If you read the comments on the match, the verdict is clear, “This is not what the rugby public wants” Many blamed the rule interpretations, making the tackler the guilty party almost 90% of the time.

Do we want a score a minute game like basketball? If you look at the following list you will find 42 scoring opportunities in this match. Remember that another  20 to 25 minutes was spend behind the posts while the kickers lined up their conversions and penalty kicks.

If you put up a poll to pick the best  try in the match you might find a tie between 10 tries. Sorry that is not the way I look at tries, it must be a hard grafted and well planned try to get my vote. Instead of calling it a highlights package of the best tries I would call it a package of the worst defensive efforts.

A bizarre match – with tackling almost non-existent throughout – saw both sides running in tries at will.

86        Conversion       Earl Rose         65 – 72

85        Try       Jacques Lombaard       63 – 72

77        Conversion       Earl Rose         58 – 72

76        Try       Cobus Grobbelaar        56 – 72

75        Conversion       Earl Rose         51 – 72

74        Try       Wandile Mjekevu         49 – 72

73        Conversion       Earl Rose         44 – 72

72        Try       Wandile Mjekevu         42 – 72

71        Conversion       Stephen Donald            37 – 72

70        Try       Brendon Leonard         37 – 70

69        Missed Conversion       Earl Rose         37 – 65

68        Try       Tonderai Chavhanga     37 – 65

66        Conversion       Earl Rose         32 – 65

65        Try       Doppies La Grange      30 – 65

60        Conversion       Stephen Donald            25 – 65

59        Try       Sitiveni Sivivatu 25 – 63

58        Conversion       Stephen Donald            25 – 58

57        Try       Junior Poluleuligaga       25 – 56

56        Conversion       Stephen Donald            25 – 51

55        Try       Richard Kahui  25 – 49

50        Conversion       Stephen Donald            25 – 44

49        Try       Richard Kahui  25 – 42

45        Penalty Stephen Donald            25 – 37

42        Conversion       Stephen Donald            25 – 34

41        Try       Liam Messam   25 – 32

40        Conversion       Stephen Donald            25 – 27

39        Try       Stephen Donald            25 – 25

34        Penalty Stephen Donald            25 – 20

32        Conversion       Earl Rose         25 – 17

31        Try       Carlos Spencer 23 – 17

25        Conversion       Earl Rose         18 – 17

24        Try       Todd Clever     16 – 17

18        Missed Conversion       Earl Rose         11 – 17

17        Try       Wandile Mjekevu         11 – 17

16        Conversion       Stephen Donald            6 – 17

15        Try       Richard Kahui  6 – 15

13        Penalty Earl Rose         6 – 10

10        Missed Penalty Earl Rose         3 – 10

9          Penalty Stephen Donald            3 – 10

7          Penalty Earl Rose         3 – 7

3          Conversion       Stephen Donald            0 – 7

2          Try       Callum Bruce    0 – 5

This is some of the Comments made on various Rugby sites.

When tackling is that bad, it is no longer a great rugby game.

“o where, o where has the game that i love gone to what n load of k@k, like wathcing a game of u/6 rugby where the bigest boy scores the most tries , i am so pissed of fkt. the new rules elimanes forward control and dominance. a real f..kn free for all”

“@vasteses:How strange, I saw both GBS on RT and Ed on WTR both describe todays events as a circus!!”

“Earl Rose missed 12 out of 14 tackles made WTF!”

“Ah, cmon, this is NBA basketball now. How many tries today – 20 or something?”

This sort of rygby has no gone to the other extreme, just as much luck as kicking the ball all the time

Wait for pick and drive to return

Quite possibly one of the worst games I have ever watched. If this is what people want out of the beloved game of rugby, then the game is dying.

utter cr@p.

What has rugby become?

What I saw tonight was an absolute farce.

Give me a close, tence, 12-9 win anytime over this!

If you want to watch cr@p like this then watch touch rugby or league.

This is a joke!! This is not rugby anyone can now hold the ball and the defending can do nothing

Best game of basketball ever. Ever

This is a sad day in rugby union !!

What a joke of a game. I dont like the way the laws are being blown. No competing at the rucks??

A ridiculous display. Giving the northern hemisphere more fuel to call the Super 14 basketball

Oh, no doubt this is what the Australians want. They have very short attention spans and start getting antsy if there aren’t any points being scored.

new rules are turning the S14 into a circus- WTR

defence defence defence????????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ??/ WTR

Can’t blame you lol. 72-25 does not deserve to be watched WTR

OK cheers manne, lekker slaap. Ek hoop ons sien more beter rugby, en minder van ‘n getjol vir 100de punte. WTR

Lionboy dis die game met die misnste struktuur wat ek in my lewe gesien het. As hierdie die rugby is wat die IRB aan ons wil verkoop, stel ek nie belang nie. Dis net so wel 7’s gewees met 15 manne. Reels se skuld imo. WTR

Sodra ons die bal verloor dan tik die scoreboard oor vir die Chiefs. Terug duik sakke toe manne.WTR

137 points??? 18 tries????? 9 tries per team.

These new rules are changing rugby into a circus.

I do enjoy running rugby BUT once a team have accumulated quite a points lead then the champion teams start locking down the other team – a perfect example is lat years S14 final – (I am a Stormers fan and yes I admit it hahaha) – the Bulls scored and also denied the Chiefs to score or even be in a position to lodge an attack.The Lions will hopefully be a very strong team in the next 3 or so years (building phases) whilst the Chiefs might / might run out of fuel midway!. Bellstormer

That wasnt rugby, Lions defensive lines were non existant. This is Super 14 and not the NBA ! Nevertheless we got 2 bonus points. Paul

Lions lose basketball thriller.

26 Responses to Was Rugby the winner?

  • 1

    fyndraai says:
    February 20th, 2010 at 3:22 am
    Only thing I’m sure of is that this was not a rugby match.
    bryce_in_oz says:
    February 20th, 2010 at 3:51 am
    Worst game of rugby I’ve ever had the displeasure of staying up to watch!

  • 2

    Morne if you are out there please tell us what you think of this game.

  • 3

    not_so_super
    Many blamed the rule interpretations
    …..
    others (like me) blamed the ref!!

  • 4

    Was fun in the beginning, then got boreing. Rugby is rugby why change it to something else.

    If this is what i have got to look forward to i wont be able to watch anymore.

  • 5

    Die nuwe reel toepassing het niks met die high score te doen nie. Die Lions het so kak getackle, onder die ou reels sou hulle ook so baie punte afgestaan het! Julle moet onthou, na 60min was die Chiefs 65-25 voor. Hulle het toe gedink die game is in die sakkie en ‘n moerse lot veranderinge gemaak en die voet van die pedaal afgehaal. Onder andere het Brendon Leonard (skrumhalf)opgekom vir Sivivatu!! En toe begin die Lions se fiksheid intree en die lugdruk ‘n rol speel. Toe ouens het toe nog kakker begin tackle, weerskante toe, wat amper die Lions terug gebring het in die game.
    Daar was 10 games voor die een, en nie een van hulle was die scores so hoog nie. Nou skielik wil almal ophou rugby kyk en blameer die nuwe reeltoepassing ens?? Nee wat, julle soek verskonings op verkeerde plek. Die game rugby is gesond en op die regte pad!!

  • 6

    KP, die game wat so pas klaar gemaak het is mos beter. Daar was darem verdediging.

    Nou lekker gelag vir Naas, hy se volgende week gaan daar n groot bohaai wees omdat daar te veel driee was die naweek en te min strafskoppe.

    Skerp Naas skerp.

  • 7

    As if not having electricity in The Panne yesterday was not enough… the Boswell Wilkie Circus Lions game made it difficult to keep the scores updated, it happened sooooo quickly in succession that I hardly had the chance to have a few relaxed sletsappies at Tjarkie’s restaurant.

    This was not rugby, Mr Muir, the Circus Ringmaster!

  • 8

    5@ Koningkie – Nee ek stem saam met jou, dis nie die reels se skuld nie…. dis die Lions se skuld!

  • 9

    7
    GBS besef jy dat die manne minstens 15 minute agter die pale gestaan het terwyl die doel en strafskoppe geneem is.

  • 10

    9
    gn wonder na 60 minute het die Leeus nog asem oor gehad nie. 😆

  • 11

    It was a kak game, the Aussies must have loved it.

  • 12

    Like me there are probably thousands of you sitting wondering about what happened at Ellis Park last night. Quite frankly I thought it made a mockery of a great game; it was not rugby! I read with interest what Met Uysh said about it turning into rugby league. I hadn’t thought about it, but he has made me sit (my favourite position) and think. I must say I am inclined to agree with him and the thought frightens the hell out of me. I hate rugby league! To me it is a mindlessly repetitive game, so boring it makes me want to weep. Of course there will be people who disagree with me, but there you have it.

    Rugby is about scoring as many tries as possible to win. However, it is the many different ways in which this is achieved that makes it such a fascinating spectacle. To take that away just for the purpose of scoring tries would break my heart.

    What is frightening is the fact that there is probably thousands of people who know nothing about the science of playing rugby (yes it is a science as far as I am cincerned) who will scream and say it was one of the greatest games they have ever seen because of all the tries. The greedy oafs who run the game will take note and say: “Yes, that is the way to put bums on seats and make lots of money. Destroy defensive play, make running everything. Give the ignorant hordes cake.”

    So far I think the stricter application of the existing laws are working. Not only is there more movement (the plethora of penalties will come to an end when the more dof of the players finally grasp them), but there seems to have been so much more uniformity in the reffing. Of course because they are human they will make mistakes, but it seems to me the dreaded referees interpretations are playing so much less of a part.

    They have tinkered enough. Time to sit back and give the game time to shape itself.
    Pedro

  • 13

    Hello, enigeen hier?
    Superbul,jy het mail.

  • 14

    Nee wat,dan waai ek eers terug na my potjiekos toe, as julle nie met my wil gesels nie 🙁
    Sal later weer kom loer, tjeers.
    Tjeers.

  • 15

    What rubbish I had the unfortunate pleasure of viewing last night. But, apart from the trash that was the actual game, and the stench that was the 18 tries (or 180 odd missed tackles), the absolute worst was the blatent attempt by Stupid Sport to try and fool us into believing that we were watching the future of the game. I lost count the number of times Bladen (almost embarrassingly after numerous prompts) kept on informing us, the purists of the game, the backbone of the game for centuries, would be up in arms. Well, just what is it with that Stupid Sport to think that we would actually believe an alcoholic that what we were viewing was a great advert for the game? The way the carried on last night, interviewing everyone from the players, coaches to the groundhog, you would swear we had just witnessed the second coming.

    So Stupid Sport, if you would like some integrity, just call it as it is and stop trying to sell your product. Television has done enough to harm the game, but after last night just, well, that was just….. RUBBISH!!!

    Spectre

  • 16

    Hi jammer ek het jou gemis.
    Vrou nou net hooter gedruk by die hek, sy werk moselke 2de saterdag.
    Jy moet groete stuur vir jou ouers.
    Wys hulle die fotos wat op my albums le, klik net op my nick.
    Het jy darem al beter komunikasie?

  • 17

    Yes it was a farce. I eventually went to the Afrikaans commentary to get away from Hugh Bladen. Unfortunately Kobus Wiese was there, but he is a tad beter than Hugh “Wonderful!Wonderful!” Bladen. Actually, I thought Rose looked a better player when he was less selfish and passed the ball. Mind you I’m not saying I think he is a good player.

  • 18

    Posts 12,15 and 17 is extracts from Blogs on Sport24.
    The more you read on the net the more you find people who air their disgust at the game.

  • 19

    nic-o-10 : baie lekker om vandag ‘n leeu te wees, ons KAN driee druk, dink die ander spanne is baie meer geworried oor ons nou!

    Ek dink eerder die ander spanne lek hul lippe af om ook 5+ driee te kom inryg teen julle. Nice/geluk julle is eerste in dubbel syfers met driee teen. 11

  • 20

    marko72 says…

    not one for the purists. turned into a circus of shambolic defence and poor decision making. give me the good old Guinness Premiership any day of the week.

    S. Jones

  • 21

    “One-on-one defence let us down a bit,” Lions captain Cobus Grobelaar said.

    “We want to play an expansive game, and it is high risk, but we’re getting better.”

    The Chiefs, last year’s surprise finalists, were rapt to be heading home via Perth with two wins out of two in the republic.

    “It’s great for us to come away with a win, but we’re not going to get too carried away. We’re still looking to improve,” said first-time Chiefs captain Sione Lauaki.

    Kahui pointed out that the new interpretation of the ruck laws made it very difficult for defences as the attacking team was able to build momentum and hold on to possession for extended periods. “It’s easy to attack defences going backwards,” he said

  • 22

    Sover was daar 12 games in vanjaar se S14. Net twee games het belaglike scores gelewer, laasweek se Bulls/Cheetahs game met 3 teen 6 driee en gisteraand se game met 9driee elk. Die res van die games was heel normaal, met slegs 5spanne wat sover bonuspunte kon kry vir 5driee gedruk in ‘n wedstryd!
    Nee wat, die Chiefs het die Lions laat terugkom in die game. Ek is seker ‘n paar harde woorde het na die tyd in hulle togkamer geval. Maties se afrigter, Chean Roux, het laasjaar dieselfde fout gemaak deur spelers aftehaal as hy dink die span is ver genoeg voor, en ons eie Coach Snorre het ook daai siekte. Maar die groot PK moet gaan aan die Chiefs wat ophou rugby speel het!! Die telling moes eintlik 86-25gewees het!!

  • 23

    KP hoe gaan dit daar met die nuweling?
    En jou wederhelfte.
    Jy het mooi fotos geplaas, jy lyk sommer trots.

  • 24

    Thanx Super
    Nee, dige loop mooi.
    Net bliksems warm vandag hier. Het laasjaar ‘n aircon in my sitkamer laat insit, en dit was die beste geld wat ek nog ooit gespend het!!

    Wag nou maar in spanning dat vanmiddag se rugby begin. Probeer op die oomblik uitfigure hoe “curling” werk…

  • 25

    Daai game wat hulle so agter die skywe aan loop 😆
    Erger as rolbal daai een.

  • 26

    ill say this once , DEFENCE WINS WORLD CUPS AND TOP MATCHES it’s a proven fact

Users Online

Total 251 users including 0 member, 251 guests, 0 bot online

Most users ever online were 3735, on 31 August 2022 @ 6:23 pm