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'They deserve a bit of a thanks': Officiating criticism-free after ABs loss

By Finn Morton
Brad Weber scores a well-taken - but controversial - try against the Springboks. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

A week after an all-time classic Test match between the All Blacks and Springboks, the two great rivals have once again played out a thriller with the Boks winning 31-29.

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Returning to the Gold Coast, the reigning World Champions reversed last weekend’s result where Jordie Barrett scored a late winner, with Elton Jantjies scoring a penalty from in front after the siren to win the Test.

It was another tense contest between the two sides, with the All Blacks looking to be in control with less than a minute to play.

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Ian Foster and Ardie Savea react to the All Blacks’ defeat to the Springboks.

Video Spacer

Ian Foster and Ardie Savea react to the All Blacks’ defeat to the Springboks.

Captain Ardie Savea broke off the back of the scrum before the All Blacks appeared to settle in attack, before Springboks number eight Dane Vermuelen won a crucial penalty with 13 seconds on the clock after NZ reserve hooker Asafo Aumua sealed off an All Blacks carry.

But despite the Test match being potentially one of the best-ever, some controversial referring decisions were a talking point both during and following the Test match.

Commentating for Stan Sport, former All Black flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens called out one contentious decision by referee Matthew Carley, before joking about his “less than objective” point of view.

“No that was never released,” Mehrtens said 38 minutes into the Test. “Beauden Barrett never had the chance to play that from the tackler. That’s a bad call.”

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Then, later in the 55th minute, Springbok’s winger Makazole Mapimpi appeared to be offside from an Elton Jantjies bomb inside the All Blacks half.

After Springboks captain Siya Kolisi went down injured, the former All Blacks and Crusaders pivot once again shared his opinions on the call – or lack thereof.

“But at the risk of sounding like a winging Kiwi, Tim Horan, and this is the end of it…Mapimpi was about five-metres offside from that high ball going up. Fairly clear to everyone,” Mehrtens said on Stan Sport.

“They’re playing well the Springboks and they’re getting the rub of the green at the moment because they are going forward.”

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Two-time Rugby World Cup winning Wallaby Tim Horan agreed with Mehrtens on that particular call: “I was just about to say that Mapimpi, it was probably two or three metres offside, and was effective when the All Blacks spilt the ball.”

The All Blacks also had their share of calls go their way at times, with Brad Weber scoring a try late in the first-half after what looked like a  knock-on from loosehead prop Joe Moody.

The All Blacks did well to defuse a Springboks lineout five metres out from the try-line, with Scott Barrett slapping the ball down to Moody who couldn’t control it. Instead, the ball bounced off him and into Weber, who did well to score.

But in a Test match which is as tight as it was, every decision had an impact on the result. All Blacks captain Ardie Savea told the media that the refereeing “is what it is.”

“I have my own opinions but that’s the refs call at the end of the day,” Savea said. “I wish I could go back and change the calls but the ref made the call and we just had to kind of adapt to it.

“We were well aware of what, around our breakdown and around staying on our feet, not sealing off. But we didn’t execute that skillset in those last couple of minutes so that’s just on us.

“We got to take the referee out of the game but we didn’t tonight. It is what it is and we just got to sort out our breakdown and be smart around that area.”

Coach Ian Foster offered a different perspective on the referring performances by Matthew Carley on Saturday, and Luke Pearce the week before.

For the first time since the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the All Blacks have had Northern Hemisphere referees officiate their Tests.

Foster thanked Carley and Pearce for their efforts, and mentioned how having the two Englishman in charge of tests “will be good for us.”

“Just to add to [what Savea said], a little bit different but it’s actually a thank you to Luke Pearce and Matthew Carley for coming down,” Foster said after the 31-29 loss.

“Having a couple of Northern Hemisphere referees down here has been important for the integrity of the tournament.

“I know it’s their job but they’ve still said yes to the option to come down here and again, they’ve been living in isolation as well.

“I think they deserve a bit of a thanks and I think it’s good for us because we’ve had a year and a half not being ref’d by Northern Hemisphere referees so I think the experience will be good for us.”

The All Blacks are now set to head North to take on teams from the Northern Hemisphere. Their first stop in their end of year tour is the United States in Washington on October 23.

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Adrian 1 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

11 Go to comments
T
Trevor 4 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 8 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
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