Rugby 2011

**geysir** · 16/10/2011, 2:52 PM

The actual rule doesn't include the word 'intent' anywhere.
The interpretation of the spear tackle has moved away from the question of intent.

But I do not see a clarification or a definition in the memo that Stutts linked, of what a tackler would have to do to avoid the description
'no regard to the player’s safety'
'The lifted player is dropped to the ground from a height with no regard to the player’s safety. A red card should be issued for this type of tackle.'

**Macy** · 17/10/2011, 7:55 AM

Keep hold of him and dump tackle him - drive him back onto his back and go to ground with the player tackled, rather than drive him down or drop him on his neck.

**Real ale Madrid** · 23/10/2011, 9:27 AM

8-7 to NZ in the final.

Squeaky bum time - think the phrase was invented for a situation like this. Esp if you are a new zealander!

**BonnieShels** · 23/10/2011, 10:21 AM

A classic match. All that's great about the game. Feel for Thierry Dusatouir. He was magnificent. Still don't like NZ. I don't think I ever will. But they deserved it over the tournament.

**Stuttgart88** · 23/10/2011, 4:24 PM

NZ - the only team unbeaten in both the rugby and soccer WCs! NZ deserved the tournament, but only just.

Did anyone other than Wales really bring their "A" game to the tournament? We played well against Oz and for 40 mins v Italy.

I don't think Oz or SA really got out of the traps. England scraped through their games against proper Test sides. Scotland did OK and Argentina did OK, but should have beaten England.

I enjoyed the tournament but early morning matches made it hard to keep fully up to date throughout.

I thought the refereeing was generally poor, and I'm not really referring to Warburton's red. How was Wales' forward pass in the build up to Williams' try allowed to stand on Friday? It wasn't even close to flat. Lots of ignored high tackles (notably Oz v SA) and too many very iffy calls for collapsed scrums - including one in the final.

Some notably poor place kicking too. Has the IRB made FIFA's mistake of introducing a new ball for no reason whatsoever other than commercialism?

Funnily enough, I think the low scoring rugger matches can be far more entertaining. Then again, I enjoyed the 1994 and 2010 soccer WC finals. Context is everything.

**BonnieShels** · 23/10/2011, 8:50 PM

Completely agree Stutts on the refereeing. Warburton's red was the correct call. But I noted some crazy calls today and then was delighted that Matty and Franno brought them up.
NZ were lucky today and a better ref would have seen them losing that game.

All in all a great world cup I have to say. Here's to an Ireland victory in Twickenham in October 2015.
Also bar the result I loved the 2010 WC Final. I also enjoyed the 2006 one as well.

**Macy** · 24/10/2011, 8:05 AM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

I thought the refereeing was generally poor, and I'm not really referring to Warburton's red. How was Wales' forward pass in the build up to Williams' try allowed to stand on Friday? It wasn't even close to flat. Lots of ignored high tackles (notably Oz v SA) and too many very iffy calls for collapsed scrums - including one in the final.

Most ref's are just guessing most of the time, since they've never been near a scrum, and are mainly former backs. In fairness, hard to get the fitness out of a former front rower... Can't recall from this World Cup, but in the past this would've been an area that Rolland was one of the better ones, being a former scrum half.

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Some notably poor place kicking too. Has the IRB made FIFA's mistake of introducing a new ball for no reason whatsoever other than commercialism?

iirc it is a new ball - that was the issue at the start of the tournament, and led to England cheating with swapping balls.

**Real ale Madrid** · 24/10/2011, 2:57 PM

Gutted the tournament is over now.

Overall I thought it was a decent tournament - Ireland beating Australia threw it wide open, so it was a pity the Final ended up being a predictable France v New Zealand.

The Final itself was great to watch but not great on quality, which I suppose was understandable. Weird seeing the All-blacks get such a pounding physically - I think they really had to earn it - and they seemed to have had the arrogance beat out of them psychologically over the last 24 years - made me happier for them to win it. They seemed genuinely relieved and humbled to finally get over the line.

It was a bitterly disappointing tournament for Ireland - It was terrible to waste the opportunity created by beating Australia by really getting well beaten by Wales. The future isn’t exactly bleak for us given the emergence of the likes of Sean O'Brien, Conor Murray, Cian Healy etc over the last 18 months. Already looking forward to our 3 tests against New Zealand next summer.

Not sure about the standard of refereeing - Id have to go back and watch some of the games - thought the French were hard done by at times yesterday - especially in the first 15 minutes.

As a tournament itself I think it struggles to maintain momentum during the knockout stages. I think 80 playing minutes is too long these days - shorter games may give an opportunity to shorten the turnarounds between games. Might help the tournament but may not be good for the game in general. Think a round robin at the quarter final stage would be great as well but logistically that’s impossible as well.

I’ve mentioned the disaster case that is the IRB earlier in the tournament – they themselves have signed off on the tournament by fining the French Rugby Federation for encroaching on the haka. These lads make Frank and Irene look good.

How 30 lads who slept in a 5 star hotel the night before can perform a war dance with a straight face anyway is beyond me, but that’s an argument for a different day.

Roll on England 2015.

**Macy** · 24/10/2011, 3:05 PM

Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid

I’ve mentioned the disaster case that is the IRB earlier in the tournament – they themselves have signed off on the tournament by fining the French Rugby Federation for encroaching on the haka. These lads make Frank and Irene look good.

How 30 lads who slept in a 5 star hotel the night before can perform a war dance with a straight face anyway is beyond me, but that’s an argument for a different day.

That's a joke - only one team's allowed get a motivational benefit from it?

Not bothering with leaving it a different day... I know some commentators think it's outdated in the professional game. I don't agree, and think it should stay. However, opposition teams should be free to do want they want (obviously nothing physical). Whether that's Donal Lenihan led Ireland getting in their face or Campese style indifference doing keep em ups in his 22. This forcing the opposition to behave a certain way is ridiculous.

**Real ale Madrid** · 24/10/2011, 3:17 PM

Originally Posted by Macy

Whether that's Donal Lenihan led Ireland getting in their face .

Pedantic Pat says Willie Anderson

**Macy** · 24/10/2011, 5:35 PM

Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid

Pedantic Pat says Willie Anderson

Yeah, just copped that and came back to edit. How about a tall fecker with bandage?

**geysir** · 24/10/2011, 6:26 PM

I thought that was a gripping WC final between 2 magnificent sides. You'd have to have a hard heart not to feel for that French team out there at the final whistle (lasting at least for 1 minute).

I didn't notice anything untoward with the refereeing, however based on my knowledge that doesn't mean anything untoward didn't happen.
But I couldn't figure out the ref penalising France for wasting time before a line out when they were behind late in the game and all while the All Blacks were munsterising the game.

**joeSoap** · 25/10/2011, 11:28 AM

Personally I would have been appalled if France won the World Cup purely based on the fact that they treated their group with such disrespect, and their manager is an egomaniacal buffoon. Yet, strangely I wanted them to win on Sunday, and felt they could have. I find it questionable in the least that Joubert got this final to referee. He clearly is the type of referee who has liberal interpretatons of the ruck and how it should be refereed. McCaw is one of the greatest players to have ever lived. He plays on the edge, and breaks the laws so many times and gets away with it its incredible. However, what he did to Parra was disgusting- he dropped the knee into Parras head and punched him in the same movement while Parra was prone on the ground. I can't believe he wasn't cited, and that there has been no follow up. Surprisingly (not!!!) the IRB have taken it down from youtube and any other related sites.

The best team won the World Cup. For me, it was the most disappointing tournament of them all, and I've seen every one of them. There wasn't one game of high quality, and boy were there some real stinkers. We leave it yet again with the familiar old tale of what might have been, but the big losers were perhaps the Welsh. The 6 nations clash in Dublin will be worth looking forward to.

**Real ale Madrid** · 25/10/2011, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by joeSoap

I find it questionable in the least that Joubert got this final to referee. He clearly is the type of referee who has liberal interpretatons of the ruck and how it should be refereed.

Just to re-inforce that - only twice in world cup history has a referee refereed a semi-final and a final in the same tournament. It happened in 1987 and again this year - do I need to tell you which country was involved in each game?

**joeSoap** · 25/10/2011, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid

Just to re-inforce that - only twice in world cup history has a referee refereed a semi-final and a final in the same tournament. It happened in 1987 and again this year - do I need to tell you which country was involved in each game?

And to add further fuel to that; It's no coincidence in my eyes that the sole selector of referees for this tournament was a certain Paddy O'Brien...a New Zealander!!