Round 7 Super 12 2005 Wrap

Highlanders 19 Brumbies 18 (My tip Brumbies by 8)
Well, well, well! That is the most I can say after I missed the target for the third week in a row with the Brumbies. They have now let me down and I am afraid that the problems in the Brumbies camp are bigger than I suspected. They showed momentarily – for about 10 minutes in the first half and the final 15 in the second have – flashes of the brilliance that made them such a well respected side. For some of another reason they just cannot get their rhythm going.

The final result is that the Highlanders held on to a well-deserved victory against the much-acclaimed Brumbies. In their backline Ben Blair had a solid performance on fullback and Mapasua in the midfield. Webb, who replaced the injured Paul Miller at nr 8 also had a strong match and was well rewarded with a try.

In the Brumbies side the old veteran Finnegan tried hard and Mark Gerard was pure class at the back. George Gregan is however starting to show more and more cracks in his play and is becoming a shadow of the player that he was a couple of years ago, when he was undisputedly the best scrumhalf in the world. He must be careful not to hang on too late. People intend to remember your last match much longer than your glory days.

Chiefs 40 Sharks 5 (My tip = Sharks by 10)
Maybe I should spend time tipping netball matches, as I cannot be further out than this! The Chiefs were diabolical in the match and did not deserve a game of rugby on any level. Looking at the score though, that tells you how bad the Sharks were…

The Chiefs were fairly poor as I expected, but the Sharks really hit a low after their good performance in their last outing when hey whipped the Brumbies. It did not look like the same people who were on the field!

On the side of the Chiefs I have to mention two names that really impress me. The first is the flanker Sioni Lauaki whose strength is unbelievable and he always remains a handful for any side. He is not the quickest man around, but sure makes up for it with his power play. The second one is the winger Sitiveni Sivivatu. This man is one of the great finishers in rugby and I promise you that all the opponents of the Chiefs sigh of relieve when they realize that this man plays in such a poor side. Can you imagine a superb finisher like this in the Crusaders or Brumbies backline? It will be murder.

I really don’t see any of these two teams heading for any other place but down the Super 12 ladder.

Blues 23 Cats 6 (My tip = Blues by 15)
I can write a book about the decisions Stuart Dickenson has made in the past and can just about add a chapter after this match. The number of errors made by this man, in my opinion, surpasses pathetic performances from the diabolical Tappe Henning, Shaun Veldsman and “blowing another game” Paul Honiss. I challenge anyone to go critically look at the performance in this match and give an honest opinion. See the bit at the bottom on the impact referees have on the game.

I want to highlight what I thought were two very bad decisions of Mr. Dickinson. The first was when the Blues went down the right hand touchline and Booi cut off Necewa about eight yards out. Necewa tried to pass inside to a flying Howlett, but the ball was spilled about three yards forward – the 5-meter line was there as a nice visual guide. Howlett then carried on and grabbed onto Jantjes to prevent the fullback from getting close to the ball. A scrum in the first instance and a penalty in the second from any damn rulebook! Stuart Dickenson was not further 10 yards away from the action, but could not see it. Like the ex player John Drake remarked he could see it from 80 meters away. John also made a comment when Dickenson said to the touch judge that he could not see the number when CJ vd Linde made an early tackle. It was two yards in front of him with a massive 3 on the back. There is one more that I want to mention and that is when Mialamu threw short into the lineout, received the ball back and Mika scored. Dickenson was standing in the front of the lineout when this took place. The unfortunate thing was that the ball did not travel five yards and the return to Mialamu was forward. The net effects of these two events were a penalty straight after the first instance to the Blues and a try in the second case. That gave the Blues an 11-3 lead at a very crucial stage when the match was finely balanced. Enough said about Stuart Dickenson, as this was not the first match handled with so many mistakes and it will not be last either. As a player you cane unfortunately do squat about it and you just have to accept it that a man like this controls your income – or ultimate lack of it.

Let me get back to the match. It was very evenly balanced until half time. The Cats tried hard, but the Blues managed to hold them out. The Blues tried hard to attack the line of the Cats, but their own mistakes lead to them not scoring. At the end the Blues got it right, but I think they will be a very concerned side after loosing so much possession due to their own mistakes. It was clear from the start that their best chance was going to be from broken play. When players like Mils Muliana got the ball in broken play, there was really trouble on the horizon. He started the match on center, but he was at his best when he shifted to back later in the match. The position from where he does duty for the All Blacks. Xavier Rush was also a tower of strength in the pack and really lead from the front. Not only did he defend well, but he also made it count at the breakdowns. Players like Howlett and Rokocoko will have to pick up their play if they want to play for the All Blacks this year. There are currently better Kiwi wings around than these two. They are just not making their chances count.

The Cats do not have to sit in ash after this loss. Yes, they lost, but the difference is much bigger than it could have been. The Cats had ample chances to score, but did not do it. The stupid kicking in the first half by Michael Claassens from the base did not help their cause at all. In the pack, their captain Wicus van Heerden played another good match. His team most definitely does not loose games because of him.

Stormers 15 Reds 13 (My tip = Stormers by 12)
As I have had a lot to say about referees this week, I have to commend Paul Honiss for his handling of the match between the Stormers and the Reds. The first half was a stop/start affair Honiss handled it very well.

The Stormers were is control of the match for most of it, but there was no sense of urgency to score. They nearly managed to throw it away, but fortunately as weak as they were on the attack, so good were they on defense for most of the match. Gert Smal must have a very serious look at the backline of the Stormers. They got the better and cleaner possession, but did absolutely nothing with it. It must, surely now is time to replace some of the players riding on their reputations. For the Stormers Luke Watson had an excellent match on the flank and Bolla Conradie had a great match after a long time warming the bench. At the end of the day the Stormers had all their replacements on the field and had a hooker playing flank and a scrumhalf on the wing. Their pack was the biggest weapon on the afternoon, which is totally unlike the Stormers, as they are really known for their inventive back play. If, however, what we are seeing is the invention, the inventor needs to be fired!!!

The Reds never found rhythm and battled to stretch the Stormers as their pack had a hard time in the tight phases and their backline let them down with some poor handling. Chris Latham was once again a tower of strength at the back and Nathan Sharpe played well in the tight. It was however a sole battle. Croft and Roe tried hard in the loose, but Watson and Burger were more than a handful.

At the end of the day, the Stormers won the match deservedly, but cannot feel comfortable with the final result. They should have won this one much more easily.

The Reds were lucky to get away with the result they did and a bonus point, but they need to look at a much-improved performance if their pack wants any ball against the Bulls in their next round match.

Bulls 35 Crusaders 20 (My tip = Crusaders by 14)
The Bulls were sensational! This was without any doubt their best performance of the year and they crushed the Crusaders at Loftus. Don’t let the 20 points that the Crusaders got fool you. They were totally outplayed. The Bulls pack destroyed the Crusaders in the manner that the SA public had gotten used to in the local Currie Cup. The Crusaders could not get clean first phase ball and that let them play off the back foot all match long.

Bryan Habanna showed why he is so highly regarded by the SA selectors when he was given two opportunities and converted both into tries. His acceleration off the mark is really good. The foundation was however laid by the massive Bulls pack. Player like the ex Bok flank Pedrie Wannenburg showed old form returning and Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha dominated the lineouts – on both teams’ throws. The one problem the Bulls pack still had was their predictability and the Crusaders could have done more to disrupt the unimaginative, but successful pattern. It was however the Bulls’ day this time around.

Morne Steyn had two shocking knock-on’s, but overall he may just what the Bulls want for their backline. At least some of the ball got past the flyhalf for a change!

The Crusaders were disrupted early when Richie McCaw had to be carried off the field after running into he tow-truck Richard Bands. This most definitely had an impact, as you do not loose one of the top breakaway flankers and your captain without feeling the pinch. Only the very educated boot of San Carter managed to keep them in touch with a number of long-range penalties. One from as far out as 57 meters! They are however still a top side and the Stormers must be careful not to underestimate them in the next match.

George Ayob handled the match fairly well, except for two instances that lift the eyebrows – it is my week for ref bashing! The first was when Leon McDonald was blown for carrying a ball over his won goal line where he most definitely did not do it. That lead to the Ettienne Botha try immediately from the next movement.

The second incident was when Danie Coetzee charged down a 22-drop out by Carter. He was judged to be over the line. I do have a little news for you George, the rules in rugby say that when you are in the air you can be floating around in stadium and cannot be blown. You have to actually touch the ground on the wrong side. The rule also says that you can charge a kick down, as long as you do not cross before the kick is taken and not after the kick is finished!

Two little mistakes that fortunately had not impact on the final outcome of the match.

Hurricanes 26 Waratahs 24 (My tip = Waratahs by 3)
What a superb match to end the weekend off! These to teams really gripped everyone from start to finish and the ding-dong battle could have gone anywhere. The Hurricanes played at home and have the advantage and that was maybe the only factor that was the difference between the two teams.

The Hurricanes backline looked a lot better than before in the tournament and I was highly impressed with the pace from Tana Umaga. Remember when he switched from wing to center, he said that it was because he felt that he has become to slow for wing! The way he caught Peter Hewat from behind was very impressive.

The Waratahs have now lost two on the trot. Is the start of their famous end-of-tournament fade? Peter Hewat could not believe his luck when he intercepted no less that three times in the match, with one getting him a try. His kicking was, however a bit off target and could have meant the difference between win and lose.

The two sides are however two of the top sides this year and the way they played this match showed why they are at the moment consistently in the top three.

General Super 12 comments
The weekend’s games have lead to the odd surprise, but none more than the power display by the Bulls against the Crusaders. If they can continue at this rate the Reds, Blues and Chiefs may just find it very difficult at Loftus.

A concern to me is the number of players who were stretchered off the field this past weekend. Ruan Pienaar was the first to go, then Werner Greeff and Richie McCaw. I have not seen so many people out cold in a boxing tournament. I trust none of them has any serious injury – not that concussion is not serious, but you know what I mean.

Other Rugby
I have always been a great fan of Jona Lomu and to me it is great news that he will be in action during the NPC this year.

The Final Word
This week I want to make a few comments on that 31st man on a rugby field. The Brumbies always complained about Andre Watson, the SA sides about Stuart Dickenson, The Springboks about Paul Honiss, etc, etc. There are a number of other examples as well. The facts however show a funny picture and there must be something in the complaints. I do not have the exact statistics, but it does show that the Brumbies lost more games when Andre Watson was the referee than they win. The Springboks have lost all the tests in which Paul Honiss carried the whistle and the SA Super 12 sides have won only one or two games in the history of the tournament when Dickenson carries the whistle. Can these facts just be ignored or is there some truth in them?

I believe that the way a referee blows the whistle can directly influence the outcome of a match. For some or another reason the referees have become more prominent than ever in the past. Where did this rubbish come from where a referee tells a player “number 4, hands off” or “number 4 you are offside – behind the last line of feet” We hear it daily by the referees over the microphones. The problem is that he may warn a team one time and the other time he will just blow the player up and award the penalty. If he has to tell any player to fall back, does it not mean that the player is already transgressing the laws and must be penalized? Penalize him! That is the rule! Why must a player be told to let go of a ball when a ruck is formed? If he has not let go before it, he is transgressing the laws and should be penalized. Let me sketch a scenario where this can have a direct impact on a game.

Team A plays against team B. A is on the attack close to B’s try line and one player from team B moves offside. The referee warns him to fall back behind the last line of feet. Team A wins the ball and cannot score due to some reason and B clears their lines eventually. Now the situations turns around and team B is on the attack on team A’s try line. A player from team A moves offside. The referee blows him immediately for coming offside – nothing wrong with the decision – and team B scored 3 points and win the game. What was different? Only the interpretation and decision by the referee when to warn and when to penalize.

Lets me give you a funny example from the match between the Highlanders and Brumbies. The Highlanders were on the attack towards the end of the first half and had a ruck between the poles and the touchline. The Highlanders got the ball and went for the line. Bill Young came out of the defensive line – totally offside – and tackled the player. A penalty was awarded and three points scored by the Highlanders.

In the 2003 Tri-Nations, Marius Joubert tackled Tana Umaga close to the Springbok line high and a penalty try was awarded to the All Blacks. The argument was that Tana got prevented from scoring by an illegal means (high tackle) and that warrants a penalty try.

The question in my mind from the scenario’s above is what is the difference? If the tackle from Marius was illegal and warranted a penalty try, why did the fact that Bill Young came totally offside (he was the last line of defense) not also warrant a penalty try? Surely he used an illegal means to prevent a try!

There are many more places where players are warned and sometimes penalties awarded without warning and I argue that they impact the outcome of matches. I do not want to point a finger at any referee and say that they are cheating, but I am sure they do blow different games for different teams. You can look at things that happen that end up in red and yellow cards for some players and see that the same transgression is made other players on the same field and they only get penalties against them. Have a close look at any game and you will see how the same transgression is sometimes “warned” away and other times immediately penalized. That, has a direct impact on the outcome of a match!!!!

I made a fairly harsh attack on Stuart Dickenson earlier after his bad handling of the whistle in the Blues Cats game. I could have done the same with the fairly incompetent referee Tappe Henning as well. Remember that both these referees have been removed from the international panel in the past and have both returned again. Yet, there is no improvement in the way they handle the whistle. It is a protected club which player cannot attach, because if they say anything they loose money and the referee just continues in any case. Any person who criticizes a referee gets into trouble for bringing the game into disrespect. What about the atrocious way these people handle the matches? Does that not bring the game into disrespect because they obviously do not blow according to the same rulebook?

How do you resolve it? Easy! Firstly, just let referees stop this crap of warning people and apply the rules and blow the transgressions immediately – without going into a conversation or debate with the player. Just apply the rules as you are supposed to Mister Ref!
Secondly, have the players have a much bigger in the performance report of a referee after the match. I saw a referee have a very bad day and get 97/100 on his performance by his peer measuring him. Sounds very much like and old boys club to me..!

What do you think?

Futures topics:

• The best player in the world

• The man of the match award

• If you want a short-term job, become a coach in SA!

• Referees and their impact on matches

• Ex rugby players who play analysts

• International tours

• The English bubble

• Bonus points in competitions

• Yellow and red cards in rugby

• The format of the Rugby World Cup and spreading of the game

• Some of my favourite players through the years

There are many more, but if there is something you would like me to add to the list, please feel free to let me know!