[Lions SA Tour] Did Bryce Lawrence get it wrong again? It looked like a try
He wasn’t even on the field for the 3rd test but he had an influence on the game – this time as the TMO denying a try to Springbok flyer, Odwa Ndungane which looked like it should have been awarded.
Even the Times thought it was a ‘perfectly good try’.
The reaction of the South African commentators was surprisingly subdued with phrases like ‘I wouldn’t like to call it’.
If the match was in Australia, Phil Kearns and co would have been screaming TRY!! and criticising TMO Lawrence for taking so long.
The (not) try happened in the 75th minute with the Lions ahead by 19 points so this blunder did not affect the outcome of the match.
[Lions SA Tour] NZ Referee’s boss predictable in response to criticism of Lawrence
Bray: “I admire the fact he saw it, because often these incidents are missed because they happen away from the ball and on the ground, so I thought he did an admirable job of seeing it in the first place.”
Hmmmm … the TV shot clearly showed Lawrence was standing a few short meters from the incident – and the ball was right there.
In the video below, the gouging takes place at the 12 second mark (with an alternative slow motion angle at 1:33).
The mall collapses right on the 5m line.
Schalk Burger and Luke Fitzgerald roll over other players and end up lying about 4 meters from the sideline (possibly less). Burger’s fingers are in the eyes of the Lions wing.
The ball is just on the other side of these two and is retrieved by South African scrum-half, Fourie Du Preez and punted upfield.
New Zealand Linesman Bryce Lawrence is directly adjacent to the action and raises his flag just before Du Preez makes the kick.
So great job Lyndon! Applauding Lawrence for seeing something 4 meters away, during play, right by the ball.
It’s a typical response from the refereeing hierarchy. Paddy O’Brien performs the same ‘back-our-own-no-matter-what’ routine whenever he is quizzed on sub-par refereeing performances.
O’Brien’s take on Lawrence’s first test effort: “an outstanding piece of scrum refereeing.”
What a croc!
Strange that the Beast was penalised in the very first scrum of the second test and subsequently toed the line resulting in relatively steady, even scrummaging for the remainder of the match.
If Lawrence had been truly ‘outstanding’ in this area, why would the Beast have been pulled up when he was rewarded for doing the exact same thing in the first test.
A conspiracy theorist might say that Berdos was told to look closely at the technique of the South Africa loose head who cheated like hell in the first test.
They might say that the refereeing powers didn’t want the second test to be dominated by bad scrum refereeing like the first.
They might also say to look closely at the make-up of the IRB ‘Panel of Elite Referees’ to see if Bryce Lawrence’s name remains on it.
If so, it may be more of an indictment on the second tier or refs.
Or, perhaps Lawrence’s father Kieth, who used to head the referees before Paddy O’Brien and remains part of the hierarchy (as an assessor) retains some influence.
It will be interesting to see if the public persona of ‘backing-our-own-at-all-costs’ is how things are behind the scenes with those who control refereeing appointments at the top level.
[Lions SA Tour] Post-match concensus #1: Burger should have been sent off
Three points about the eye-gouge
- It would have been unfortunate for such a great and fiercely fought match to have been decided like that
It is always a shame for the spectacle of test match rugby when a red card influences the outcome – even when it is fully deserved (as it was in this case)- Simon Shaw’s red card in New Zealand in 2004 ruined what could have been a great test. Like the Springboks, New Zealand were reeling from an earlier loss – the humiliation of 2003 when the English were down to 13 (with 2 in the bin, defending on their own 5 meter line) and managed to hold the All Blacks out in a deserved victory.[For the record, we do not believe that Shaw should have got sent off for this. Linesman Stuart Dickinson (Australia) got it wrong]
- Even though it was do or die for the Lions, they would have preferred to have beaten a full-strength Springboks side
Just like the spectacle, the victory would have been just a little shallow had it been down to the opposition being a man short (and a particularly effective man at that) - Bryce Lawrence has had a disasterous series
After a shocker in the first half of the first test, effectively taking them out of the contest, Lawrence needed to have a solid match from the sideline.
The gouging was his call to make as the referee did not see the incident. It was right on the sideline in clear sight of the TV camera.
Perhaps he was scared of earning the wrath of the home crowd.
Perhaps he was just scared of making a huge call.Either way, not a good position for an international referee.
Brian Moore thinks that to have gotten it wrong is ‘scandalous’.
“If Lawrence, as touch judge, is incapable of linking the vileness of an act occurring two feet away and the proper sanction of a red card, he is not fit to officiate.”
One wonders how Jonathan Kaplan would have reacted.
Post-match concensus #2: Peter deVilliers is an idiot
He made a very bad, presumptuous decision in the first test to sub off good players who were playing well when the Springboks were going well. Then he made it worse by his ill-conceived comments afterwards, clumsily trying to cover the blunder.
Better to say nothing or make a neutral remark along the lines of ‘hindsight and all that’.
Then, to open his mouth the way he did after the eye-gouging confirms that he is clueless. It remains to be seen whether he possesses any rugby nous at all or his appointment is, in fact, purely political.
It remains to be seen whether he will have a negative impact on the Springboks performances. He doesn’t seem to have so far which is more a testament to the group of individuals around him rather than anything he has done.
[Lions SA Tour] Christophe Berdos had a great game
Berdos was under some pressure before the game even started
- First test referee Bryce Lawrence had penalised the hell out of the Lions in the first half and made a complete hash of the scrums causing a furore in the British press
- Loftus is a caldron at the best of times
- The Lions had to win to keep the series alive
Key points in the game
- The first scrum
Before the game, Springbok great Naas Bortha said “It’s all about the first scrum [] it’s the most important for the Lions.”Brian Moore:
“How did ‘the Beast’ curiously dominate, then capitulate? The previous week he was allowed to cheat with impunity; two days ago he was not; simple really.”Berdos penalised the Beast in the first scrum for doing what he had gotten away with all through the first test – driving inwards and upwards. Things went reasonably smoothly from there.
- Burger eye gouging
It was clear from the replay what happened. Somewhat uncharacteristic from a great player but he had to go and was perhaps lucky that it was only 10 minutes. - Penalty at the death
Berdos had penalised J.P. Petersen in the first half for going through on Brian Kearney after he had kicked the ball.Petersen appeared to be committed but did carelessly leave his arm out.
O’Gara’s was very similar. He was going for the ball but was a little irresponsible running into the catcher who was in the air and vulnerable. The call had to be made. It was just unfortunate that the game was decided in this fashion but Berdos controlled things very well – much better than Bryce Lawrence in the first test.
This match would not have been the wonderful spectacle that it was without Berdos’ acute judgement and consistency.
This guy is not a crap ref!
Linesman, Bryce Lawrence had 2 interesting interjections that thows some doubt upon his judgement.
i) Burger eye-gouge
Lawrence told Berdos that while he had not seen it all, the incident deserved “at least a yellow card.”
Does that mean Burger should have been sent off?
If it did, why not just say that?
ii) Video referee’s decision on the Jacques Fourie try in the corner
Lawrence appeared to be advising Berdos to go back up to the TMO for a second look at the Springbok player’s foot and the sideline after Stuart Dickinson gave his approval to award the try.
Lawrence second guessed a TMO during the Super14 season as well, sending the call back for further deliberation.
If a referee has that level of confidence in what happened – then they should make the call that way – if they send it up to the TMO, then it’s their call to make – plain and simple. You didn’t hear Stuart Dickinson say that there was a reason not to award the try but it seemd Lawrence was having second thoughts.
Lawrence did not have a good game in the first test and his interjections were somewhat indifferent in the second. This has not been a good series for Lawrence.
Italians happy with result but could have been even better
Irish referee, George Clancy gave 4 penalties against Italy at scrum time on their own put in.
There was another highly questionable penalty call against the Italians at a ruck penalty call against them on the 25 minute mark, which resulted in 3 points to the All Blacks, taking the margin to 13.
Even the kiwi commentators thought it was harsh – always a tell-tale sign that the referee got it wrong.
Then, Italy were unlucky with a penalty kick o their own that fell just short 2mins before the break that would have made it 13-6, a better psychological prognosis going into half time. 13-3 flattered the All Blacks who only showed glimpses rather than genuine signs of ascendency.
In the second half, Italy chose against a kick at goal. If earlier refereeing calls had gone their way (and the margin a lot closer), Italy would surely have taken the kick and who knows where the game could have been at that point.
To be seriously competitive, weaker teams need to possess several key characteristics
1. Strong Kicking
Tactical, line kicking, goal kicking and drop-goals
2. Strong set pieces
Between these two elements, teams can stay competitive and even win games
3. Defend like their lives depended upon it
This is the real key for many teams and something Italy had for 75% of the game.
Superior desire wins rugby games at every level.
Then, to really threaten, weaker teams also need:
4. More than their share of the 50-50 calls – Italy got maybe 20% of these (if they were lucky).
5. Some penetration – Italy had 2-3 genuine moments that unfortunately did not result in tries
6. Some luck
While they didn’t have a lot of bad luck, they didn’t get any good luck either.
A penalty was (correctly) awarded for a defensive player being taken in the air from an attacking bomb that was the Italians best opportunity for a try.
If they had a bit of luck, they would have scored from this.
Bottom line: This was a very solid Italian performance that they would have been even better had the referee not been guessing at scrum-time. With a little luck, it could have been a very close game.
[Lions SA Tour] It’s now the turn of ‘the best ref in the world’ (Allain Rolland)
While not a test match, it is being hailed as the ’4th test’ by rugby pundits.
It’s certainly going to be a test for irish referee Allain Rolland after all the talk about officiating during this tour.
If you listen to some, he’s the best referee in world rugby but here at CrapRefs, we can’t see past Jonathan Kaplan for that spot.
The English certainly don’t like him.
This is going to be an interesting encounter.
Our call: expect to see some heavy-handed refereeing early on to try and establish a baseline of respect for the rules and the ref.
Only when a referee has the respect of the players can he even contemplate smiling on the field.
Problem is, a player’s respect comes from the ability of the ref to see, make calls and communicate …
Lots of moaning about refereeing in this weekend’s Southern Hemispheres’ internationals
French coach mark Marc Lievremont struggled to fathom some of referee Marius Jonker’s decisions around the ruck in France’s narrow loss to the All Blacks in the second test in Wellington.
The All Blacks played a lot better than they did in the first half, taking it to the French at every opportunity and actually looking like they had a game plan.
The All Blacks probably had a greater claim for a harsh call when a try was disallowed in the right hand corner. The ball looked like it was over the line but the doubt was given to the visitors by video ref, George Ayoub.
__________________
The Lions felt they were hard done by with a high penalty count early on and difficulty in scrummaging. Both captain and coach were quick to point the finger at New Zealand referee Bryce Lawrence.
They thought they had ascendancy in the scrummage with the Boks choosing hooker John Smit on the tight head and Andy Sheridan having destroyed every tight head he had come up against to that point. But there are 3 relevant points to note here:
- Andy Sheridan destroyed all before this match but is now injured;
- The Lions asked referee before the match to ‘reward the stronger scrum’; and
- The Lions did not seem to factor in ‘the Beast’
Vickery was out played and out muscled rather than hard done by.
Bryce Lawrence wouldn’t have a clue about scrums – it’s not an area of the game that the Southern Hemisphere put much emphasis on and even Lawrence’s home side the All Blacks struggle with it but all reports from respected English journalism allude to the fact that Vickery had no answers to the Beast and should probably have been subbed earlier to give the Lions a better platform.
Breaking from his captain and coach, “[Graham] Rowntree [] said that he had no problem with any of Lawrence’s decisions.”
It took the Lions a while to get going, some of which could have been down to interpretations as they were being penalised quite heavily early on.
Referee Lawrence settled when the Lions settled (after replacing Vickery with Jones) and then it was game on. A brave effort that could be remembered as much for coaching decisions as turning points.
- (McGeechan) Leaving Vickery on for so long; and
- (de Villiers) Changing so many good players to upset the rhythm and nearly cost the game
It will be interesting to see how the Lions media machine work on squaring up the penalty count on the days between the tests and what effect this will have on the scrum in particular.
