2015 Rugby World Cup **Potential spoilers**

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GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
Good points. But I was picturing in my head a Scottish summer, so more likely to be flooded pitches and gale force winds. Slightly milder than winter though!
Crazy thing is as a ref you'd* cancel games on frosted frozen rutted pitches in February on safety grounds but play on hard-baked, rock hard rutted pitches in May.

I once had to declare "If anyone else turns, sprains, or breaks an ankle I'm abandoning the match." Hard ground and screw-in studs is a lousy combination.

*not strictly true but the reality is to contrived to explain.
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
Brighton FC have an artificial 3G surface with floodlights you can feel the heat from!
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
The ref seemed to miss this incident with less than 20 secs to play; @79.41 (ish) Aussie number 18 side entry and then Scottish player held on ground. Conveniently bad positioning and observation.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdIAG0xqgnM

If I had a quid for every time the team of three missed side entry and other oz infringements at the breakdown I'd have quite a few quid. But most of them, like the example you've cited were not material offences, and if elite refs ping everything we'd have no game to watch.
 

Joey Shabadoo

My pronouns are "He", "Him" and "buggerlugs"
I'm a little surprised the late tackle on Hogg hasn't led to the Australian player being cited. It was a clear example of foul play - no arms were used which is an automatic yellow (or so I'm told). It was caught on tv and shown repeatedly on the big screens inside the ground. The referee missing it is one thing, the TMO missing it is another but for it to be ignored completely considering some of the stuff that's been cited in this WC is odd.
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
I don't think you should let it go, its not just the fact that Scotland were robbed or lost,its more than that, the thing is unlike England who have a multitude of winners in all different sports, and will have many more opportunities to make finals, or win medals, smaller countries such as Ireland and Scotland have much rarer opportunities, so when it happens the joy is immense or doesn't in the case of Scotland the pain is hard to swallow,.....so why should you just get over it, ........
anyone remember the hand of god, if not you'll hear and see plenty about it come the next football world cup.....^_^
To be fair we get more agitated about that unrecognised goal against the Germans these days.
 
OP
OP
Wafer

Wafer

Veteran
And tell the Aussies off for going on about 'that catch' in the 2005 Ashes... (he obviously nicked it)
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
Basic problem is S Hemisphere refs are crap.
Basic problem is that SH and NH refs alike referee test matches to standards of materiality, and under the constraints of "It's showbiz folks", that few of us can understand and even fewer would be able to cope with.

Watching it live, in real time, I called it a PK, just like CJ did. We were both wrong but for different reasons.
 
Basic problem is that SH and NH refs alike referee test matches to standards of materiality, and under the constraints of "It's showbiz folks", that few of us can understand and even fewer would be able to cope with.

Watching it live, in real time, I called it a PK, just like CJ did. We were both wrong but for different reasons.
I thought it was ultimately, a clumsy attempt at a deliberate knock-on by the Scotland player to deny the Australian player the ball - as such it should have been reviewed...a bit like the arm fully extended going for the interception, collection, and possibly a try movement...with Ben Skeen whispering sweet nothings into Craig Joubert's ear along the way. Ungentlemanly fallout maybe, but Scotland have a lot to be aggrieved about. Joubert has been summed up by those that know...goodbye him. (Peyper is next...^_^)
In summary:
England - Total disjoint ed failure.
Ireland - leadership injuries when it mattered, but ultimately smashed.
Scotland - did more than asked, or expected and were badly let down.
Wales - again, a catalogue of injuries and undone by a moment of skill, not a lack of teamwork, determination, power, the referee.
Everyone on that pitch is a professional and knows exactly the consequences of his actions...difference being the referee never gets sent to the bin. Now, that might be interesting!
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
Everyone on that pitch is a professional and knows exactly the consequences of his actions...difference being the referee never gets sent to the bin. Now, that might be interesting!
No, but they do, in effect, get cited. As CJ has been. "Sorry mate, not good enough for the last two rounds." It is a shame because he was one of the few elite refs who would do his stint online answering questions from joe public on the SARefs forum.

Had he made that same call after two minutes rather than with two minutes to go no one would be talking about it. Had Scotland kicked all their points, no one would be talking about it. &c.

I can't buy the aggrieved nature. 5 tries to 3 of which two were gifts. Don't be one score in front with two mins to go in case someone, anyone, makes a mistake. &c..

When you play the beautiful game the game starts at nil-all and your destiny is in your own hands; if you choose to put it in the hands of fallible officials, or the opposition, more fool you. &c.
 
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