My first sales manager always used to tell me; ‘Don’t come to me with problems, come to me with solutions’.
With all the bitching in recent weeks and column upon column of views regarding the ‘favouritism’ the All Blacks enjoy at the expense of the Springboks and Wallabies I was again reminded of that very important line I learned as a 19-year old.
South Africans of course have been the most vocal but that is to be expected when you sit on the bottom of the log without a single point, but there has also been murmurs from Australia and New Zealand that there might just be an issue at hand here which needs to be dealt with.
The issue, or problem of course, is the perceived belief that the All Blacks cheat.
Well let me not beat around the bush with the issue, the All Blacks do break the rules but from where I sit the fact that they do not get caught says a lot more about the Springboks and Wallabies than it does about the All Blacks.
The controversial area I am referring to is mainly the ruck so let’s deal with what they do there first.
In the last couple of years the focus of referees and the media, and even spectators have been around one player, or one position – the fetcher. The obsession with this player has reached astronomical proportions infamously making its most controversial appearance first with Jake White and his quote and belief on what fetchers does for him in his team every Sunday.
Since then enough column inches to go to the moon and back has been spent on the issue and the player, from George Smith, Richie McCaw, Heinrich Brussow, Pocock, Louw and many, many more and their role and their ‘importance’ in the game of rugby.
They are usually labelled as ‘cheats’ or the guys that push the letter of the law the furthest.
The effect of this was immediate. In recent years we had law changes, law variations and the flavour of the month now is law interpretations… All basically focused on the same thing and largely focused on one specific area, the ruck or tackled ball situation, the domain of the animal they call the ‘fetcher’.
Since it became fashionable to focus on these players it also became very easy to base all problems, or perceived strengths and weaknesses on these players. The recent rumblings being no different in my view.
Now to come back to the All Blacks and cheating.
Breaking the laws is wrong, there is no question about it, but for my money, you can only be called a cheat if you get caught.
Personally after studying all the games in the Tri-Nations this year so far, I came to the conclusion that the All Blacks are not cheats, in fact, I think they are bloody clever!
Before I explain let me share a secret with you…
Any coach or management team worth their salt spend hours and hours studying the laws, the current trend with the application in the laws, their own team, the opposition and also (believe it or not) the referee.
Now if you believe this is done only to identify strengths and weaknesses in opposing teams and players you are living in cuckoo land… Any possible advantage that can be found in the laws, law interpretations and trends in application are also identified.
Let me give you an example. The All Blacks knew Craig Joubert, one of the top referees in the Super 14, awards 80% of penalties at the ruck against the defending teams. They therefore knew that Craig’s focus is 80% on the defending team and more importantly, the defending fetcher or players who play directly to the ball to steal it, or slow it down.
In other words current trends in law application is placed directly on the ball and players directly on the ball at rucks or tackled situations. Just think to how referees want to see this ‘daylight’ from tacklers, have to make call on tacklers and arriving players etc., etc.
The All Blacks identified this in Craig (and most referees as this is an international trend in law application) and came up with a plan, the plan was quite simple – gain an advantage, even if a bit unfair, or against the laws in areas around, or away from this point of focus to benefit ourselves. How or what did they do? Well quite simply they tasked specific players at the ruck or tackled situation to disrupt, obstruct and generally spoil opposition players away from the focus point (the ball) to gain an advantage. They identified by clearing players a meter or so further than what they normally would, or a meter or more away from the ball than they usually would, they gained a clear advantage in disrupting defensive structures, momentum and lines of opposition teams… Genius!
They identified that by gaining an advantage at a crucial part of the game, the ruck, where it is unlikely they will get penalised because it is seldom seen given the current trends and focus, and you know what, bloody good on them!
This now leaves us with my opening line and ‘problem’ for South Africa and Australia…
Well first off there is no point in bitching about a team or coach if they managed to identify something to benefit them before you did. It says more about you than it says about them.
Also, you are mainly left with two options, or solutions…
Either you try and beat them at their own game or devise methods to counter this or even beat them (yes Peter at times you do coach players to cheat!), or you make the whole world (most importantly the IRB) aware of exactly what is happening and put pressure on them to ensure that the area you feel ‘cheated’ on is better policed!
You see, you are actually only a cheat if you get caught…
If every scrum was blown 100% according to the laws today then they would soon take scrumming out of the game in its current form.
My point is that nobody goes out and says today I am going to cheat as much as possible.
What they say is today I am going to get the better of my opponents to the best of my ability, and if I transgress the laws then the ref will blow me up.
That is the competitive nature of modern sport.
Those that moan and complain about cheating are the ones who are too stupid to adapt.
At the end of this all is the simple fact that the Aussies and Kiwis have out coached and out thought us.
The more we moan and complain the more we expose our lack of rugby intelligence and know how and the more we look like amateurs in a professional game.
We need to teach PDV and others the words of that song, “You say it best when you say nothing at all”
Clever tacticians shut their mouths and out wit the opposition.
It is becoming increasingly clear that we are not clever tacticians.
@ Lion4ever:
# 30 true
without bringing in provincialism into this discussion, that started for some or the other stupid reason this season at the Stormers…..
@ tight head:
point also to be made – without moaning or whinging or trying to look stupid – is you can adapt to the ref interpretation only if you realise he will apply the law consistently. And THAT is where this whole problem originates, further i fully agree with you. Adapt to new laws or get buried
I just foresee rugby going the wrong route if the laws are not applied consistently
@ AB:
Sorry AB That was supposed to go to Morne
@ ps in CT:
There might be hope for soccer afterall. Have a look at this clip.
33@ ps in CT
Scrumdown wrote:
They will never be able to apply the law consistently, unless they get together as Scrumdown suggested @ 21. Humanly impossible……nenenene 😉
@ ps in CT:
The reality is that this is not a new problem, despite what people think.
Yes, I agree the breakdown has become a mess at times, but playing to the ref has been going on forever in this game.
The problem with the breakdown is more one of what the law makers have done to this area of the game in the last few years and how they have changed their minds about it too much, as a result it has become difficult to ref.
Not many of us would like to be a ref today.
@36 Sorry should be hehehehehe….:-))
You think this guys is guilty or not?
http://www.break.com/index/roommate-caught-in-the-act.html
@ bos_otter:
bwaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaa, shame
39 @bos_otter
bwahahahahahah…… technically not, but that might be just a difference of opinion….
@ J.M.E.:
ok…se we agree he’s only guilty because he got caught? 🙂 gie gie gie
thought you guys might enjoy this one too
http://www.break.com/usercontent/2009/6/taliban-sniper-training-771413.html
oh, and then of course my favourite…
http://www.break.com/usercontent/2009/7/capoeira-fighter-ko-d-864620.html
tight head wrote:
aha there you hit the nail on it’s head….. the refs should get up to the speed of the game, a phrase we heard this year a number of times.
J.M.E. wrote:
they could do it if the IRB & Paddy pull their heads out where it’s currently stuck…
@ ps in CT:
What is GBS’ favourite line?
Control what you can control…
Dont try and control that you cannot.
46@ Morné:
No, my favourite line is… Gooooooooooi Mieliessssssssssss
Hahaha
@ grootblousmile:
Okay 2nd favourite then…
Demmit.
48@ Morné:
Well, I speak the truth… Control the controlables… be the best only YOU can be…
hehehehe …..grootbeksmile…..
grootblousmile wrote:
great to know …lol!
We water down our own argument by articles that give them credit. Have a look what Corne Krige had to say(‘Krige: All Blacks are smarter”), that is our problem we kicked up a lot of dust and now we apologize. Well with my language restrictions i might not be totally understood but my point is just that the Refs are inconsistent and THAT is the point we tried to bring home.
If one look at the stats on the SARugby Referees site, issued by the Refs themself, one can clearly see that it is not a matter of they doing it clever and the Refs dont see it. The fact is the refs see it but ACT differently. Just look at the penalty counts, they infringe more, are seen more but when cards are waved they are immune to it.
Test 1
Total number of penalties: 17
New Zealand: 12
South Africa: 5
The reasons for the penalties were as follows:
* = points conceded
New Zealand:
Tackle/ruck/maul: 6 (Thorn, Mealamu, Jane, Kaino*, Donnelly, Ben Franks)
Offside: 4 (McCaw*, Cowan, Donnelly*, Ben Franks*)
Discipline: 2 (Read – air tackle; Muliaina – kicking ball away in touch)
South Africa:
Tackle/ruck/maul: 3 (Matfield, Bakkies Botha*, Januarie)
Scrum: 2 (Du Plessis*, BJ Botha)
Test 2
Total number of penalties: 18
New Zealand: 9
South Africa: 9
The reasons for the penalties were as follows:
* = points conceded
New Zealand:
Tackle/ruck/maul: 7 (McCaw* 5, Nonu, Read)
Offside: 1 (Messam)
Discipline: 1 (Ranger – armless tackle)
Five penalties against one player at the tackle is an inordinate number. (this was not said by me it is copied from the SARefs site)
South Africa:
Tackle/ruck/maul: 7 (Louw* 2, Burger, Kirchner* 2, BJ Botha, Smit)
Discipline: 2 (Rossouw – kick; Pienaar – deliberate knock-on)
Test 3
Total number of penalties: 17
Australia: 7
South Africa: 10
The reasons for the penalties were as follows:
* = points conceded
Australia:
Tackle/ruck/maul: 4 (Ma’afu*, Pocock 3)
Offside: 1 (Sharpe)
Scrum: 1 (Robinson)
Discipline: 1 (Cooper – dangerous tackle)
South Africa:
Tackle/ruck/maul: 5 (Habana*, Olivier, Kankowski*, Botha*, Burger)
Off-side: 3 (Burger*, Habana*, Pienaar*)
Discipline: 2 (Fourie – dangerous tackle; De Jongh – man without ball)
Just take the Bakkies yellow card vs the McCaw no card.
Bakkies no warning straight yellow, McCaw repeatedly warned no yellow.
superBul wrote:
superBul wrote:
All other offenders in the 3 tests above had 1 penalty against them at the Tackle/ruck/maul situation but McCaw had 5 and Pocock 3 in one match. So they are seen but not properly dealt with , thats why we get the perception that they are CLEVER.
Clever my arse, favorites yes
The All Blacks are simply playing smarter rugby than their opponents and are not being favoured by referees.
That is the view of former Springbok captain Corné Krige, who was speaking at a breakfast fundraiser in Hout Bay for Alan Zondagh’s Rugby Performance Centre in Riebeek-West on Thursday.
“You have to cheat if you are an openside flank. That is why you are in the team. If you can’t do it properly and get away with it, you won’t be picked,” said Krige.
dalk moet ons ma die strafskoppe vat en hom ma self uitsort jy weet skree net n slag pyle en neuk oor hom.gaan die ref regtig al agt voories af jaag? Ek glo nie, nee wat die outjie is nog nooit regtig getrap in sy lewe nie,een of twee keer sal die job doen
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