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Ref watch: Deano is wide of the mark on both counts
Despite Newcastle grabbing a late win over Wasps in Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership clash, their Director of Rugby Dean Richards cut a frustrated post-match figure.
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The cause of his angst was referee Anthony Woodthorpe’s second half decision to show a red card to home full back Tom Penny whose fingers allegedly made contact with Jimmy Gopperth’s eye.
Richards was of course once a teak-tough member of a Leicester pack renowned for never taking a backward step as amateurism gave way to the professional era in the 1990’s.
And as with so many recent controversies, this seems to me another case of rugby union’s former greats judging a 2021 incident through a 20th century lens.
“Tom is distraught in the changing room because he didn’t think anything was deliberate,” Newcastle’s boss explained.
“His leg was trapped in by Jimmy Gopperth, and you’ve got to look at who the instigator of the whole thing was.
“Tom tried to release his leg three times and couldn’t, as he’s stumbling away and breaking free he pushes his face and catches I think his eye.
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“Jimmy makes a meal of it, and if there is contact with the eye then so be it.
“It wasn’t deliberate, and you have to look at who the protagonist is. It’s clearly Jimmy Gopperth, and why should our boy get penalised for being held in at a ruck?”
“It was a big story last season and we were totally surprised (he was appointed) and you have to beg the question why did the RFU do that?” #NEWvWAS
– reports @chrisjonespress ???https://t.co/b5M3cInAgG
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 3, 2021
Having viewed the replay a few times, it is clear that Penny makes three attempts to free his leg from the grasp of the former Falcons’ fly half, on each occasion pushing Gopperth’s head and neck area firmly with one hand.
Had this been reviewed by the TMO, it seems unlikely that much action would have followed, but it is Penny’s fourth and final contact which seems to have done the damage.
Gopperth instantly reaches for his eye at this point – and while it is entirely possible that Penny had no intention of making contact there, he was by this point free of Gopperth’s grip and had no need to seek any further involvement.
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Given the safety focus that now exists any contact with the eye will result in an instant red card. Neither is this a new thing since Chris Ashton’s lengthy ban for gouging Ulster’s Luke Marshall dates as far back as 2016.
Whether or not Gopperth makes a meal of it is irrelevant. The question of intent on Penny’s part is also in the current environment entirely academic – in the eyes of modern rugby law he is required to avoid reckless actions which carry risk of causing injury.
The disciplinary hearing scheduled for Wednesday evening will consider Gopperth’s part in the incident and whether he should have been yellow carded.
However, despite Woodthorpe unusually acting on TMO advice without reviewing video footage himself, it is difficult to see Penny overturning the red card and escaping a ban.
REF WATCH: 'In asking us to excuse the waterboy’s conduct on the basis that he was simply doing what he was told, Nienaber is telling us that chasing the AR to rant at him would have been acceptable had Carley’s decision been incorrect'
Paul Smith ???https://t.co/vvXDsuPf1t
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 3, 2021
His usually very considered boss may also face a trip to the beak after his frustration got the better of him when referencing the after-the-event red card given to Mateo Carreras by the citing commissioner during last season’s Newcastle-Wasps clash.
“It’s the same official we had against Wasps last year when he missed the Josh Bassett incident, and he wasn’t going to miss anything today,” Richards said.
“We were expecting a little bit of something today, and I’m surprised the refereeing department put him on this game if I’m totally honest about it.
“It was a big story last season and we were totally surprised (he was appointed) and you have to beg the question why did they do that?”
Having issued a red card, it is always slightly awkward for player and referee when their paths cross again. This is usually dealt with via a pre-match handshake or brief exchange while boots are being checked then instantly forgotten.
A match official’s preparation does involve learning lessons from previous encounters but making a particular note to look out for one specific type of foul play is definitely not something anyone would consider.
After all, why would a repeat incident be more likely to happen when Newcastle meet Wasps rather than any other club?
In truth, eye gouging is almost impossible for on-field officials to spot – as this alleged incident shows. Had Gopperth not immediately raised it with the touch judge, it is entirely possible that the TMO would also not have picked anything up.
Anyone involved in officiating is fully aware that for Woodthorpe or his touch judges to spot the Carreras offence in real time would have required a huge slice of luck. Any suggestion that he arrived at Kingston Park last Saturday with one eye on a specific agenda (forgive the pun) is therefore well wide of the mark.
Following Richards’ train of thought to its logical end point, would any official who takes charge of a game in which a citing commissioner report results in a retrospective red card then become ineligible to officiate at a future game involving the guilty party?
Refereeing appointments may become quite complex…
Fair to say former @IrishRugby centre Kevin Maggs has lost none of his competitive edge! ???
"If I had the chance I would love to move through time and put myself against the likes of Manu Tuilagi"https://t.co/R4oT9Ge0hN— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 4, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Billy's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
1 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
1 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
2 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
3 Go to commentsWhy not let the media decide. Like how they choose the head coach. Like most of us we entrust the rugby system to choose. A rugby team includes the coaches. It's collective.
14 Go to commentsHi NIck, I have been very impressed with him and he seems a smart player who can see opportunities which Bobby V _(who must be an international 6_) doesn’t see or have the speed to take advantage of. If he continues to improve and puts on 5kgs then he could be a great 8. He is a bit taller than Keiran Reid at 1.93m and 111 kgs, so his skill set fits his body size and who knows where it will lead. I hope the spate of Achilles tendon issues have been dealt with by the S&C people. It’s been a very long time since Mark Loane and Kefu stood out at 8. The question is will we be able to hold onto him, if he does make it he will be pretty hot property. I disagree with the idea of letting them go to the Northern Hemisphere and then bring them back.
28 Go to commentsBilly Fulton 🤣🤣🤣🤣 garrrmon not even close
14 Go to comments