Romain Poite, the most influential Frenchman since Inspector Clouseau
IF Wallabies fans were dismayed by the whistle-happy performance of referee Jaco Peyper last weekend, they will be equally alarmed to hear that Frenchman Romain Poite is in charge of Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup return bout in Auckland.
Poite controlled last year’s big third Test defeat to the British & Irish Lions in a game in which the Wallabies front row was hammered by the referee.
FoxSports
Lions prop Alex Corbisiero was awarded man of the match for his dominant scrum display in the 41-16 thrashing, and after honours were shared in last weekend’s scrum against the All Blacks at ANZ Stadium, the Wallabies will be hoping Poite isn’t overly tough on their engagement and feed.
The first Bledisloe Test descended into a dour draw as the rain-soaked spectacle was stifled by Peyper, who blew 23 penalties and four free-kicks while issuing two yellow cards to the All Blacks.
With a forecast for clear day in Auckland for Saturday’s game at Eden Park, Poite should be under pressure from officials to limit his whistling and let the game flow as southern hemisphere spectators demand.
Poite earned global headlines during last year’s Rugby Championship when he sin-binned South African hooker Bismark du Plessis for an innocuous shoulder on All Blacks superstar Dan Carter, and both he and the IRB conceded the decision was wrong in retrospect.
But while the Wallabies showed in the 12-12 draw last weekend that they have made some significant strides, the regard for their scrum is a week-to-week proposition.
Following the disaster in the final Lions match, the Wallaby scrum made good strides in the Rugby Championship.
However, in their opening match against England at Twickenham on the spring tour last November, referee George Clancy blew several scrum penalties against Australia, leading coach Ewen McKenzie to address his concerns to the IRB that perception was influencing poor decisions by match officials against his side.
Meanwhile, the All Blacks resisted the opportunity to have a dig at Peyper, who sin-binned prop Wyatt Crockett correctly, but also yellow-carded Beaden Barrett for an unclear infringement.
“I think sometimes the team that has momentum perhaps gets the rub of the green, in the first 30 minutes we got that, and then when you’re under the pump, we were guilty of trying to force things a bit rather than backing our defence,” All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said.
“There were some decisions that, because we were on the back foot, went against us. That’s the nature of it.”
“We need to be a little bit smarter at times, especially when we’re under the pump, that we don’t give the ref an opportunity to make decisions that makes it worse.”
Kiwi coach Steve Hansen added: “At the end of the day, probably the guy that’s got the toughest job in rugby union at the moment is the ref.”
“It’s become, rapidly, a speed game, especially when you get two sides like these [All Blacks and Wallabies] who want to play the game, it’s played at 100 miles per hour, he’s trying to make decisions on a whole lot of things, and when you see them later on TV it’s pretty clear-cut, yes he got that right or no he didn’t get that right.”
“There’s no point getting too bothered by it.”
“You’ve just got to deal with it on the night. If you dominate the game and go forward, usually you’re on the right end of it.”
@ nortierd:
The penny pincher SANZAR is ruining rugby with its reluctance to screen referees by an independent body PRIOR to tests, they also brought on the travesty of Local referees runing SR matches!
The effect us a ruin of the betting which thrive on upsets 🙁
For what it’s worth.
Dr Peyper did have a fairly ordinary game.
But so did both Teams.
And he did get things wrong……………………..here and there,……………………………………………….. well quite often really. But that’s life.
It is not the Referees fault that Rugby Law has become so complicated, that most of the players don’t know the fucckin rules anymore? ………………………….Is it.
The way I look at it, Peyp’s will be a better Ref for the experience.
Actually ……………………………………Aussie were a little unlucky to lose. But overall, a draw was fair result.
@ cane:
It was more like a fisting than a finger at Eden Park last year.
@ gunther:
Your avatar has the same look Gunner.
😉
Can anyone explain to me how someone like Hondkak who is cognitively impaired to the point of autism thinks he makes money bettingon rugby.
Or does he just do it to make his social grant go further?
He’s like the Freedom Front version of Walter Mitty.
@ cane:
I was an early bloomer.
😆
ah grunter, try as you might you really are pathetic.. having a go at us being amazed at yet another crooked SA reffing performance, then in the same breath we find out you were upset with the ref in a CC game.
your hypocrisy doesnt surprise at all, but then, I understand, youve got no one laughing at your inane jokes anymore, no fluffers so to speak.
so why not just be quiet for a change, do us all a favour your knuckle dragging neanderthal.
cheers ****
ryecatcher wrote:
I dont really care Rye, Im sick of SA’s like yourself, willing to spot others problems but never keen to acknowledge your own.
now ***** you old ****
seems some SA’s. like Rye, are so myopic that the simple truth that Peyper was poor, and their inability to admit as such really highlights just whose comments are good and whoise are poor. cant you admit Rye that Peyper was abysmal? seems when it goes against SA you are very verbose, but when someone highlights a SA’s inadequacy you get your back up… do fck off.
its sad really, but you watch, when SA cop a ref performance like Peypers then they will be vindicated with their anti ref comments, it seems that those type of comments are only allowed by SA’s.
it really would be best if SA fck off up north, or preferabloy, return to isolation, do the rugby world a favour.;
p.s looking forward to the new facebook page, that should be a dooozy, we could all join armbands in protest at the unfairness of it all.
good to see that Ritchie and Hansen wont stoop to the type of commentary PDV )the clown) was famous for..
especially after Eden Park 2010, boy were his comments good and fair and gracious then, much like many SA’s after Bizzy got sent of last year.. 🙄
what a contrast all those comments were in comparison to 2 kiwis concern over Peypers poor game this last weekend.
cant wait until the shoes on the other foot though
GBS, you can delete my account from this blog now, there are a few exceptions, but as a whole SA’s are fucked.
cheers.
@ nga puhi:
If you’re sick of saffers then ****** back to your ********
We certainly don’t need you around.
Totally unnecessary the way this thread has degenerated.
Pull yourselves together fellows, fight, argue, disagree….but it can still be civil.
I haven’t agreed with Gunther since the first hail drop hit Robbie Wessels on the noggin on Saturday 😆
And, for the record, I edited the posts, it’s uncalled for and we don’t know who all might be reading it.
@ nortierd:
Why don’t you email your bum chum and tell him to sort himself out.
For farks sake he’s had two days to calm down and he’s still as rabid as prairie dog.
Seeing as you are the head prefect.
😆
bwahahaaa
“Ja, sowaar, korporaal
Dis mos swaar, korporaal
Ek speel oorlog met my beste dae
Ja ja ja, ek en al my maatjies
bymekaar
Bymekaar”
😀
gunther wrote:
And I’ve had 3 days, as you mentioned earlier, to also calm down, yet I’m still pissed off with the Boks.
These things take time Gunther 😆
@ nortierd:
Well you are a prefect so we expect more from you.
Is a disgrace for that sewer rat to be calling Rye an Old ****
I won’t stand for it.
😆
@ gunther:
And you think I do?
Of course it’s uncalled for, no point pulling it out further on the thread is it?
gunther wrote:
And stop forcing me to put more stars in posts 🙄
@ nortierd:
It’s outrageous.
Calling Rye a ***t is like shooting Bambi.
Talk to your men Nortier
gunther wrote:
@ nga puhi:
sheesh popps… way OTT… and unnecessary…
as much as you disagree with rye… pity you couldn’t muster the same dignity and intelligence in your response as he used in his comment…
rye is as high quality a human being as you’re ever likely to find… and your treatment of him is unacceptable…
you will be extremely embarrassed by your outburst… when you calm down… if you calm down…
a timeous apology to rye would be advised…
It seems that a post about refs can stir up more emotion amongst RT’s than Frank Maloney in walking into an ISIS board meeting and introducing himself as Kellie
Oi vey!!
This after I commended the maturity of comments and blogging on the Bokke / Argies game thread over the weekend!
Fellas, it is totally out of line to call each other these derogatory expletives, which Nortie has been kind enough to edit / alter for us.
IN SHORT THE FOLLOWING:
nga puhi
You are on a final warning, chap… and take note that had I been present when these comments were made you can bet your bottom dollar that your comments would not have been EDITED, but DELETED in total and you might even have copped a suspension.
No excuses brother, this is NOT what happens on Rugby-Talk.com!
Regarding comment # 40 where you ask me to delete your account… I do not want to do that because I do believe you have the ability to add value to this site.
A true sign of maturity from you (and I do expect it from you) would be to apologise for this untoward behaviour, please adhere and keep chatting to us… If you are a true gentleman, you would oblige accordingly.
Herr Gunther
I do not like your retribution to nga puhi’s comments either, it is simply also not on, brother.
The only 2 people who have the ability and the authority here on Rugby-Talk.com to EDIT or DELETE comments and to ADDRESS ANY WRONGDOING by bloggers is ME and NORTIE and that is how it should stay.
I expect more from you.
Retaliating to unacceptable behaviour just needlessly blows those fires out of proportion. Use some constraint in future, please! No more of this shit, please!
*********************************
… and that’s the end of this, no need to perpetuate an isolated incident or to make too much of it…
@ nortierd:
“like shooting Bambi” Very good.
Now here,s the thing.Kiwis need to win ALL rugby matches
to affirm their national psyche.When they lose they go ape
shit as witnessed here.We, somehow,because of a host of
other problems take a more mature attitude.It,s a game for f sake.
I neither require,nor would I accept an apology.
Incidentally,NZIC the French after the
world cup final(note lower case letters) maintained
absolute silence in public.Imagine the blue air in their dressing room.
@ ryecatcher:
When Gunther made the ” like shooting Bambi” comment I actually started laughing, hence the smiling face. 😀
@ nortierd:
56 I am still laughing.
@ ryecatcher:55
That national psyche is due to being a taxi ride away from the last bus stop on the planet.
@ nga puhi:39
Can’t remember you lot saying much about Paul honiss or bryce Lawrence.
@ Charo:
Being vilified by our Kiwi friends is like being savaged by
a rabid sheep,
And still laughing re Bambi comment.Should I change my nic?
Suggestions please.
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