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.”
@ ryecatcher:
Nope, stick to Ryecatcher, it defines you.
Bambi is a term of endearment that gunther thought up…..he has the copyright.
Did you see my note about having a beer at stationmasters?
@ ryecatcher:
You can’t use the name Bambi, I think Pat has copyright on it already 😆
@ Charo:
61 My son and I are having a King Lear moment.
“How sharper than a serpents teeth is a thankless child”
Would love a get together.Will get there under my own steam,but sometime in mid September.
Kind regards.Rye
@ grootblousmile:
Moi?
I merely said that if he found saffers to be such a dislikeable bunch he was perhaps in the wrong place.
Seems sensible non?
I’m fully aware that you and Nortier are the prefects here.
😆
@ gunther:
My only regret, in your instance, is the banning of corporal punishment
😀
@ nortierd:
Ive taken plenty of beatings in my time.
😆
64 @ gunther:
It’s now a thing of the past, I’ve said my piece and I stick to it… and misbehaviour will be handled by the “Prefects” in charge, if that is what you want to call us.
I prefer the term, “Webmonsters”, personally!
Whatever you call Norts and myself, remember one thing and that is that we do it for the whole community here… for the love of rugby.. not for anything else, so a bit of gratitude in that regard towards Norts for what he is doing for you folks, yes you included, is not out of place.
Someone has to keep the peace here and run proper control, we definately do not want a free for all here, that much is non-negotiable in fact!
Do we want to be “Prefects” or “Policemen” on this site, no definately not… I do not even think Norts wants to be a policeman here on R-T, even though he is already one in the outside world… hahaha
@ ryecatcher:
September sounds good.
A friggen long time to wait though.
😯
@ grootblousmile:
Dankie Oom Nortier.
😆
gunther wrote:
***** ****** ****
😀
70 @ nortierd:
What’s all those stars, something like “Wie’s jou fokken Oom”?
grootblousmile wrote:
I thought I would save you the trouble to sensor my reply to Gunther by doing it myself
@ nortierd:
Fukkoff.
😆
gunther wrote:
Don’t you mean *******?
73 @ gunther:
Hey een of ander 9-jarige seuntjie gaan nou weer vir sy mamma vertel die ooms op die site spel F-off verkeerd… dan’s ons weer inniepoef.
@ grootblousmile:
Forkoff 😀
” Sacre bleu! More ref pain for Wallabies….”, is the topic here.
Howcome the Kiwis are the ones bleating?
Just watched Sky Rugby.
Wilson,Jones and Cronfeld we’re unanimous about the AB’s poor discipline on Saturday against the Aussies.
Ah. So Rugby-talk came of age today. 5 years old and growing up.
No more genuflecting so it seems.
Self censorship is all it takes.
79 @ IAAS:
It is not the first time that there’s been a scuffle on Rugby-Talk.com and it won’t be the last.
The fact is, we address it, in the best possible way, because we want to and WILL uphold standards aready set here.
@ grootblousmile:
Lively debate is good. But boys will be boys and guys will lose their rags from time to time. Especially over rugby. I know how sensitive those kiwis are over reffing issues.
By the way. I was trying to copy and paste an article from the New Zealand Herald by Gregor Paul about the AB’s copping all those yellows and how they feel an injustice has been done. Maybe get your deputy prefect onto it. Some might find it an interesting read, some not. 😆
81 @ IAAS:
Lively debate is fine, in fact it HAS to be there… but there are limits.
So, you’re telling us you Cannot Copy and Paste??? Flok swaer… jy moet gaan vir lesse!
Pops is right in some of the things he says, actually most…. and he smoked ol Bambi out…. lol
@ Te Rangatira:
How did he smoke me out.?Read the dialogue.I praised Hansen
and McCaw and said that their comments were in shrill
contrast toi Pops and NZIC.
No mention of referees.
In fact a very mild comment,He then went apeshit.Totally
irrational comments.
If comprehension is not your strong suit,obtain help.
Stupid,stupid post by you.
@ ryecatcher:
“Timid Rye” has now become “Rye on the rampage”
Was taught to believe that one “altyd die minste moet wees”
(Do your own translation on Wiki. ) Well,no more.
Would appear that geographical insularity leads to narrowness
of mind.
@ ryecatcher:
Korrec not the brightest comment.
@ ryecatcher:
Rye of the Tiger.
@ grootblousmile:
Sorry Rudi,Norty.
I believe that at least every 10 years one re-invents oneself.Mainly due to lifes experiences.That moment would appear to have arrived.
I love your site and what it is achieving.
I do not intend to use it as a personal battleground.
But neither will I in future remain silent in areas of misrepresentation of facts(Rangi) or insults directed at me.
Kind regards.Rye
@ ryecatcher:
But Rye…it was you who painted all us Kiwis as going apeshit if we lost..something to do with expecting to win all our games and national psyche….if they don’t THEY GO APESHIT…now you’re telling me about comprehension and needing help…
@ Te Rangatira:
Oh please man.Get help,That comment was made after your fellow countryman … he of many nics) attacked me.
Sequence of dialogue important in comprehension/Point.Counter point.etc You prove my allegations.Incidentally,are you saying
that HE OF THE ADDLED MIND did not go ape shit.
Sequence pal,sequence
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