Our friend and fellow blogger, Ashley, felt strongly enough about the issue to send me the following Article to publish… this is his view on the matter and he asks certain rather interesting questions.
Here are his thoughts:
Has the hierarchy at New Zealand Rugby at last lost faith in their team? Have they (or at least some powerful individuals) at last reached a stage where they no longer believe that their team can win the World Cup on their own steam?
Well, from where I’m sitting it certainly seems to be the case.
Was it really a coincidence that referee (is it fair to call him that?) Bryce Lawrence was given the most crucial Group C match? Is it coincidence that he had an “off-day” and through sometimes strange decisions knocked the strongest of the Group C contenders right into South Africa’s path?
Well, if you look at the incident on its own, then yes, this can in fact be seen as only that …. a coincidence.
Everyone now and then has an off-day, so why shouldn’t referees have one? They’re human after all, aren’t they? Bryce Lawrence admits as much when he said that he “might’ve made a few errors” that “might’ve cost Australia the game”.
But was it really that, just a coincidence? I certainly don’t believe so. Wouldn’t it have made it that much easier to manipulate a game when you’re almost assured that there wouldn’t be much to choose between two teams from the start?
Then Bryce Lawrence, although he changed the whole complexion of a Group, get (yet again) the most crucial Quarterfinal Match (from a New Zealand perspective anyway) and (another coincidence?) had yet another off-day, knocking the strongest of the two contenders out of the World Cup and out of New Zealand’s way!
Problem for Bryce Lawrence was the difference between the two teams on the day was not marginal as expected (although the scoreboard suggests that).
The margin between the two teams was huge, making “what needed to be done”, that more obvious.
Now, where’s my proof for all this. Where is my proof that there’s a puppet master behind the scenes pulling strings to ensure that the monkey gets off New Zealand’s back?
This is where it becomes sticky and the thing is, I don’t have any proof, just as we wouldn’t have had any proof New Zealand and Australian officials were out to get us, had we not wrongfully received that infamous “Get the Japies”-email.
Now, I hear someone say, “they could’ve had a change of heart” and / or “that was way back in the 90’s, surely it can’t be true anymore?”. Well, do the way we were treated since then suggest that our alliance counterparts had a change of heart?
Does the lengthier bans of our players for similar offences than their New Zealand / Australian counterparts suggest they had a change of heart?
“But this is a World Cup” I hear someone say, “surely no-one can be accused of not being impartial?”
Well, does the way the boss of Referees, Paddy O’ Brien, has treated our National side, our coaches, our officials over the last few years even suggest that he’s impartial in any way?
No! How about him visiting the New Zealand side after their match against Italy to apologize in person for the way Australian referee Stuart Dickinson officiated that game.
Why do I find that strange? Try and talk to anyone at the IRB about a referee’s performance and you’ll get the normal “we do not discuss the performance of referees” –response, but when it comes to his beloved New Zealand, it doesn’t seem that the same rules apply.
Or how about a South African journalist, when trying to get hold of O’Brien during the 2010 Tri-Nations tournament, is told that O’Brien would not talk to any journalists during the tournament?
Well, in the same week he gave an audience to New Zealand journalists.
Now, when you experience that from those who need to be impartial, the question immediately arises whether there might perhaps be others who misuse their powers “to get you”, how can you not see something sinister in “coincidences” like the Bryce Lawrence ones?
This is a sad day for me indeed, I’ve been (because of our South African history) a staunch All Black supporter for a long, long time and here I (and I think many others too) believe, even before New Zealand has one hand on the trophy, that they would’ve succeeded in this World Cup mainly because of the unfair efforts of some people behind the scenes.
Ashley, you make some good arguments… and you motivate them well.
One can add many things to your list, like why was South Africa in the so-called Pool of Death (Pool D), why New Zealand was in such an easy Pool to start off with, Pool A)…
I’m just not into Conspiricies or into Conspiricy Theories, like I indicated yesterday already.
It would however be interesting to read the take of others out there, on the matter…
I believe that during the WC space aliens abduct the All Black players and replace them with slightly defective copies. The NZ rugby board is aware of this but powerless to stop it and afraid of being ridiculed if they go public. So they are forced to stoop to those nefarious tactics described in the article above.
What makes your arguments more compelling is the fact that you once fullheartedly supported the All Blacks, as your team of choice during some dark years, and have now started supporting the Bokke in these times, as any proud South African should do…. meaning to suggest you don’t harbour ill will against the All Blacks.
What is interesting is the fact that Bryce Lawrence’s father, Mr Lawrence Senior, is the chap who sent out those “Let’s get the Japies” E-mails all those years back… the ones which was sent to SA Referee boss, Freek Burger, by mistake…
Mmmmm… conspiritors unite…
Waar’s SuperBul… hy mag dalk dadelik sy conspiricy ledegelde betaal, sy hoedjie koop en sy T-Shirt aantrek….
young turk @ 2
hmmm, i havent thought about that!!
gbs @ 4
😆 net jammer ou super is ñ bul, ons twee sou nogal groot vriende kon word.
anyway, thanks for publishing it (thought you’re gonna ridicule me, but i see you’d rather left it to the others to do so, lol).
6 @ Ashley:
Hehehe
Ja, ek laat jou maar hang met jou eie tou, deur ander….
Maybe the guy who really shot JFK is behind this plot…
The Net is rife with material about conspiricy theories
gbs @ 7
lol, ek sien so!!
Ashley, it is a nice theory, in fact well done on putting a bunch of random events into a story line like that, it makes for good reading.
But unfortunately I think that is where it will remain, a very entertaining story.
biltongnek @ 10
😆 thanks broetsie!!
It seems Rugby Conspiricy Theories are not anything new in World Cups….
Who would ever forget the Suzie conspiricy theory the All Blacks concocted after the 1995 Rugby World Cup…. hey, maybe this is their “REVENGE”!
Come on, there must be more Rugby Conspiricy Theories… talk to us, tell us about them.
You guys are not taking this seriously enough! What if the aliens start abducting players from other teams too!!!! What if they start replacing coaches!!!! What if, heaven forbid, they control the referees!!! Pretty soon we wouldn’t have any idea of who is playing who, who is genuine and who is not! Think about it people, seriously.
I must say Ashley, your Conspiricy Theory has much more substance to it than the 1995 Suzie Theory.
turk @ 13
😀
13 @ The_Young_Turk:
Mmmmm, I always thought Snorrie was a bit Alien, with that voice….
@ grootblousmile:
Eggzaggerly! Definitive proof of alien abduction and substitution.
gbs @ 16
be nice
17 @ The_Young_Turk:
Well, they definately replaced / substituted a defective one there… can’t fault you there!
@ grootblousmile:
You see, see! I told you so.
18 @ Ashley:
Ever thought Snor might be part of the plot, planted 4 years ago?
Just joking… we have to have a sense of humor, otherwise we might just go bonkers.
Maybe I’m an Alien, but not a defective one….
gbs @ 21
maybe you ARE the defective one!! 😉
22 @ Ashley:
Daar’s niks fout met my nie… met my nie… met my nie…
Talking about Conspiracy Theories…. I had a very real experience in this regard years ago.
One of the guys at school with me and Tripples, was a guy named Johann Hamm…
Well, Johan was a bit strange… used to bring his pet python to school in Std 6 (Grade 8 ) to terrorise the female teachers and the girls (fed the damn thing a live speenvarkie a week and later sold it to the Pretoria Zoo for big bucks).
He got his strange behaviour from his mom though.
At the end of 1982 she told us all about how she was persecuted by the CIA and that we had to be ultra careful when going anywhere. She went into minute detail about a lot of stuff, most of which I’ve forgotten by now, but one thing which stands out in memory was the story about Ronald Sassoon jeans…
Remember Ronald Sassoon jeans? It was the Billabong or whatever Brand Name of the time for jeans, we all wanted Ronald Sassoon jeans…
She told us Ronald Sassoon was so called to warn us all that Ronald Reagan was going to be assasinated soon… and it was just prior to that, that there was the attempt on Ronald Reagan’s life…. or was it just after?
Anyway, she made it sound very bloody believable.
We thought she was quite dilly in the head, but I can tell you, we looked over our shoulders many times to see nobody was following us anywhere…
Mmmmm, makes me think about Hamm’s sister, Tania… she was a very pretty girl…
Also makes me think about the 5 Van der Merwe girls, Hamm was going out with one of them… Oom Johnny’s 5 daughters…. now there was 5 bloody good looking girls in their day. Two of the guys in Matric with me and Tripples, Jannie Enslin and Leon Gregory later married 2 of the Van der Merwetjies…
gbs
you’re still at it?
Asblik, jou samesweringsteorie sou gewerk het as jy ge-eindig het met: dit is alles, ja ALLES apartheid se skuld.
Die probleem met die Smit/Matfield/Snorre plan was …. dat dit besig was om te werk en nog ‘n WB trofee vir SA sou kon beteken het. Daardie plan was om in die voor WB jaar en die WB jaar nie te veel te fokus op die 3N en ander kompetisies nie, maar om alles te beplan vir die WB.
Ekself is nie te opgewonde oor die plan nie, ek hou meer van die ‘ons wen elke toets wat ons speel’ benadering van die AB’s, en wie weet, dalk wen ons weer die WB. Feite is egter, die Bokspan was reg, alles was in plek …. maar hul het nie rekening gehou met ‘n skeidsregter wat so openlik blatant ‘n wedstryd sou manipuleer nie.
Dit is ongelukkig die groot risiko van die SMS plan, net een slegte dag is die einde van al jou jarelange plan.
Die twee verlore teen die Aussies het ook veroorsaak dat hulle die selfvertroue gehad het om nog steeds te wen, ongeag dat ons hul volgens die statistieke van die park gespeel het. Vorige Aussie spanne sou met 20 punte verloor het teen ons, maar die 2 wenne in die 3N het hul deurgetrek, ongeag dat die reg se trui geel was.
Hoop net ons kry ‘n bokafrigter wat weer elke toets wil wen, en nie toets gebruik vir proewe of toekomstige planne nie.
Die res van die WB is maar flou sonder die Bokke, net soos die res van die CB maar flou is sonder die Bulle.
28: reg = ref
@ ben_die_bul:
Very, very well put, ben. You’ve laid it out perfectly. As many other bloggers have said, they had the attitude that only the WC was important and the other tests didn’t matter, so as you said, they ran the risk of losing not just the WC but all the other tests too. Hopefully this will now spell the end of this approach.
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