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'I'm lost for words': Ardie Savea demands better from officials

Ardie Savea. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Down by three points against the Crusaders with time up on the clock and a penalty awarded, the Hurricanes made the decision to kick to the corner and go for a killer blow instead of attempting to even up the scores.

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If Jordie Barrett had been able to nail the kick, the Super Rugby Pacific match would have headed to extra-time but instead, captain Ardie Savea pointed to the corner after assistant coach Cory Jane seemed to indicate to his skipper that was the money play.

It was a bold call – and not necessarily the wrong one, but it ended in disappointment for the Savea’s men, with the five-metre lineout eventually devolving into a mess on the floor. Although the ensuing scrum would have given the Hurricanes possession, the siren had already sounded and referee Brendon Pickerill whistled for the end of the match.

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It wasn’t clear what had taken place at the lineout drive but the Hurricanes blew up at Pickerill and indicated that the TMO should be consulted, implying they thought the Crusaders had infringed in some way or form. The referee wasn’t interested in having a discussion about the call, however, and the Hurricanes were left to rue another narrow loss, having also suffered close defeats at the hands of the Chiefs and Moana Pasifika earlier this season.

Speaking after the match, captain Savea was evidently not happy with the officiating in the final moments of the game.

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“I’ve got to take a breath mate. I’m lost for words,” Savea told Sky Sports. “I’ve seen some calls that go the other way but unfortunately it didn’t happen tonight. Mate, I’m speechless at the moment, pretty heartbroken.

”We came out here and we wanted to prove a point. The Crusaders, they’re the best team in this competition and I’m proud of my boys’ efforts. They just missed out in the end.

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“As a leader I like to put pressure on, and demand from the officials and making sure they’re doing everything they can to get these calls right.

“At the end of the day, it can come to either/or, and we get an apology the next week but it’s too late. Without saying anything disrespectful, I’d just love to have the officials demand better.”

The result – coupled with the Blues’ win over the Chiefs in Hamilton – means the Crusaders and Blues will square off next weekend to decide which of the two will enter the trans-Tasman portion of Super Rugby Pacific as the top-ranked Kiwi team. With the Blues and Crusaders both winning all five of their games against Australian opposition last year, next weekend’s result could be hugely important come the end of the season.

The Hurricanes, meanwhile, are sitting in eighth spot at present but have a game in hand over the higher-ranked sides. They will take on Moana Pasifika on Tuesday evening before finishing up their Kiwi derbies against the Highlanders next weekend.

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H
Hellhound 2 hours ago
Bok rule-benders are changing the game. They deserve respect

You want a lot of things that will never happen. You describe rugby League. You should go and watch that then. Rugby is supposed to be competitive. It's the opposition team that should figure out how to defend and turn it into an attack on the fly. The Boks play within the rules. Everyone says that kick off should have been a penalty. The law state that from a kick off it's a scrum. It's confusing as with mauls and rucks, the player has to be behind the kicker. The same does not hold true for kick offs. That law they can change, because the same rule should apply across the board for players to be behind the kicker. It's not the first time that the infield lineout has been used, only the first time in an international match. If I remember correctly, the Barbarians used it against England in 2021 or 2022 (under correction). It's also been used in SR during the 2000’s. There is just this big hoo haw because the Boks did it. If it was another team like the Irish or England or the French or someone, it would be innovative, genius and brilliant. The dummy the AB's did where a player broke to the right, acting like he had the ball, meanwhile the scrumhalfs ran down the sideline and scored. I don't hear you cry about that. That can be seen as cynical play and there is even a case for unsportsmanlike behaviour and at a minimum a yellow card. Yet there is silence from you about that. I on the other hand thought that was a great tactic. It's also not a new invention, but an old one. You only love rugby when it suits you. I don't care what new tactics teams use, or whoever the team is that is doing it. Every new invention or tactic or play that the coaches comes up with is great for rugby. It keeps it interesting. There is no law that prevents other coaches using the same tactics or create their own. It's up to coaches to come up with defense strategies to cut that down, and even retaliate against it. The game is never boring. It keeps evolving. People keep talking about rugby and all these things is what draw new fans. They don't want boring. They want innovative and fun. They want to hear the crash of bodies. They want to see the strength of the scrums. They want to see the speed, agility and flair of the players. The amazing passes and jukes or side steps. The only reason you are so up in arms is because the Boks did it and now you want it banned. The same rhyme over and over. Matt Williams wannabe. Nah, you don't love rugby or else you would enjoy the most exciting era yet in this lovely sport. Stars in so many national teams has never been more abundant nor was there so many teams that could beat each other on any given day. Not to even mention watching an era of the most controversial but most innovative and clever coach ever. A dynasty that's to last for a very long time even after he retires. Like him or hate him, his genius is undeniable and he is recognised world wide as the best coach in most countries by fans and pundits alike, even if they don't like him. Stop the hate and rather enjoy what's to come.

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