I appreciate the concern with respect to focusing on an individual in a pressurised position. I think there's scope for a middle ground perhaps, and recognising particularly egregious mistakes isn't a bad thing.
All sports have issues with referees. Rugby could be a lot worse off. To borrow a word from you, refereeing is in an even more precarious situation. Domestic referee numbers are down. Referee abuse is on the increase. Professional referees are receiving death threats and their families are being dragged into online stuff. Why would someone consider refereeing when this is possibly something they will have to deal with? This idea that publishing performance reviews will help simply isn't true.
You also have to consider the trickle down affect into amateur rugby. Suddenly you'll have AIL coaches calling for referee reviews to be published. This for referees who are essentially volunteers. That might seem crazy, but most trends that begin at pro level filter down, in some way, eventually.
Which Irish player scored a hat trick against the Māori All Blacks?
The Maori, Emerging Ireland and NZ 'A' games were pretty important in forming the squad. Some players benefitted from them and moved on, and others set themselves back and didn't.
Which would seem to be whole point of them?
indeed
interesting discussion on the life of rugby refs, with Chris Busby and Eoghan Cross... for those interested.
Ah of course, had to be referring to a Munster player. Explains the agenda. Thought it might have been Larmour you were referring to who scored 2 tries or Timoney who had a cracking game.
Remind me again who won the final test after that borderline negligent decision by Farrell to ignore form?
and here was me thinking that Gavin Coombes was included in the RWC training squad.
how did i not see that he was snubbed !
No decision expected today either.
Sexton has been a real silly billy acting the hard man inappropriately. This is likely the end for him as he will feel the full force of the law
He has the misfortunate of playing in the same position as Doris and Conan. It happens. He's in the squad and has a chance of getting ahead of Conan but Doris is just a better player.
Are you referring to Joubert in 2011 final giving France a kickable penalty with about 10 minutes to go that they missed? Or when he ignored McCaw being eye gouged?
As for Owens in 2013, I assume you are referring to the fact he reminded Ireland a couple of times to keep their feet when joining the ruck and then penalised McGrath for diving off his feet. That didn't lose Ireland that game. The fact no irish player had the smarts to kill the ball and yes give away a penalty during the 80 odd metres and 3 or 4 minutes it took the ABs to move up field, is what cost Ireland that match.
Yes the Joubert who watched Kaino commando crawl threw ruck in a kickable distance and did nothing, among other things. Also the same Owens who said afterwards that he missed multiple infringements by NZ in the lead up to their winning try
Link please.
the same Owens who said afterwards that he missed multiple infringements by NZ in the lead up to their winning try
This is an urban myth
Whatever your opinion of Williams, the video of Kaino is pretty conclusive no?
I'm wrong there, could've sworn I'd read it before but no evidence populates searching for it.
I think people might be mixing two things up in memory here.
After the game, it was Schmidt who said that he identified multiple system mistakes made by the Irish defense during the drive that ultimately led to the winning score.
Ref made a mistake. Can't say I saw 4 penalties there as Williams claimed but definitely a knock on by Kaino. Williams has such a pathological hatred for the ABs that of course he would do a Rassie style analysis showing how they cheated or the ref favoured them. If his summary is what you're relying on, you're clutching at straws. Remember when he went through that period of refusing to call them the All Blacks and kept saying Bloody New Zealand.
To be clear, the point I made wasn't having a dig at NZ. Could also have put Michelak's pass in 07 on there, the ref letting Italy take a lineout after time expires vs Wales before that law change came into effect, or the illegal quick lineout taken by Wales that lead to Phillips's try. It was examples of refs having decisive impacts on matches.
I think it's one of those "So what" sets of info.
I wonder could Keenan play 10.......
The kiwis look fairly good. Certainly came out firing today. South Africa are fcuked if Pollard isn't available. They have no 10. It's shocking really.
I see Andrew Conway is training with Ireland this week.
Great time for him but not exactly a form selection.
Hasn't played in 12 months.
Yes but he is proven quality. A great and often under appreciated player.
Libbok is a quality 10 although a bit inexperienced at this level. I think after today they'll back him instead of Willemse out of position.
I think he was first choice prior to injury, and Farrell seemed to be a fan.
It’s possibly too late in the day for him, and he’s not in the mold of Hansen, say, but if he can get back to where he was, he’s a quality option.
Whatever happens, there’ll be some seriously good wing options left at home.
Just watched the NZ v SA match
looks like the counter ruck is ‘the new’ battlefront
Lots of bodies committed and ferocious rucking
with no hesitation when the ball “is out”
wouldn’t be surprised if this was specifically how both sides have decided to counter Ireland
maybe I’m been paranoid
It's very similar to what France have been doing the last couple of years, and we've shown we can deal with that.
It will be interesting to see if there's the same level of outrage in response to this from fans of a certain province that Farrell isn't selecting on "form", and that Leinster players are always unfairly getting selected over "in form" players from a certain province, seen as Conway literally hasn't played a game of rugby in over a year.
You'd also wonder how guys like Larmour and Baloucoune feel about this.
When is the final squad announced?
