Bloody ref's fault!
It was the bloody referee's fault! How can he be allowed to have a whistle if he doesn't know the laws? Are your blind ref! Come on Mr ref!
This is a typical sideline comments or from those in front of the television – when fans, parents and coaches watch the game.
AussieBoer, has done it all. He played, coached, refereed and wrote about this 'upper class' game.
Yes, AussieBoer also has had more than the odd argument here Down under, by calling it the 'upper class' and intelligent game.
Rugby Union is mostly played at private schools or clubs in Australia and England for example.
Rugby League is the preferred game at public schools.
Don't get me wrong, I also attended a public school and I don't say private school kids are better, not at all.
Those are the stats though.
It is an intelligent game, compared to League, which is simple to follow and understand.
While AussieBoer was still a sport's jock on radio, he once asked Matt Rogers why League is more popular than Union in Oz.
He replied: "your basic Aussie fan wants to have a beer & pie in his hand and just watch a simple game. Soccer, League and AFL suits the passionate sports fan who doesn't want to have to overcharge their brain cells. The game shouldn't be rocket science."
Rohan Hoffman, was terrible against the Sharks. Clive Norling jipped the Boks in the third Test in Auckland during the 'flower bomb' Test in 1981. Romain Poite, was a rooster without a head when he first yellow- and then red-carded (he had to after second yellow) Bismarck du Plessis also in Auckland two years ago.
But, who will ever forget Bryce Lawrence in the quarterfinal between the Boks and Wallabies in 2011 World Cup!
Bok and Wallabies fans will not forget, but, for different reasons. To make matters worst, he made 33 mistakes in that Test and the cherry on top was that he was voted as New Zealand's referee of the year!
Rumours have it that he might have been on one of the All Blacks' World Cup Champions team photos afterwards!
As I passionate coach I would lash out at referees and that's why I picked up the whistle again. Just to realise how difficult it really is with all those
many laws.
At every ruck for example, you can award a penalty both ways. I find it extremely irritating, how the attacking teams are not staying on their feet, but, hardly get penalised. How may crooked feeds do they allow at the scrums?
Come on referees it is not League.
In League they have two referees and in South Africa's Varsity Cup they do it as well and there is many who reckons this is the way forward.
However, Danie Craven, many decades ago, experimented with this at Stellenbosch and at one ruck, both referees awarded a penalty. Great, you would think, but, they awarded it to different teams.
I feel that there is so much pressure on 'entertainment' and a 'fast running and try feast' game, that we miss the point of Rugby.
It should always be a contest.
It is a tactical game, with may laws, thus for the intelligent. To compare Union with League is comparing Chess versus Draughts.
What laws do you think should be changed, scrapped or brought in?
I would scrap the law that you can score against the post pad or post. Aaron Smith's try this year, although legal, was rubbish! The post pad is so thick and is in front of the tryline, so a defender has no chance. Were is the contest. Accept the poles as apart of the playing field and score where it is not.
I would also stop yellow-carding a defender when he knocks the ball down when the attackers pass. If you are two-on-one attacking and you can't beat the sole defender, well, you are rubbish and it is great defending. Yes give the penalty maybe, like in touch, but, don't yellow great defence!
I understand the frustration, but, feel for referees. Accept especially at school and club level, that these are all humans and they will make mistakes.
Getting people to put the whistle in their hands, is becoming more and more difficult, because who wants to hear all that banter from spectators (at higher level, drunk spectators) etc?
AussieBoer (Kevin D)
@rugby365com
