Rugby 2016

[Real ale Madrid]

Listen to Gavin Cummiskey here.

http://www.newstalk.com/Gavin-Cummis...ks-game-again-

The world and its mother knows that NZ get away with murder. Maybe Garces will finally be the ref to show the rest how it's done. Or... he'll never get an AB game again.

Cummiskey is clueless - an absolute gob****e of the highest order.

Peyper's job as per red card protocol is to come up with a mitigating factors that may be required to adjudicate over before the red card is given. Its very well explained here:

http://rugbyreferee.net/2017/07/01/b...-sbw-red-card/

[osarusan]

I don't really have a problem with the Haka...seems like most players like to face it.

I do have a problem with the fact that you must face it. You can't ignore it and continue the warm-up. You can't go into a huddle or whatever. You can't make any response to it while it is happening (as Tonga so memorably did years ago). You can't encroach on them like Ireland did years ago. You just have to stand there, a certain distance apart.

I also don't much like the idea that the opposition should have some kind of 'response' to the Haka...some kind of mental retaliation or whatever. You hear that teams have discussed the best way to respond to it. Why bother? It doesn't make them better players, just get on with it.

i actually think the whole idea of a response is getting sucked into the mental gamesmanship that the Haka is part of.

[BonnieShels]

Cummiskey is clueless - an absolute gob****e of the highest order.

Peyper's job as per red card protocol is to come up with a mitigating factors that may be required to adjudicate over before the red card is given. Its very well explained here:

http://rugbyreferee.net/2017/07/01/b...-sbw-red-card/

But that would be all fine and dandy without Jaco previous. And this is an issue too.

There's no point in glossing over his previous performances in NZ games and saying he did the right thing here when perhaps the bias that he has demonstrated in the past might have reared its head here.

There's no way to know. I'm willing to come down on the side of Peyper being a flute and biased to the hilt. I don't think that's an unreasonable stance given what we know of him. It’s not like you would allow Wayne Barnes away with his consistent biases even if he was “doing the right thing” as per the laws.

Great link btw.

[BonnieShels]

I don't really have a problem with the Haka...seems like most players like to face it.

I do have a problem with the fact that you must face it. You can't ignore it and continue the warm-up. You can't go into a huddle or whatever. You can't make any response to it while it is happening (as Tonga so memorably did years ago). You can't encroach on them like Ireland did years ago. You just have to stand there, a certain distance apart.

I think that’s my biggest issue with it and you literally said what I said to herself the last night when we were talking about it. I think facing it down should be done (isn’t that the point?) or going about your warm up or whatever? But this “forced” respect that HAS to happen is resolutely unfair. Willie Anderson had it right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fg4FyhZ-Kg

I also don't much like the idea that the opposition should have some kind of 'response' to the Haka...some kind of mental retaliation or whatever. You hear that teams have discussed the best way to respond to it. Why bother? It doesn't make them better players, just get on with it.

i actually think the whole idea of a response is getting sucked into the mental gamesmanship that the Haka is part of.

Best to ignore it as if it hasn’t happened… that would wind the Kiwi’s up something else or just sit down or something…

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rug...ored-1.2848417

[osarusan]

I think facing it down should be done (isn’t that the point?) or going about your warm up or whatever?

If the opposition wants to engage in that mental gamesmanship battle with some kind of response, then sure. Don't get me wrong, I like watching it. The Munster players' Haka against NZ was amazing TV.

If they don't want to engage with it though, they should be free to do what they want.

I'm sure it's been posted before, but the Haka was not always the menacing effort it now is. Here's a piece of old footage with them performing it for the crowd (with no menace and less than perfect coordination) while the Barbarians got on with their warm up.

This was before NZ decided to try and use it to their psychological advantage, and the authorities let them.

[BonnieShels]

I managed to get it on with enough time to see the KO and miss the dance. YUSS.

[OwlsFan]

Fairly lucky to come out of that with a draw. Did Warburton really persuade the ref to change his mind for that last penalty ? Would have been a sickening way to lose a series it has to be said. Enjoyed the games (the Irish involvement in particular) if not the SKY hype which was even more cringe worthy than usual. All the Irish players in the Test side did themselves proud.