Will Mathieu Raynal be the star of the show in the first Bledisloe test?
Who’ll be the star of the show at Marvel Stadium on Thursday?
Will it be Rieko Ioane? Captain Fantastic Sam Cane? Marika Koroibete or Rob Valetini?
Sadly, as we’ve become increasingly accustomed, it might well be referee Mathieu Raynal.
I don’t seek to blame referees for rugby’s ills.
After all, it’s an incredibly thankless task.
I was at a schoolboy match the other day, where a spectator found fault with a parent-referee’s decision.
The ref stopped the game to ask the spectator if he’d like to come out on the field and do it himself. I can’t quote what the referee said but, when the spectator replied “no,’’ the ref told him to shut the front door, or words to that effect.
It’s easy to dismiss Wallabies great David Campese. The man has a lot to say about rugby and rarely is any of it good.
But Campese was right in taking the game to task last week and for trying to speak on behalf of disgruntled and bewildered fans.
Rugby has so many laws, seemingly all of them open to interpretation, which contribute to making the sport stop-start at best.
From scrums, to the breakdown, lineouts, mauls and incidental contact with the head, referees aren’t short of areas in which to intervene.
I was disappointed, as a fan of rugby, with the way Nic Berry refereed the recent match between New Zealand and Argentina. The Pumas were probably never a chance of upsetting the All Blacks two weeks in a row, but I didn’t feel Berry even allowed them the opportunity to make it a contest.
Similarly, Ben O’Keeffe played way too big a part in South Africa’s win over Australia that same evening.
Refereeing is incredibly hard, not least because of all the audio the man in the middle gets in his ear. Georgian Nika Amashukeli copped a bit of grief for the way he controlled the All Blacks and Pumas in Christchurch, but I’d contend it was the Television Match Official and Assistant Referees who ran that match.
Amashukeli was guilty of over-explaining decisions that night, I suspect in part because often he wasn’t the one making them.
Look, I just want the ball in play and for the two teams to decide the outcome. If a few scrums hit the deck and the breakdowns are a shambles, so be it.
I’m tired of scrum re-sets and referees guessing which prop to penalise for a collapse. I get no satisfaction from hearing the whistle blow every time a ball-runner hits the deck.
I can’t believe we’re having official water breaks in test matches, when guys in bibs are bringing bottles on every couple of minutes as it is.
Rugby’s not alone there. There isn’t a round of the English Premier League that passes without comment on the inadequacy of the VAR system.
The NRL’s Bunker has made that sport almost as stop-start as rugby and cricket’s DRS wastes minutes analysing incidents that should take seconds.
The search for a perfect game, a game without error or controversy or anything to frighten the mothers of would-be players has spoiled a good product.
It has given officials – both on and off the field – licence to nitpick and interfere. Too often the whistle blows and no-one, be they player, coach, spectator or commentator knows why or who’s at fault.
It’s not always that way. I thought Angus Gardiner was in total command, when South Africa beat the All Blacks at Mbombela Stadium.
It was clear he had the TMO and ARs in his ear the whole time, but he ran the show. He let the game flow and he ignored the attempts of the other officials to overrule him.
But that’s the exception, as far as I can tell.
I hope Thursday’s test in Melbourne is a contest. I hope the ball’s in play, both teams perform well and that there’s a worthy winner in the end.
Most of all, I don’t want us to be having to debate whether a particular law is fit for purpose or if Raynal was right or wrong in deciding something that determined the outcome.
I’ll give you one law to ponder, before I go.
In rugby league, a deliberate knock down is merely a knock on. The defender doesn’t have to try and intercept the ball, he doesn’t have to prove his palm was pointing upwards and that he was trying to effect a catch.
The whistle simply blows, a scrum is packed and the game carries on.
I’d take that over 25 replays from various angles that result in someone being sent to the sinbin.
Comments on RugbyPass
It couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
77 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
44 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to comments