A week ago, Argentinian forward Leonardo Senatore was handed a nine-week ban for biting South African lock Eben Etzebeth. This week, the Griquas replacement lock, Rory Arnold will have to face the music on a similar charge. In my view, there was downward pressure from the mass of bodies involved in this incident, rather than a deliberate attempt at biting his opponent. Soos Pote Human dit so mooi stel: “Hy het ’n drie gedruk en feesgevier. Wie sal nou iemand uit vreugde byt?”
Dan was daar natuurlik ook die druk bespreekte strafdrie en geelkaart teen die WP. EK merk vanoggend dat André Watson aangehaal word as sou hy glo dat Jaco Peyper en Willie Roos se beslissing korrek was.
I asked an esteemed member of our blog, who is an active referee, for his views on the following:
- Did Willie Roos interpreted the law correctly?
- Secondly, is the referee obliged to apply the decision, or can he use his own judgment?
- May he question the decision if he disagrees with it?
- In the biting incident in Bloem, the try was awarded as it was scored before the alleged biting incident. In the WP match, some say that the ball was knocked on before the alleged transgression. Would a penalty try in such circumstances be justified?
On receipt, I will post his response on-line.
Willie Roos is no stranger to controversy. In 2009 he was actually a test referee who resigned after an unacceptable incident following a game between Griquas and the Bulls, when a fan flung a drink in his face. Click here for a brief synopsis of the incident.
The new scrum laws are not really adding more actual playing time – it seems to me that even more time is wasted with resets. The challenge with rules and regulations is that it has to be applied consistently to ensure that the referee is fair to both teams. This leaves little room for minor allowances. If the sauce for the goose differs from that for the gander, the losing side, and their fans, are going to call you all kinds of names, particularly if your surname is Roos.
Currie Cup Roundup
Gavin Rich quite rightly scolds the Western Province team for not using their opportunities so far this season:
“Two draws added together is equivalent to one defeat in terms of log points dropped, and WP is also still finding the four-try bonus point an elusive Holy Grail.” There were a number of opportunities on Friday night which should have been converted. Unfortunately, selfish play prevented this. All credit must go to the Lions for fighting back after being behind by 19 points at one stage. The fact that they managed to recover from the WP blitzkrieg, while the latter allowed the penalty try to disorientate them, probably makes the final result a fair one. I really like what I see in Marnitz Boshoff (pictured above). Ek hoop die WP keurders ook.
The Free Staters were full value for their money. In my view, and on current form, they are the side most likely win the cup. Robert Ebersohn remains the one centre in the country able to break the line AND pass. For this very reason, it is hard to understand why Juan de Jongh gets the national nod ahead of him.
The Sharks are starting to reflect the result of the muti prescribed by their rugby doctor, Brendan Venter.. Some of the senior players, like Charl McLeod, show signs of the sparkle that made them such a threat at one stage. Those of you who have short memories may want to heed the words of my Bulls colleagues when they remind me of how the Bulls did not win one match in a Super 15 season, yet went on to win the competition two years later.
Nou ja, Saterdag is dit weer tyd vir toetsrugby. Snaaks hoe lank ‘n week kan wees as jy glo jou span gaan die naweek wen. Dink jy ook Heyneke is besig om die Aussies te oorreed om Quade Cooper te kies, of is hy regtig bang hulle kies hom wel?
