Unrest in Europe: The battle lines have been drawn
This week we will mostly be concerning ourselves with tumult in Europe, unrest in South Africa, a new perspective on referee complaints and a week of tragic losses.
This week in South Africa: The coach apparently called up an aged lock from France as an emergency measure after the first-choice lock was banned for head-butting, only for that call to be denied by the French club and then the existence of any call-up denied. One of the country's brightest players spoke publicly of his irritation at not getting any game time. Another of the country's better back-row talents exited in disgust at both his lack of chances in the national team and his Super Rugby team having the rug pulled from under its feet. He says he is now gunning to play for Scotland. The national side stumbled to another defeat, with another ridiculous loss of discipline costing them at a crucial moment and the same weak links in the side costing them the rest of the time.
It's a tough time to be a South African rugby fan right now, even more so to be the national coach. But two things we will say for Heyneke Meyer: he appears to be significantly better at handling criticism - deflecting is probably the better word - than his predecessor, and the game-plan so lambasted from every corner does have its merits at times; had the Boks beaten the All Blacks on Saturday, few would have been able to say they hadn't earned it.
Yet - and we have said this before - it was the lack of elite skills that looked the most costly. A dreadful pass from Zane Kirchner to an even worse flat-positioned Bryan Habana. A similar pass direct to touch later on, the pass delivered with twice as much power as required and less than half the accuracy. Two tries gone begging, both of which would have seen the Boks hit the front long before Habana's moment of magic. They can blame the ball all they want for missed kicks, but had the Boks just been able to play when required, they would have won. No game-plan is going to make up for that aspect this year.
It's been touched on elsewhere, so we're not going to ramble on too much about it, but the BT deal with Premier Rugby is nothing short of a revolution. It's whipped up a frenzy in all European rugby's offices, sent hordes of officials into dark filing cabinets and contractual clauses to find out just exactly who has rights to what, from and until when and who the best people to align with are.
And nobody knows right now. Premier Rugby (PRL) appear to have all this money promised, but for a tournament which doesn't actually exist yet. ERC also have a lot of money coming from BSkyB, also for a tournament which is now threatened with serious devaluation should the English clubs not participate.
It's ironic that the French - often the lone mavericks sparking such situations - are the ones sitting back and looking to choose their allies - on the one side England, fighting for a fairer future in terms of European qualification and structure, but on the other the Celtic Nations and ERC's stability - and the French are financially independent enough to more than survive under any circumstance. Meanwhile, Welsh, Scots, Irish and Italians are all now carrying on as best they can but labouring under a deeply uncertain top-end competition future over which they have little control. It was a wobbly future anyway, but the way PRL has gone about this business has enraged most of the other parties.
What is significant is how bold this move is by PRL, how much conviction it carries. They've had hissy fits before: strikes and threats and posturing, but to put pen to paper over so much money, to destabilise their European relations so thoroughly, is a real statement, one strong enough even to make the RFU make a comment.
European rugby now really does stand on the brink, but so might PRL. If the French decide that the possibility of losing matches like Clermont v Leinster is too much of a risk, they may side with the Pro12 clubs, leaving England alone. What happens to English rugby then? No European competition? Catastrophe...
PRL have taken a massive risk with this move, the risk factor shown in the rumbles of discontent from some club owners in England, not sure if it was a risk worth taking. Meanwhile, the French are asking lengthy and valid questions of PRL and the Celts are manning the battle stations. Once again, European rugby is drawn into discussion in a hostile and reactive atmosphere rather than a pro-active one.
Tuesday's ERC meeting is going to be a watershed moment. For some more than others.
There were plenty of disparaging comments on George Clancy's officiating on Saturday, which is par for the course these days. Elite referees just don't get a break.
But here's a perspective: in America at the moment, the NFL officials are on strike over certain conditions of their contract. That's a lot of officials too - you're talking about 150 plus.
In their place are 'replacement' officials, pulled up from amateur or semi-professional ranks and thrust into cauldrons all over the country. While their endeavours are earnest, their performances are at times almost comical in their ineptitude. One - four weeks ago just another NFL-mad American - was pulled from the roster for a game this weekend after it was revealed his Facebook timeline contained pics of him wearing fan gear of the team he was supposed to be officiating!
The highest level of the sport just moves at a different pace and with a whole host of different tricks. Elite referees know how to handle it way better than anyone else, even if they don't always get it right.
Can you imagine how rugby would be if that happened? Aside from your team winning more, obviously...
Outside of all the politicking, it's been a rough week for the fraternity all over the place.
In Ulster, the squad and community are still reeling from the dreadful loss of Nevin Spence to a bizarre farm accident over the weekend, while Perpignan's big day out - and big win - in Barcelona were tainted by the loss to a sudden heart attack of team bus driver Paul Okesene. In South Africa, the almost as sudden loss of former Springbok analyst Malome Peter Maimane has left many saddened.
Our condolences to all. Kind of makes all the unnecessary politics taste a little sour doesn't it?
Loose Pass compiled by Richard Anderson
Comments
jontheref says...
Oh Stan,
Getting touchy?
If the pk's need to be given, they should be.
Lawrence, Joubert to name two.
Just watched lawrence in a lower tier game, Auckland v Wellington.
What you would call whistle happy.
BUT, even after attempting to play some sort of advantage, (and sometimes getting it wrong, and sometimes right) he had to resort to the PK.
His whole demeanour is that of a beginner, he nearly lost it early on giving the correct call for a Pen try and yellow card.
I know he is supposedly in rehab as a ref, but he never was any good anyway. Though some of that is down to who selects him.
Go on have the last word, you don't know when you are beat do you?
:-)
Posted 10:23 25th September 2012
crunchfit says...
@ APV1
Didn't see that comment but you raised that point with me again in another story, I responded and haven't heard a response since so I'll give you my response again:
"There's a difference between resting players a week prior to the Toulouse match, and completely abandoning the Pro12 (or something to that effect), as has been suggested recently. Besides, people point to Edinburgh as an example and suggest all teams abandon the league."
Posted 17:50 24th September 2012
StunTheMullet says...
@ JonTheNotVeryGoodRef - Name some SH international referees who whistle up 25-27 penalties in a match.
Posted 21:06 21st September 2012
APV1 says...
@ daibok - one could argue that 10 minutes in the bog would have been more appropriate - a cross between the Blood Bin and the Sin Bin, if you like. Let's call it the "Bog Bin".
Sanctions should be appropriate to the act, so locking him in the bog for 10 would be the ideal solution.
Posted 11:08 21st September 2012
jontheref says...
Stan, as I've said before, no fan of Clancy.
But, he is no worse than the SH refs who have reguarly been trotted out this year.
It is not a hemisphere thing, unless you are myopic.
Posted 20:26 20th September 2012
daibok says...
APV1 - the flatulence/follow through penalty was a clear yellow card offence and is yet another example of a global conspiracy against SA in favour of the ABs.
Posted 14:04 20th September 2012
StunTheMullet says...
@ JonTheRef - Take a look at "penalty" offences at those times... Marginal and pedantic comes to mind along with no advantage.
Fortunately APV1 understands.
Posted 11:35 20th September 2012
APV1 says...
@ kybone - thanks for that. Where the bloomin' heck have you been though?! We're starting to sound like "arrogant and whinging English nobs" and it's good to see someone with the same POV and explain it so well.
Cheers!
Posted 09:46 20th September 2012
kybone says...
I would like to add that i am hoping that European rugby stays together.
rugby_rockstar- You make some terrible points in the second paragraph of your post. 'If the PRO12 stars end up playing week in week out then there will be injuries and player burn out and the fans will lose out. its a case of settling for an inferior product and making loads of cash and expecting the celtic fans to swallow it like the aviva fans have'- What a load of rubbish! Three of the four Irish sides may be flourishing, but the rest of the Pro12 is dying on its arse. The Rugby is poor (despite lots of good players on show), its slow and lacks intensity which means that, despite some quite nice stadiums, the crowds don't turn up and the clubs are struggling to make ends meet as a result. The regular league matches are the bread and butter of the sport and they need to be as good as they can be so as to attract the fans and the money. Celtic fans always cite HC and 6 Nations success as justification for the pro 12. And, yes, you've done very well. But, where are you gonna be in 5 or 10 years time if the club game keeps going the way it is? And its all because the Pro12 is dire. The only nation to have benefited, clubwise, since its inception is Ireland ( and maybe to a far lesser extent, Scotland). The Welsh teams were more competitive pre Pro12 era. In my opinion the best thing for Welsh rugby would have been for all of the Welsh Premiership clubs to have joined the English leagues 10 or more years ago, kind of like Swansea, Cardiff, and Wrexham in the football. Because the regional system, no matter what anyone says, has not worked in Wales.
Posted 19:10 19th September 2012
jontheref says...
stan
so drole, when you cannot support your POV, try humour.
Better than abuse, but still no examples.
Posted 18:57 19th September 2012
kybone says...
How many times are people going to say ' the HC was designed to improve European rugby'? The HC is a competition which is designed to bring the elite teams from around Europe into one tournament. As far as im aware Premiere Rugby has never suggested that more English teams should be in the HC or that the whole thing should be dominated by English teams. All they want is for the qualification process to be the same for the 3 major leagues EVEN if it means that some nations don't have a representative. It was the Celtic nations and Italy that decided to join in to one league and they expect to be able to finish anywhere in that league and still play with Europes elite!! Sorry you should have to qualify the same as in England and France. Playing in the HC is not a right, it should be earned.
Someone posted a comment earlier saying that its Premiere Rugby and the RFU that decide how English teams qualify for the HC. What!! Yea they could say to, for instance Wasps- were not sending you we're gonna send Bath instead, but they can't decide on the number of teams. They can't go to the ERC and say 'we're gonna put 10 teams in the HC next year the same as the Pro12'. Ridiculus comment.
Posted 18:39 19th September 2012
APV1 says...
@ StunTheMullet - once again, your inaccuracies belie an active mind:
~16:18m - Penalty for an All Black not saying pardon at the breakdown.
He did say pardon, but neglected to bow to the TJ immediately afterwards (not even a cursory nod in their direction!).
~22m - Penalty for Springbok not having a straight tie at the breakdown.
The tie was straight but was tied in a 1/2 Windor and not a Full Windsor knot.
~31:49m - Penalty for Kieren Reid not bouncing off the ground like on a trampoline and bounding away within a nano second of tackle.
Bounce was good and one time, but lacked finesse and there was no flourish to the move. Not even an attempt at a simple flip!
~ 67m - Penalties x 2 for double dose of All Black flatulance at the breakdown.
It wasn't just flatulence, now, was it? It was the follow-through which caused the issue. As they say, if you can't fart with confidence, don't fart at all.
~ 73m - Penalty for Springbok shoe laces left undone at breakdown
Again, it wasn't the fact that it was undone, it was the wrong colour.
I appreciate that these things can be difficult, but really?!
I'm off to find a nice cosy rock, somehwere away from those damned-nuisance goats!
Posted 12:06 19th September 2012
jamesliveinhope says...
@Leinsterblue - you may want to re-check your information - the only teams uncertain of their qualification from the Pro12 have been Dragons and Connacht who then depend on either their other national sides' performances or their league position in relation to each other (depending on the specific rules applied on the specific season). So I make that 11 out of 12 and not necessarily anything to do with the final league position. (the Italians will qualify regardless of where they finish).
I think that sometimes Leinster and Munster are used as the argument for it being OK. Leinster and Munster are (or have been), in my opinion Europe's best for a number of years. It has nothing to do with the Pro12 or the squad rotation, it is simply the case that they have had the best collection of players and coaches, aided in no small part by the fact that they play together internationally as well.
But lets look at a couple of other Pro12 sides - Cardiff - Top seeds this term - would not have qualified this term if the Pro12 worked the same as the Premiership or Top 14 - in fact they would have struggled to qualify for each of the last 4 seasons finishing either mid-table or bottom half. Yet ranked 5th in Europe.
Ulster would have only qualified for the last 2 seasons yet enjoy their 8th ranking (second seeding) by virtue of their "turning up" points from the season before.
Edinburgh, semi finalists last term, would need to go back 4 seasons before they could say that their qualification was deserved yet, by virtue of their progression last year and their other "turning-up" points gain second seeding because Stade Francais (that's STADE FRANCAIS) have not managed to qualify from the French league.
In fact the Ospreys appear to be the only side that commits to both the Pro 12 AND the HC, their ranking? 14th and third seeds.
Posted 11:43 19th September 2012
rugby_rockstar says...
Hi Sincero,
l'm English and I share your annoyance, (see my post below). Not all English rugby fans support PRL. we're on a rugby website so you get a vocal minority die hard aviva club fans, who have a vested interest in keeping their privileged little saturday match day world's intact to the detriment of every other english fan who doesn't live near one of the 12 clubs (yeah we're talking 12 clubs in the largest rugby playing country i the world, how can it be said that PRL represent the english rugby fan?). The majority of English rugby fans love the european cup for the same reasons we love test rugby, the cross border competetition and tribalism and we pretty much hold PRL in contempt for ruining a fantastic competition for financial gain.
Rested rugby stars up the intensity and quality of the product, NZ do it all the time with the air NZ cup. They are RWC champions and super rugby champions and the Air NZ cup is bradacst all over the world. They're winners. If the PRO12 stars end up playing week in week out then there will be injuries and player burn out and the fans will lose out. its a case of settling for an inferior product and making loads of cash and expecting the celtic fans to swallow it like the aviva fans have, or providing the best elite level product for all celtic rugby fans no matter if they are in Cardiff or Anglesey. It common sense that a welsh fan in Anglesey will enjoy watching a welsh team beat Leicester, thats the beauty of the european cup and thats what is at stake. The aviva clubs want to drag you down to their level so they'll be competatitive. its up to the Pro12 regions to stand their ground and drag the aviva clubs up to their level for the betterment of northern hemisphere rugby. Then everyone is a winner. The only people who are better off under the PRL plan are the businessmen. Rugby loses.
Posted 10:21 19th September 2012
StunTheMullet says...
@ JonTheRef - I'm sure a referee could find a fault at every scrum, ruck and maul if they really really wanted to.
It's the pedantic nature of it all and not letting the game flow by playing advantage. Instead it's straight for the whistle.
A few samples of the penalty lotteries from the game (unfortunately not privy to exact second for all so approximate minute mark):
~16:18m - Penalty for an All Black not saying pardon at the breakdown.
~22m - Penalty for Springbok not having a straight tie at the breakdown.
~31:49m - Penalty for Kieren Reid not bouncing off the ground like on a trampoline and bounding away within a nano second of tackle.
~ 67m - Penalties x 2 for double dose of All Black flatulance at the breakdown.
~ 73m - Penalty for Springbok shoe laces left undone at breakdown.
Posted 09:57 19th September 2012
StunTheMullet says...
@ AVP1 - That's me told to celebrate incompetence as is popular "oop North".
Yee-hah! Another Penalty! Awesome! Hope there's another one real soon! Fantastic There's Another Penalty! Pip Pip! Here Comes Another One!
BTW there's a rock being kept warm for you under the bridge, Moonbeam.
Posted 00:47 19th September 2012
jontheref says...
stan
"Also, what ever happened to the law that a tackled player is able to place the ball that was being enforced in the last couple of years?
Seems to have gone back to 2009 this year where attacking team are being penalised as soon as they are tackled for not releasing the ball when they aren't even given time to place it."
Carp law anyway.
What ever happened to rugby is played on the feet?
If a man is on the ground, he is out of the game.
As long as the player comes in from the correct side, let him have the ball!
That's how it used to be!
Man on his feet is king!
Oh for the old days!
law makers could learn a lot!
Posted 23:32 18th September 2012
Sincero says...
hmm
Posted 20:53 18th September 2012
jontheref says...
stan the mullet
New ref boss, ther refs want to keep him happy, so they are applying tyhe laws.
If there are 27 PK's, what is wrong?
The refs try to talk players out of PK's, if you listened to the refs mike you could work that out.
Haven't seen any refs come in at the side of the ruck, or kill the ball, so maybe I need to complain Sky about the feed I'm getting.
As to advantage, (or lack of it) can you give the details of a few, say 4, with clock time of game, so I can understand what you think you saw?
Posted 19:47 18th September 2012
jontheref says...
melkdave
You did not post hard facts.
You posted your POV.
If you read the responses, there is support for the drop to 20 teams, with first past the post.
Though this will probably have to include one guaranteed place per country.
I doubt your predictionthat the HEC is dead is about as valid as some of your arguments!
Posted 19:41 18th September 2012