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Two tries, one from a forward pass – I don’t know the rules any more regarding that,” said Farrell.

“We had a touch judge who was telling us it is a try and then a referee that says it’s not.

“James Ryan is over the line just before half-time, he’s got the ball down, so he says.”

Fly-half Burns, making his first international start, was a bright spark on a gloomy afternoon and his 15 points helped ensure there would be no upset.

However, the England-born Ulster player was forced off with a groin issue early after the restart, severely disrupting the rhythm of the hosts.

Replacement number 10 Ross Byrne contributed the home side’s only points of the second period with a penalty.

In addition to Burns, Farrell revealed he had a series of injury concerns, with hooker Rob Herring picking up a rib problem, scrum-half Conor Murray sustaining a dead leg, flanker Will Connors being forced off for a head injury assessment and winger Keith Earls suffering a back spasm.

Georgia, who are scheduled to play Fiji next weekend in the wooden-spoon match, produced arguably the moment of the match courtesy of Kveseladze’s 17th-minute score.

The centre collected the ball in his own half following some slick passing, burst into Irish territory and then dummied his way past Stockdale and Burns to touch down beneath the posts.

Visiting head coach Levan Maisashvili was encouraged by his team’s performance but dismissed talk of them being included in the Six Nations as premature.

“I am proud for my team. The boys scored an excellent try,” he said.

“But we had a couple of opportunities and we missed them. We are a young team and we’re still growing and we try to be, step by step, better and better.

“Before (being considered for) the Six Nations, we need more time to play against such a high level.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

36 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

36 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby? Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?
Search