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Controversy mars final match: 'We were hard done by there, that's my honest opinion'

By AAP
Alan Alaalatoa. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

The Brumbies have urged officials to wise up to the Queensland Reds at scrum time in the Super Rugby AU finals after claiming they were hard done by in their loss at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

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The Brumbies, who will play the winner of the Reds and Melbourne Rebels in the final in two weeks, lost to the Reds 26-7 in their final regular-season game.

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar admitted the Reds’ three tries to one victory was deserved but didn’t miss his chance to send a message ahead of a potential rematch in Canberra in a fortnight.

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Brumbies coach Dan McKellar – interview Round 10

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Brumbies coach Dan McKellar – interview Round 10

Angered by a 3-0 scrum time penalty count in favour of the Reds, he and captain Allan Alaalatoa claimed hulking Reds prop Taniela Tupou had hoodwinked the referee.

“We were hard done by there, that’s my honest opinion,” the captain said.

“We did everything we could to paint a picture (of compliance), but it wasn’t good enough for the ref.”

McKellar said Tupou’s opposite Scott Sio had been unfairly blamed for dragging down the scrum in claims similar to those echoed by the NSW Waratahs earlier this season.

“The scrum’s been a frustration for the whole competition to be honest; it’s not the loosehead (prop’s) job to keep the tighthead up,” the coach said.

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“We’ve had a number of conversations about it and I know it’s been frustrating for officials as well, so hopefully it’s a bit tidier in a couple of weeks.”

Queensland Reds coach Brad Thorn wasn’t going to bite when asked what he thought of the accusations.

“Same old, same old hey, it’s all we hear for weeks,” he said.

“So I don’t know what I’m supposed to say really; he’s been doing the business all year and he wasn’t tearing them apart tonight, just got his work done.”

The Reds will host the Rebels next Saturday for a spot in the final, the Rebels sneaking ahead of the NSW Waratahs into third thanks to a last-gasp matchwinner against the Western Force earlier on Saturday.

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Reds captain Liam Wright said his side’s performance against the Brumbies, who had beaten them in two close encounters earlier this season, was timely.

“We’re not thinking about (a final in) Canberra at all; there’s no point thinking about Canberra if we don’t make it there,” he said.

“It’s just nice to just get momentum going into this weekend; we played some pressure footy and know that our systems work.”

– Murray Wenzel

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Bull Shark 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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