Blues were dominant all over the park
Righto, match report after I've got home, cooled down and had something to eat and drink.
Blues were dominant all over the park.
Scoreline didn't reflect it.
Refereeing was spectacularly incompetent at times.. the 'forward pass' was up there with Wayne Barnes at Eden Park. What was particularly funny was the pass got caught by Rieko behind Akira.. so he was always behind his man - but forward?
Shocking call, TMO needs a lesson in physics.
Lots got missed by the refs all day. Plenty of defensive lineout drives going in early, before the jumper had feet on the ground. Side entry in rucks was generally just ignored.
Bright spots - a very dominant Blues performance. Hard to see where the points would come from for the Highlanders - needed cards and penalties to threaten. A Smith is magic, still a world class 9.
Plummer played well, which I was stoked to see.
Forwards were very physical and very good. Highlanders forwards lacked conditioning - were walking after about 25 minutes. Akira looked good, Hoskins looked very good, and the tight 5 were strong.
I'm looking forward to a re-watch, but penalising Sotutu for setting up to jump and catch a ball was... interesting refereeing.
Rieko has some serious gas out there. He came from deep to catch the ball from Akira, had 35 to go and defenders around him, and just made them look silly. Serious physical attributes, and still learning the centre role. Looking very good, and getting better.
Perofeta is a masterstroke at the back. He's Cashmore like - solid, you don't notice him, because he just does it all easily and without looking rushed or like it's going to turn to custard. The anti-Jordie if you like :) Good game from him though.
Good day out, refereeing was average, but a bloody good win with a scoreline that seriously flattered the Highlanders. Needed a BP win and got it, we'll take that every day of the week.
More on the Ioane's Try
The place went absolutely nuts, as it should. Just a magnificent try rubbed out by a depth of TMO incompetence that was truly remarkable.
The video doesn't show quite how much work Rieko had to do either. He was covered, had to slow, change direction and then accelerate again to gas the chasers. Was a thing of beauty. He's not Conrad, but Conrad never had that pace and muscle.
Developing very nicely. Just need to see him throw some nice passes to set the outsides away now.
Also noticeable was how his gas lets him get away with non-perfect defensive alignment. He can leave a bit of room and still chase people down. Generally, the Blues tackling was excellent - lots of last ditch tackles made that (if we'd missed some) would have been seriously problematic.
@african-monkey said in Blues v Highlanders:
@steven-harris Correct. Sam Cane is a beast at test level. By far and away our best 7. I remain hopeful seeing Cane, Sotutu and Akira as our starting loose trio at test level but they'll no doubt squeeze Ardie into the starting lineup when he would be a far far better option off the bench.
I’m a big fan of Sotutu and in terms of raw talent I think he has more than any loose forward in NZ, but there’s no evidence right now that he is a better test no8 than Ardie. So unless Fozzie is going to select on potential then I’d keep selecting Ardie and have Sotutu off the bench.
@act-crusader Fair enough, I just feel going forward that Sotutu's extra size and physicality is more suited to test level than Ardie's style. Ardie is perfect foil for a bench role imo. If it doesn't happen, so be it.
@sparky said in Blues v Highlanders:
@steven-harris First name on the AB team sheet IMHO.
I would hope so - he's captain!
@act-crusader Sotutu needs to grow as a player but once you start playing Ardie you start planning small ball. His work rate is great but we need more size at number 8.
@broughie said in Blues v Highlanders:
@act-crusader Sotutu needs to grow as a player but once you start playing Ardie you start planning small ball. His work rate is great but we need more size at number 8.
I agree.
I think he is tidy and athletic but his lack of size at 8 doesn't make him that different from Ardie, despite being slightly more direct.
@kiwiwomble said in Blues v Highlanders:
@bones jeez you can be harsh
Both the clearance and the run were ok, our forwards and insides hardly provided much or good ball for the outsides
Geez you can be a sensitive apologist! ?
That clearance was crap, but you'd be ok with everyone clearing like that? Righto...
The run, not many options but it was just a surrender. Didn't try to stay in or fight, meh.
@broughie said in Blues v Highlanders:
@act-crusader Sotutu needs to grow as a player but once you start playing Ardie you start planning small ball. His work rate is great but we need more size at number 8.
Ideally we should be getting a bit more from the other bulk in the pack before calling to replace Ardie’s work rate.
@taniwharugby said in Blues v Highlanders:
@tim he was still well ahead of his bro when he caught it!
If ever there's a clear giveaway there's that. The ref and TMO should be sacked. Absolutely disgraceful decision. It defies belief that these are the best professionals in NZ. Is every other referee in the country a blind person confined to a fucking wheelchair?
Speaking of the officials, I am wondering if there is now some secret agreement between Sky and NZR not to show any replays of scrum penalties. Maybe it is at the whim of the OBU director, but the cynic in me thinks they don't want a replay to prove the ref was wrong.
I am referring to the 3 penalties given against Hohneck or Laulala towards the end of the game for collapsing the scrum. The official count was Laulala 1 - Hohneck 2. I could be wrong myself but I thought that Laulala should have been penalised the first time. Hohneck thought so too.
@daffy-jaffy said in Blues v Highlanders:
Happy boy -
Loved his smile when he ran on at the start of the game
Allow me to whinge about refereeing decisions given against the winning team.
Apparently that never happens.
And I know it's been said, but the Akira forward pass and the Sotutu vicious back charge really were crap. I get how @mariner4life Is losing his shit with rugby after crap like that.
Akira: went back out of his hands, and he was always in front of the ball indicating the ball travelled backwards relative to the player. How come us ignorant slobs on an internet forum know these rulings and the highly paid officials fucking don't?
I can see how they came up with the Sotutu ruling, I just disagree with it (ie., they got it wrong) and assert it was 100% unnecessary to even look at it.
Why have a TMO if they can't get simple decisions right?
There's whinging about whinging on the Saders v Chiefs thread about time taken to review. These were two examples where inordinate amounts of time were taken to review and get the wrong decision.
@booboo said in Blues v Highlanders:
Allow me to whinge about refereeing decisions given against the winning team.
Apparently that never happens.
And I know it's been said, but the Akira forward pass and the Sotutu vicious back charge really were crap. I get how @mariner4life Is losing his shit with rugby after crap like that.
Akira: went back out of his hands, and he was always in front of the ball indicating the ball travelled backwards relative to the player. How come us ignorant slobs on an internet forum know these rulings and the highly paid officials fucking don't?
I can see how they came up with the Sotutu ruling, I just disagree with it (ie., they got it wrong) and assert it was 100% unnecessary to even look at it.
Why have a TMO if they can't get simple decisions right?
There's whinging about whinging on the Saders v Chiefs thread about time taken to review. These were two examples where inordinate amounts of time were taken to review and get the wrong decision.
Its a lottery and they add no value. TMOs were meant to prevent howlers; now they create them.
Get rid of them.
That Akira-Rieko try was something else, far out. The fend and run from Akira, the absolutely magic pass for Rieko to run onto - that takes serious skill and vision to pull that off - and then Rieko absolutely skinning the remaining three defenders. That's one of the best tries I've ever seen.
@gt12 said in Blues v Highlanders:
@booboo said in Blues v Highlanders:
Allow me to whinge about refereeing decisions given against the winning team.
Apparently that never happens.
And I know it's been said, but the Akira forward pass and the Sotutu vicious back charge really were crap. I get how @mariner4life Is losing his shit with rugby after crap like that.
Akira: went back out of his hands, and he was always in front of the ball indicating the ball travelled backwards relative to the player. How come us ignorant slobs on an internet forum know these rulings and the highly paid officials fucking don't?
I can see how they came up with the Sotutu ruling, I just disagree with it (ie., they got it wrong) and assert it was 100% unnecessary to even look at it.
Why have a TMO if they can't get simple decisions right?
There's whinging about whinging on the Saders v Chiefs thread about time taken to review. These were two examples where inordinate amounts of time were taken to review and get the wrong decision.
Its a lottery and they add no value. TMOs were meant to prevent howlers; now they create them.
Get rid of them.
Shirley you are not serious? We'd have to stop TV replays completely otherwise the internet would implode.
@no-quarter said in Blues v Highlanders:
That Akira-Rieko try was something else, far out. The fend and run from Akira, the absolutely magic pass for Rieko to run onto - that takes serious skill and vision to pull that off - and then Rieko absolutely skinning the remaining three defenders. That's one of the best tries I've ever seen.
I missed the game today, and they didn't include it in the highlights. I wonder why not?
@tim said in Blues v Highlanders:
Holy fuck, that's far worse than anything which happened yesterday, what total incompetence!
@gt12 said in Blues v Highlanders:
@tim said in Blues v Highlanders:
Holy fuck, that's far worse than anything which happened yesterday, what total incompetence!
I think the incompetence there is at least on a par with the Mounga forward pass (which may not have even been looked at if not for the challenge and then had the worst possible result for the chiefs). You can see how he came to the conclusion on the Akira pass, even if he got it wrong. There's no explanation for the Mounga pass.
@crazy-horse said in Blues v Highlanders:
@gt12 said in Blues v Highlanders:
@booboo said in Blues v Highlanders:
Allow me to whinge about refereeing decisions given against the winning team.
Apparently that never happens.
And I know it's been said, but the Akira forward pass and the Sotutu vicious back charge really were crap. I get how @mariner4life Is losing his shit with rugby after crap like that.
Akira: went back out of his hands, and he was always in front of the ball indicating the ball travelled backwards relative to the player. How come us ignorant slobs on an internet forum know these rulings and the highly paid officials fucking don't?
I can see how they came up with the Sotutu ruling, I just disagree with it (ie., they got it wrong) and assert it was 100% unnecessary to even look at it.
Why have a TMO if they can't get simple decisions right?
There's whinging about whinging on the Saders v Chiefs thread about time taken to review. These were two examples where inordinate amounts of time were taken to review and get the wrong decision.
Its a lottery and they add no value. TMOs were meant to prevent howlers; now they create them.
Get rid of them.
Shirley you are not serious? We'd have to stop TV replays completely otherwise the internet would implode.
So you mean fans might get involved in caring about the game? That would be horrible. At least they'd know that it was a real person who made a real mistake in real time, rather than an idiot who can't understand the laws (and their application) with every video tool available. I'm happy to accept that given that we've tried the TMO and it is clearly not working.
If we must have it, the captain's challenge can respond to your concern, otherwise having the challenge is pointless. I'd give captain's one per half and that's the only situation in which the referee's ruling is challenged. If a TMO fucks up a captain's challenge, they get benched.
We have a citing commissioner who can deal wit foul play that gets missed in the game. Double or triple the bans for foul play and piss off with the 'good record' bullshit.
@tim
Wow. When 99% of viewers know simple physics better than the TMO, there is a problem.
@bones said in Blues v Highlanders:
@gt12 said in Blues v Highlanders:
@tim said in Blues v Highlanders:
Holy fuck, that's far worse than anything which happened yesterday, what total incompetence!
I think the incompetence there is at least on a par with the Mounga forward pass (which may not have even been looked at if not for the challenge and then had the worst possible result for the chiefs). You can see how he came to the conclusion on the Akira pass, even if he got it wrong. There's no explanation for the Mounga pass.
That's a good point, but this example is almost literally the type they show on the World Rugby website to educate people about the physics involved in ruling on a forward pass.
I'm hoping that because the Blues got screwed on this, Parsons will man up and talk about how shit the refereeing is this week, they totally blew it off last week.
Edit: By the way, I think the real incompetence in the Weber one was that none of the on-field people (ref, ARs) saw it, but given that these types of events can happen, the captain's challenge should have worked, as it would have turned over that call. Hold on. I'm making your case for you. He is fucking incompetent. OK, they were both terrible.
@gt12 yeah that was half my point, the Mounga blunder was so clearly forward if it wasn't off Weber, so why weren't they going to look at it? How did none of the 3 on field officials even question it? Maybe that is what helped Williams so willingly dismiss it without even looking.
I still maintain the foot in touch for the try was clear, but perhaps the ref on field made the wrong call (how was he sure it was a try when the most probable outcome is that it wasn't on first time viewing).
@bones said in Blues v Highlanders:
@gt12 yeah that was half my point, the Mounga blunder was so clearly forward if it wasn't off Weber, so why weren't they going to look at it? How did none of the 3 on field officials even question it? Maybe that is what helped Williams so willingly dismiss it without even looking.
I still maintain the foot in touch for the try was clear, but perhaps the ref on field made the wrong call (how was he sure it was a try when the most probable outcome is that it wasn't on first time viewing).
I cant argue against this, it was a fucking shocker. I agree about the foot in touch too, and I dont know why the touchie wasn’t looking at that (or if so, wasn’t consulted).
@bones said in Blues v Highlanders:
@gt12 said in Blues v Highlanders:
@tim said in Blues v Highlanders:
Holy fuck, that's far worse than anything which happened yesterday, what total incompetence!
I think the incompetence there is at least on a par with the Mounga forward pass (which may not have even been looked at if not for the challenge and then had the worst possible result for the chiefs). You can see how he came to the conclusion on the Akira pass, even if he got it wrong. There's no explanation for the Mounga pass.
The problem with Akira's pass is that it was so long and good that by the time Rieko caught it he was well in front of the point of release so it just doesn't "look" right to the eye, even if under the rules it was absolutely fine.
@act-crusader Don’t disagree but Ardie is not an 8. 7 yes and possibly should have been a second five.
@crucial said in Blues v Highlanders:
Usually they demote a ref to TMO. Where are they going to demote Paul Williams to ?
Commentator?
@bovidae said in Blues v Highlanders:
Speaking of the officials, I am wondering if there is now some secret agreement between Sky and NZR not to show any replays of scrum penalties. Maybe it is at the whim of the OBU director, but the cynic in me thinks they don't want a replay to prove the ref was wrong.
I am referring to the 3 penalties given against Hohneck or Laulala towards the end of the game for collapsing the scrum. The official count was Laulala 1 - Hohneck 2. I could be wrong myself but I thought that Laulala should have been penalised the first time. Hohneck thought so too.
Didn't look that closely, but one against Nepo seemed to happen when Josh pulled back and Nepo overextended.
Is that allowed?
@tim the place went absolutely nuts, as it should. Just a magnificent try rubbed out by a depth of TMO incompetence that was truly remarkable.
The video doesn't show quite how much work Rieko had to do either. He was covered, had to slow, change direction and then accelerate again to gas the chasers. Was a thing of beauty. He's not Conrad, but Conrad never had that pace and muscle.
Developing very nicely. Just need to see him throw some nice passes to set the outsides away now.
Also noticeable was how his gas lets him get away with non-perfect defensive alignemnt. He can leave a bit of room and still chase people down. Generally, the Blues tackling was excellent - lots of last ditch tackles made that (if we'd missed some) would have been seriously problematic.
Finally, could see A Smith not running into contact. There was a half gap at one stage he ran to and passed out of - not sure if he's deliberately avoiding it with a long season coming up, but I don't think he sniped all day.
@junior said in Blues v Highlanders:
@bones said in Blues v Highlanders:
@gt12 said in Blues v Highlanders:
@tim said in Blues v Highlanders:
Holy fuck, that's far worse than anything which happened yesterday, what total incompetence!
I think the incompetence there is at least on a par with the Mounga forward pass (which may not have even been looked at if not for the challenge and then had the worst possible result for the chiefs). You can see how he came to the conclusion on the Akira pass, even if he got it wrong. There's no explanation for the Mounga pass.
The problem with Akira's pass is that it was so long and good that by the time Rieko caught it he was well in front of the point of release so it just doesn't "look" right to the eye, even if under the rules it was absolutely fine.
How a TMO gets that interpretation so wrong must be looked at. Some of the rulings have been truly bizarre. As someone said, it's like an worked example of 'no forwrad pass' on the World Rugby law website.
ah, screw it, check about 1:20
@nzzp said in Blues v Highlanders:
The video doesn't show quite how much work Rieko had to do either. He was covered, had to slow, change direction and then accelerate again to gas the chasers. Was a thing of beauty. He's not Conrad, but Conrad never had that pace and muscle.
Developing very nicely. Just need to see him throw some nice passes to set the outsides away now.
He was pretty good for most, I think he really needs to work on his distribution awareness. He needs to think more about those who should be outside him, unlike when he was on the sung. Question is, say if he's there for ABs, who's the 12, not much showing yet in the season!
It certainly is enjoyable watching the Blues these days. Didn't have to get out of second gear, was able to make early subs, and kept the rookie lock out there for the full 80.
Dalton is playing great at seven, that turnover for the Ioane try (I'm ignoring the TMO on that) was McCaw like. More of that please.
It beggers belief that a TMO can't see the pass being backwards out of the hand. Perhaps someone on Twitter should send the above video to NZRU...
Akira covering three backrow positions is interesting too. In that stupid year of the experimental laws he spent time at seven. Pretty huge backrow with Robinson there too.