Ref Watch: The verdict on Jaco Peyper's contribution to Wales v Ireland
Vastly experienced South African official Jaco Peyper got this year’s Six Nations underway and he put in an accomplished display.
The TMO was rarely involved, but on the two occasions England’s Stuart Terheege was called into action protocols were followed to the letter and two potentially tricky calls were dealt with expertly.
Peyper also twice was heard to ask Terheege: “Do you want to look at that,” which allowed play to continue while possible foul play was examined in the background.
Andrew Conway Try
The match-clinching score came early in the second half when Conway reached for the line in the tackle. Slo-mo replays showed the ball was grounded inches short of the line but when viewed in real time it was immediately apparent that Conway’s momentum took him and the ball on to the whitewash.
Does he make the line… Ireland's second try is scored by Andrew Conway!
It's all happening at the Aviva Stadium ?#SixNations | #ITVRugby pic.twitter.com/dahGSRpNWc
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) February 5, 2022
Once this was established the only question remaining was whether any separation between ball and hand had emerged during the time when Conway reached for the line and the instant when the whitewash was reached.
Josh Adams Yellow Card
Peyper’s initial instincts told him this was “both players competing hard for the ball” but once he had seen a replay it became apparent that Adams had made no attempt to play the ball and was therefore guilty of foul play rather than being part of an accidental collision.
After many, many, many video replays, Josh Adams is sinbinned for leading with the shoulder into Johnny Sexton. #IREvWAL #rtesport
? Live updates – https://t.co/AUQCX8pxw0
? Listen – https://t.co/wUq1XxhF4x
? Watch – https://t.co/sDDUomkeEU pic.twitter.com/fZ8gE7xsXv— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) February 5, 2022
I especially liked that Peyper asked for a ‘real-time’ replay first, before looking at slo-mo versions. This allowed him to watch the incident through a player’s eyes and assess the degree of intent present.
His conclusion that Adams’ actions were “reckless” and that he had “dropped the shoulder” were impossible to contest. It also seemed possible that he made some contact with Sexton’s chin, but this was far from obvious and unlike his erroneous decision not to show red in last week’s URC contest, seven days on a yellow card was proportionate.
Let it Flow
A big international, especially when it opens a tournament, is always a nervy occasion and as a referee it is tempting to blow the whistle too much in the early stages to establish control.
It is perhaps not surprising give Peyper’s experience, that his management of the first half was anything but nervy. And by playing loads of advantage he hugely helped the flow of the game. Ireland’s opening three tries came with the referee’s arm out while the penalty which extended their interval lead to ten points also came while advantage was being played.
Ireland grab their second try of the game!#GuinnessSixNations #IREvWAL pic.twitter.com/Ybkd6uw9lO
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 5, 2022
A tiny piece of detail which showed Peyper’s confidence to let play flow came when he slightly paused before calling a maul which eventually gave Ireland a turnover in their own 22. This brief hiatus allowed Wales the opportunity to recycle possession, despite the maul in law being formed when the ball carrier is joined by one teammate and one opponent, before eventually accepting that the ball was tied in by which point eight players were bound to the maul.
Scrum
This positive approach extended to Peyper’s management of the scrum. Perhaps due to the conditions the first half saw an unusually high ten set-pieces take place but only two required resets and only the final scrum of the half ended in the award of a penalty.
Another indicator of the referee’s confidence came with him calling for play to continue and possession be moved away on four occasions when the front rows caved in with the ball at the no.8’s feet. Since neither pack were going forward nor looking for a second drive this was an entirely justifiable (and safe) approach but when Ireland did get a nudge on before the front rows went down Peyper read this changed situation perfectly and rewarded them with a penalty.
Donning the Ear-Protectors
Plenty was made of the challenge Peyper may face as a result of Johnny Sexton and Dan Biggar, men described by ITV’s build-up as “bristling with aggression and determination,” being named to captain their countries in this Six Nations opener.
Both are renowned for sometimes taking a fractious on-field approach to match officials and they even went as far as joking in the build-up to the match that Peyper may require ear protectors.
While the captain has a privileged position in being allowed more access to the referee than his teammates, this is definitely not carte blanche to spend 80 minutes in his ear or to adopt an overly aggressive, disrespectful approach. Indeed, plenty of captains have had their ‘rights’ redefined or even removed by referees over the years due to their unacceptable behaviour.
Biggar and Sexton will be fully aware that they need to work with referees rather than having a confrontational relationship with them. The commonly held belief that a referee’s decisions are directly influenced by this interaction is nonsense – whether the whistler likes or dislikes the captain has no bearing on whether he calls a penalty or shows a card.
However, rugby is a very nuanced game and having the referee ‘on side’ does at least allow the captain and his coach to have peace of mind that the 50/50 calls are not being influenced by any subliminal thoughts.
Maybe the one-sided nature of the match meant Sexton’s argumentative side never emerged but I only picked him up on the ref mike once in 80 minutes, and while Biggar had a few more queries for Peyper to answer his manner was entirely appropriate throughout. Full marks to both.
Ireland Discipline
The home side dominated throughout and a big part of this was their outstanding discipline.
Andy Farrell’s team went through the entire opening half of the contest without conceding a penalty – in fact following the reversal of the high tackle award which was coming their way prior to Josh Adams’ yellow card offence they first infringed in the 54th minute.
Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarter 3 | Quarter 4 | |
Pens against Ireland | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Pens against Wales | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
Doubtless some of less-than-rational social media reaction will question this and suggest Wales were unfairly treated but in reality they were hammered across the field and the penalty count reflects this Irish dominance.
Comments on RugbyPass
Sorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
1 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
2 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
2 Go to commentsIt’s the massive value he brings with regard team culture/values, preparation, etc. Can’t buy that. I’m hoping to see the young locks get their chance in the big games though.
10 Go to commentsAll good, Gregor, except that you neglected to mention Sam Darry amongst that talented pool of locks. In fact, given Hannah’s inexperience and the fact that Holland won’t be eligible until next year, Lord and Darry might be the frontrunners this year, to join Barrett, Tuipoluto, Va’ii and possibly Whitelock. In fact there might be room for all of them if Barrett played 6 (like Ollie Chessum).
10 Go to commentsHis value is stabilizing the ship 20 - 40 minutes out from the final whistle plus his valuable experience to the underlings coming through.
10 Go to commentsWhat is criminal is she acts like it's no problem her actions have have cause the Italian player to lose her playing career, lose salary, if she did this in day to day life she would be in jail, she is a complete thug!!!
3 Go to commentsCorrect me if i’m wrong but the sadas have to win all games running into the finals yeh nah?
1 Go to commentsDon’t like Diamond but the maul is a joke, the sight of a choke tackle creating a maul then players in offside positions flopping on it killing the ball but then getting the put in? Banal.
3 Go to commentsHopefully Tabai Matson returns to Crusaders as head coach next season.
1 Go to commentsstorm in a teacup really. Penalty only so play on as the try was scored. Now the real question is: why was Maitland allowed to pass the ball off the floor? That is illegal but refs never pick it up.
1 Go to commentsWhen Beauden Barrett signed his contract before the 2023 RWC to play in Japan in 2024, it was NOT part of a sabbatical agreed to with NZRU prior to his signing, as was Ardie Savea and Sam Cane. Barrett changed his mind after the fact and negotiated his return to NZ Rugby and he was given permission to be eligible for All Black selection straight away once he signed a new contract to return to the Blues in 2025. Therefore, why would anyone argue against Whitelock returning to the All Blacks straight away after his season is France is finished if he signs a new contract with NZRU which includes a Super Rugby contract in 2025? If Barrett can, Whitelock should be allowed too.
10 Go to commentsThe All Blacks will select 5 locks this season. Scott Robertson will most likely want to select 2 veteran locks who can start right away in 2024 and 3 young promising locks who he would like to be pushing hard for selection in the starting XV in two years time- 2026. Scott Barrett is a world class lock. Who would you rather start beside him this season against England, South Africa, Ireland, and France- Sam Whitelock or Patrick Tuipulotu? I would choose Whitelock over Tuipulotu all day, every day.
10 Go to comments