Just found the following article in the New Zealand Herald. Written by Peter Bills.
It’s official.
The All Blacks are treated differently by referees from either of their Tri-Nations opponents. The statistics from the first five games of this year’s competition show a staggering difference in the ratio of penalties per yellow card. Suspicions are rife in South African rugby that the All Blacks get a special deal, are favoured whether subconsciously or consciously by referees.
Now, the figures seem to prove the point. South Africa are the most regularly penalised, conceding six penalties per yellow card. The Australians’ figure is remarkably similar – just seven a card. But by the same calculations, the New Zealand tally is incredible.
Official figures show they incur 43 penalties a yellow card, more than seven times the figure of the Springboks. This appears to reveal at best an extraordinary imbalance in the way the three countries are refereed and at worst, a complete lack of consistency by match officials in their dealings with each Southern Hemisphere nation.
It also seems to bear out the view of certain Springbok officials that there is one law for the All Blacks and another for their rivals. Australia’s former World Cup winning coach Bob Dwyer says it is difficult to argue with the facts.
He also calls the All Blacks’ form this season scintillating, yet his detailed analysis offers a highly revealing insight of much value to Peter de Villiers’ men as they prepare to try to halt the All Blacks’ juggernaut in Johannesburg this weekend. “Just as the All Blacks value the necessity of quick ball for their own attack, they clearly recognise the threat that opposition quick ball poses to their defence. “In fact, I thought the All Black defence was unusually vulnerable to attack from quick ball, as evidenced by two quite simple Springbok tries in their second test in Wellington and a few similar efforts by the Wallabies.
They strive, therefore, to limit such recycles from their opponents. “There is nothing wrong with that so long as they do so within the laws of the game. It is here that I, and many others, question their tactics. Black- jerseyed tacklers finish on the ground, on the wrong side of the ball, so often, that I can’t believe that it’s by accident.
“This prevents their opponents from arriving quickly to support their teammate and allowing other All Black support players to attack opposition ball on the ground. Further, opposition scrum-halves are having difficulty getting in close to clear the ball and are forced to ‘lift’ the ball for their pass to clear All Black bodies. “This slows down the clearing pass and gives valuable time to the defence. And it’s illegal.”
The Australian also highlighted what he called New Zealand’s “outrageously offside” positions when they enter the breakdown on their own ball. “All players play their part, and while McCaw, Franks and Smith have been serial offenders, Kieran Read has recently perfected his technique also. It is dramatically effective and frequently brings tries – and it’s illegal.”
Read more of Bob Dwyer’s views at: www.bobdwyerrugby.com
To be honest the analysis has been done on the All Blacks, and everyone knows that the breakdown is where they focus the most of their attention.
They slow down oposition ball legally/illegally whatever works on the day, and they tend to play offside specifically with Francks to clear space around the ruck.
I can’t comment on the yellow card to penalty ratio, as 5 games is not enough to set a clear tendency. We recieved our yellow cards for stupidity, so that already skews the statistics.
Waar daar ‘n rokie is, is daar ‘n vuurtjie… Ou oerwoud gesegde 🙂
Sien Mapoe oefen NOG STEEDS by die SHarks… 😯
Hy is gister afgeneem by die Sharks oefening, seker maar “Africa justice” in die geval.
Nou moet een van die Sharks my net nog kom vertel hulle het ‘n eerbare en eties korrekte unie, gmf !!!!!!!
He he he….
From a blogger on another site.
******************************************************************************************
I listened to “Good morning Angels” on Jacaranda FM this morning, and they had an 11year-old boy suffering from leucemia. He’s a great rugby supporter, and Bakkies visited him in hospital. Bakkies asked him that if he could ask him any question, what would it be, and the 11-year old answered:”Why do you get so many yellow cards?” It was hillarious! Bakkies said that he was on study leave, sorting out some mistakes he made in the past. I hope to see the big man back in blue sooner, rather than later!
I would agree that we get carded for stupidity but our ratio (6 penalties per yellow card) and the Australian Ratio (7 per yellow card) is remarkably similar. New Zealand on the other and sit with 43 penalties a yellow card. 5 Tests was more than a test series a few years back. It is a significant amount of tests.
Yes the video analysis has been made and we have all seen it. The significant thing about this article is 1) it was written by a New Zealand journalist and published in a New Zealnd news paper. 2) The view on the weakness of the new Zealand defence agianst quick ball is new and definetely revealing information. New Zel;and has looked very efficient on defence so far on first ipressions but that was as Dwyer points out mostle due to their illegal tactics at the breakdowns. The illigal tactics has disguised a possible weakness on defence.
@ Blouste:
Kom oor jouself Blouste, moenie laat wat die Sharks doen jou so ontstel nie, worry eerder oor die jare se diefstal wat Oom Buurman daar by die Bulls gepleeg het. Ons het ons skelm streke by julle geleer. :thefinger:
😆
@ Snoek:
Ek het jou al gese man, ons is so eerbaar, kyk net in die S14 toe leen ons sommer vir julle ‘n slot nog voor julle eers daaraan kon dink om hom onwettig te probeer steel… :twofingers:
😆
@ Snoek:
In elk geval, waar kon julle enige steke by ons geleer het daai tyd ?
Julle het toe nog in die B-divisie rond geploeter 😆
About the article, we desrved 80% of our yellow cards, and the AB’s should have had about 2 more than what they got.
Blouste wrote:
Julle het vir ons so ‘n kak slot geleen, hy kan nie eens by julle ‘n kontrak kry nie. :toffie:
Blouste wrote:
Ons was “previously gedisadvantaged” deur die “NP Blou Bulle”.
So ons mag nou steel om die balans weer reg te kry!
11 @ Snoek:
😆
11 @ Snoek:
So julle is nou offisieel die ANC-Sharks 😉
Snoek wrote:
Nee man, hy is glad nie so kak nie, die Vrystaat het hom dan nou gekontrakteer so die kanse dat hy WEER by julle opeindig is in elk geval baie goed !!!
Blouste wrote:
Nou is jy met die program, welkom 😆
Ek hoop nie die situasie met Steenkamp kom byt die bulle in die bout nie, jy dink nog jy het 4 goeie slette, sorry slotte, dan kom kuier die Sharks. En walla, niks meer slotte.
15 @ Snoek:
Miskien in die lig van al jul beserings moet julle vir L.Watson recruit, dan kan julle hom, J.Malema en Selebi inspan…
Julle sal ‘n DODELIKE los trio he wat sommer baie balle sal STEEL… 😆
16 @ Snoek:
Dis waar, maar op die stadium moet die Vrystaat eerder meer SLOTTE by hul stadion oorweeg met julle Sharks in die omtrek… 😆
@ Blouste:
😆 skerp
@ Snoek:
So wat se jy , gaan julle daai weepee manne ‘n les leer die naweek ?
@ Blouste 20:
Hang af of Alberts speel, met hom ja, sonder hom miskien. Sal maar sien. Maar dit gaan ‘n Moerse game wees, wen of verloor.
En ek dink die feit dat WP so tawwe game laasweek gehad het gaan teen hulle tel.
Guys
Peter Bills is British not a NZer.
While ABs probably deserved an extra yellow or two for repeat infringements they have not head butted etc which is naturally going to draw the attention of the urine card a lot faster.
The way I see it is this :
Winning doesn’t mean you are cheating, it means you are better – whether you are better at understanding the rules & their implications, better at listening to the referee & therefore better understanding where the limits are (ask Rocky Elsom about that one), whether it is simply being fitter & therefore having more oxygen flowing to your brain helping you making better decisions more quickly, or perhaps it is a combination of all of the above. Last year the Boks were better than the ABs, this year that is not the case. I don’t think it is a single thing ABs are doing better or a single thing Boks are not doing better – it is a combination.
What I do think however is that using the media as your own personal b*tching platform has not helped anyone. Everyone is entitled to their own personal opinion, however no one should feel entitled to use the media to drive a personal agenda. Brendan Canon should not have using his media position to disrespect a National Coach – what he thinks privately over a beer is another matter. No National Coach should consider himself entitled to use the media to claim insane global conspiracies (that applies to more than one coach by the way) – again, what he thinks privately over a beer is another matter. There ought to be limits & there ought to be consequences else we risk becoming “American” – litigious malcontents with no sense of personal accountability.
Then again – this is just my opinion 😉
17 @ Blouste:
Ag nee man, dit is sommer siek man!
Puke Watson?
@ Rugby_Princess:Rugby_princess…the media are using us, we aren’t trying to use them. PDV and co are easily baited into making stupid comments…and the media loves that kind of thing.
@ bos_otter:
Bos
Yes those miserable media jackals do love to wind people up but after the age of 21 I really do think “the other kids made me do it” is no longer a plausible defence 😉
helloooooooooooooooooooooooo everyone!!
blouste @ 17
praat van julius
die ou is deesdae so stil
ek mis hom eintlik!! 😀
ek het gewas
julle
kan ma’ ytkoooooooooooooooooooom!!
Princess@29. Yeah right, all is fair in love and war. The afrikaans version is actually better “Die doel heilig die middele”. Nobody is bitching we’re just reporting the stats and reflecting on what NZ papers and sport jounalist (working for a NZ paper, living in NZ) publish.
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