Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

The Second Bledisloe Test: A Tale Of Two Dog Acts

By Jamie Wall
Owen Franks

Saturday night’s second Bledisloe Cup test saw a comfortable All Black victory, a beginner’s guide to lip-reading profanity from Michael Cheika and a couple of dog acts – one funny, the other not so much – go unpunished. Jamie Wall explains.

ADVERTISEMENT

Watch: All Blacks vs Wallabies – Wellington test Full Game | Condensed


Even the most ardent All Black fans will be scratching their heads as to how they got away with this one. Six minutes after the kickoff, All Black prop Owen Franks decided to put his hands in Wallaby lock Kane Douglas’ eyes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SOmTJBiwfY

This happened directly in front of referee Roman Poite, who took no action. The citing commissioner after the game, again saw nothing wrong.

That’s inconsistent at best, and utterly insane at worst. Richard Loe did this to Greg Cooper in 1992, which led to him being banned for 26 weeks. Schalk Burger copped eight weeks off for this piece of amatuer optometry on Luke Fitzgerald in 2009. Troy Flavell was originally sentenced to a year off for eye gouging Steve Skinnon in 1997, although that was reduced on appeal.

Later it in the game, replacement Wallaby halfback Nick Phipps’ tackle on Malakai Fekitoa left him with the All Black second five’s boot in his possession. The most rational thing he could think to do was to hurl said boot as far away as he could.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vL2vAf4C7U

Phipps’ form wouldn’t look out of place on a grenade testing range; with a little coaching he could push for a spot in Australia’s 2020 Olympic shotput team. By the looks of it someone in the crowd got themselves a pretty unique souvenir. It still isn’t clear exactly how long it took Fekitoa to rectify his bootlessness, or even if he did at all, given that he was subbed shortly after.

ADVERTISEMENT

There are no rugby-related precedents to compare Phipps’ actions with, however the shoe toss has been seen in American politics and Hollywood on the odd occasion. Hillary Clinton and George W. Bush were both on the receiving end of an angry footwear assault, while Phipps may be have been inspired by this classic scene from Austin Powers.

 
banner

 

Obviously the unpunished eye gouge is the more serious of the two; thankfully it doesn’t seem to have done Douglas any lasting harm. However, it has done a bit to the All Blacks’ reputation – both as a team that pushes the laws to the limit, and also as one that seems to get favourable treatment both on and off the field.

As for the Wallabies, the boot hurling episode will most likely be consigned to sports comedy reels rather than the judiciary. But it does give a pretty clear indication of just how desperate and frustrated a team that has lost all five tests so far this year is getting.

ADVERTISEMENT
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

T
Trevor 1 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 5 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.

29 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