Rugby Needs to Red Card the Cheats
I suspect that more important offences are missed in rugby than any other sport. But don’t blame the refs – or not too much, wouldn’t want to spoil all the fun. The problem is so many things are happening at the same time on and off the ball, it is almost impossible for one man to pick up.
Get Victor Matfield’s ‘Lineout’ coaching module now…
Did I say one man? In fact it is almost impossible for three men to pick up, because the assistant refs seem to miss most of the stuff as well. The situation has become so bad, it may be time to consider a second referee on the pitch whose sole area of concern is to monitor what is happening off the ball.
There was wholesale cheating during the international weekend, as is usual in the modern game at the top level. Australia’s try against England was created because Nick Phipps run through a gap created by off the ball obstruction. Italy’s try against New Zealand was similarly fashioned and so was France’s third try against Argentina.
The poor old Pumas, who keep getting the worst of the refs particularly when Mr Walsh is involved, could have justifiably wondered why four Frenchmen were not yellow carded. The first French offender should have been punished with at least a yellow and arguably also a penalty try for a deliberate knock-on. Then there was a tackle on a man in the air, a hit five yards after the man had passed the ball and finally a trip. The last two went completely unnoticed by the officials.
At present the IRB is busily reviewing the Adam Thomson affair – and quite right too. A local New Zealand ref told me he was aghast at the leniency of the punishment. He said it was typical of the judicial bodies who seem to put the ref on trial more than the accused player and make it almost impossible for him to do his job on a Saturday.
But perhaps the IRB could also give some thought of how it is going to deal with this plague of cheating. Football is far more sensible on the issue. It yellow cards players for diving and it red cards players who foul in order to prevent a direct goal scoring opportunity.
I would like to see rugby get similarly medieval on the asses of these serial cheats. Anyone who prevents a try scoring opportunity by cheating, as in the deliberate knock on, should be red carded. Anyone who creates a try-scoring opportunity by cheating, as in blatantly holding or blocking a player off the ball, should be red carded. They should then be up before the beak and suspended for a game or two. It is the only way to get this stuff out of the game.
It may also be worth considering an orange card for players who seek to gain an advantage by holding and obstructing and shepherding and deliberately preventing release. Two orange cards would lead to a red card.
While on judicial matters, I also wonder why the IRB is acting on Thomson but not on Samoa. At least three Samoans should have been cited and suspended after the victory against Wales for a swinging arm, a no arms high hit and a highly dangerous clean-out. No top level team will want to play Samoa, a side that brings so much joy to other parts of its rugby, if it can’t clean up its game. The cost in players is just too high.
At the moment it’s anarchy out there. The IRB needs to make 2013 the year when it cleans up the game. It needs to instruct refs to issue red cards for cheating and for violence and it needs to warn coaches there will be zero tolerance. The IRB then needs to back the refs to the hilt in the judicial hearings.
The IRB’s new boss has made a good start, but he needs to go much, much further.
Posted under News & Opinions
6 months ago
You are absolutely bang on there, this is a big issue, and I noticed in the Wales game how much they got away, even the commentators felt that the head high clear our was 100% legal, I have no idea what they were looking at but anyone with any sense could see that there was no attempt to use the arm..The player was injured and substituted, so Wales were the team to suffer due to lack of officiating.
Something needs to be done and there is a lot of off the ball going on…I am not sure whether an additional ref will help.
If 3 refs watching the game cannot pick these incidents up then maybe they need to be trained again. I cannot think of any reason why 3 referees cannot pick up a deliberate knock on..
6 months ago
LOL! No top level team will want to play Samoa??? These tier one teams must have forgotten rugby is a contact game. Agree with youmerugby! No point saying anything else. GO THE MANU!… GO THE MIGHTY ALL BLACKS!
6 months ago
South Africa are nopt afrain of Samoa or anyone because there is only one team on this planet whocarry more power in their tackles and that is South Africa, so if you wnat to be OK with head high shoulder shots then bring it on and next time RM is nailed by an SA Prop or even an Ozzie loosie, don’t forget this is a contact sport…
6 months ago
Barry you must’ve forgotten to take your meds this morning…can’t make sense of some of the garb you’ve written…SA are the Kings of the head high shots, cheap shots etc….you opened the door
6 months ago
You would say that seen as you are an AB Fan…but it is a contact sport…you opened that door…so what are you on about, do you support head high hospital shots or not..?
Plus I am sure Thompson had a good laugh the other day after he scraped his boot over the guys head and he saw the big screen, well done to him, that really must have made the IRB even more easger to adjust his ban…
…but let’s be realistic, I am all for good hard tackles, I do not support a card if the tackle is in error, for example if the tackled player ducks into a tackle, that is unfortunate, but dangerous play towards the head area is a big no no..
Rugby is becoming a bit soft but we can only hope that it does not go the way sovccer has gone..
6 months ago
TROLL JOURNALISM CONFIRMED….
I cant believe you are using Sam Warburtons “Penalty at best/Yellow Card” moment as a picture for this TOSH……. Rolland destroyed the RWC2011 in one moment and that photo is the moment.
Joubert hardly did his job in the final… take a look at 74 mins and 30 secs, thats when France should have won the World Cup in 2011. Bryce Lawrence….. well least said the better really!
6 months ago
I think the most dangerous part of our game is the clear-out, and it affects every team even the mighty A Bs, it’s o k from close up, but to come flying in from 10 yards away using just a shoulder, is pure intent to injure the opposition, as was the case in the Wales game with 2 taken off with quite serious injuries, both were playing well up to that moment, and i think it change the game. I think this is worse than pulling down in the line out, because at least players are aware they’ve been interfered with and try to save themselves and most players carry on after it happens, and talking of the high shots like on Lee Halfpenny, most get up and play on as Lee did. What amazed me was none were picked up by the ref, or the assistant Mr. Barns who was five yards away, and even after the replay on the big screen, not a word was said to those involved, yet in a spear tackle, it would be a red straight away and shown over and over in SLOW MOTION to justify the refs decision to the crowd, don’t get me wrong on this, ALL THE ABOVE are deserving a yellow card, and sometimes red, but weather yellow or red it should be based on the intent to injure, and as a footnote would the experts have said the clear-out of Dan Bigger deemed so legal, by all and sundry if it had happened to the other Dan in A B colours, i don’t think so some how. We all know what to expect when Samoa take the field, hard but exiting rugby, and apart from a few sinister incidents, they controlled the game from start to finish, Pat Lamb had certainly worked Wales out, the sad thing is they are now a better side than i’ve ever witnessed, and in my view don’t need to play dirty, and they will get better.
6 months ago
Two refs? I don’t agree with the high tackle nor the non wrap but two refs, one to watch off the ball? One ref, a little extra when the ref wasn’t around is what attracted a lot to the game. If this keeps up it will be much like American football. Refs for the scrum, backs, lineout and don’t forget the TMO. I do agree with players safety but please keep rugby in a sport of its own. Mark says it all “the cost in players is just to high” . I guess that is the change in rugby
6 months ago
Safe Zone cocooned rugby blog, for pommies (now ensconced in NZ doing their usual critic on NZ rugby whilst knowing stuff all about the game. Reason is out of ideas so has created this blog, so he can do his usual rant about NZ rugby, A Pom at the bottom of the gene pool gutter press who has transported himself here just so he can rack up the NZ rugby fans. Breed and hope for the best, who needs these ugly genes, and who let the mongrel into the country. We have many of the best sports journalists in the world, so this mongrel is out of his tree and in hiding. The Poms have taken all the guts out of the game, (soccer fanatics) that can’t stand the idea that their game, created for the upper classes, has been turned on its arse by the southern hemisphere. Despite all the bloody rule changes that have been made to the game time and time again, adopted, adapted worked on and won by the All Blacks. There is still the continual moaning a groaning from the lovers of the whistle blowing, quick draw mcgraw yellow card carriers, southern Refs. The so called rugby fans in the UK, appear to be more interested in hearing their own voices sing-ging, then watching or knowing anything about the game, squirmming on their seats whenever there is a aspect to the game shown they know nothing about . And what’s with the gridiron player?follower putting in 2c about rules and regulation to do with rugby. Gridiron, the biggest padded up game in the world, hard to believe hes real, perhaps a failed player from the ‘let’s regulate everything UK’ especially when it comes to NZ. LOL; NZ has a number of players doing this game as well, not bad for a small population. How much cleaner Reason would you like to see the game? Soccer clean, you are the most exasperating A.S who ever landed here. Go back to your over regulated institutionalized, big trap, society/ country and prey that you can use your gutter press attitude to compete long enough to make it work, you non-combatant couch potato critic
6 months ago
Correct about the ex gridiron player/ fan but rugby lover. Maybe not quite as schooled in rugby as yourself. Incorrect about a failed player from the UK. My 2 c was also criticizing Reason and the fact of how much cleaner does he want to make the game. It was a dig on his statement about no top tier team will want to play Samoa with “the cost in players is just too high”. I to am an AB fan and distant student to their coaching. ( not much to cheer for with the US Eagles.) I said rugby needs to be kept in a game of its own and not lean toward American football with numerous refs and such. That’s my 2c.
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