Brutal. Savage. Take your pick, it was both. But was it rugby?
The first half lasted over 55 minutes, due mainly to injuries, and was little about sport. It was rather about the Springboks’ softening up tactics, which is a very polite way of expressing how they go about their business these days. Ireland, who did try to go wide in this period when the opportunities arose, were magnificent.
For all that was thrown at the them, they hurled back the kitchen sink, and then some. I’m all for the laws of rugby enabling different styles of play, it’s what makes the game special, but it was utterly impossible to find anything to admire in the visitors’ approach.
When Faf de Klerk came on South Africa decided to open things up, and that change might well have won it for them – there’s a serious tactical rethink needed, but I’m not sure we will see it. One thing is more certain, that they’ll hardly fail again to take to the pitch without an established goal-kicker.
Let’s cut to the chase. What of Cheslin Kolbe’s flip-over of Mack Hansen, aided and abetted by team-mate Pieter-Steph du Toit? At first glance, there seemed no doubt – it had to be red, but as the replays were shown doubt crept into my head. Doubt, because the criteria for the referee is how the player landed, coupled with the degree of force, both having a large part to play in the decision-making process. It is not a mandatory red card in these circumstances.
Hansen’s arms, one after the other, landed on the ground first, and with referee Nika Amashukeli judging also that the force was not sufficient for the ultimate sanction, he mitigated to a yellow card. Given the criteria, his reasoning can be followed, although very many will still not agree with the call. All in all, a mandatory red sanction may well be the way to go when turning over a player and dropping him from a height, irrespective of criteria, particularly given the potential for serious injury.
Suggestions that the referee “bottled it” are wide of the mark. Georgians are not in the habit of bottling anything, it’s simply not in their DNA. New Zealand lock Brodie Retallick found that out against Japan a couple of weeks ago, when Amashukeli handed him a red card without hesitation.
In a match with the very highest degree of difficulty the referee came out of things pretty well. Of course there were errors along the way, inevitable in a match of such pulsating intensity. But, at last, illegal driving across the scrum was whistled up – for too long a lot of teams have got away with it, with South Africa far from being saints in this area.
In the closing stages of a wonderful international career, Conor Murray took the deserved plaudits of the crowd in celebrating his 100th cap. When he pulled up injured, Jamison Gibson-Park came on, and, amazingly, showed no signs of ring rustiness, immediately putting beneficial extra zip and pace on to the ball.
These two teams will meet again in the pool stages of next Autumn’s Rugby World Cup – fasten your seat belts.
The anticipated jersey colour clash did not really materialise, but the Ireland kit seemed more suited to a Halloween party, rather than something designed for a professional team representing their country. Please, never again.
In Cardiff earlier in the day, another new centurion took the pitch. This time it was Wayne Barnes – hats off to him, brilliant – who refereed splendidly and showed that there is clear blue water between him and the chasing pack.
There were some side entries which should have been picked up, but his calm demeanour and game knowledge brought much to the proceedings. Compared to the raw meat fare on offer in Dublin, the intensity was but a refreshing starter, and Barnes really had an easy and enjoyable day at the office.
Wales were torn to shreds by New Zealand and were 17 points down before they’d woken up and realised that it was game on time. Eight tries by the All Blacks is close to one every five minutes of ball in play time. It shouldn’t happen, but it did because Wales’ defensive alignment and tackling were awful.
Ardie Savea, the New Zealand number eight, and their scrumhalf Aaron Smith ran at will through the tatters of a Welsh defence with Savea throwing out one outrageous dummy pass which was bought hook line and sinker to open the door for one of the tries. Sadly, Welsh rugby is in one unholy mess.
The last match of the weekend brought us to Twickenham where the offering was awful, with English head honcho Eddie Jones preparing little by way of a feast. True, conditions were terrible, but a lot more is expected of a team with World Cup aspirations. They deserved to be pipped at the post by Michael Cheika’s Argentina who, at least, raised some passion and intensity in the second half whereas England raised sweet damn all.
Irish referee Andy Brace drew the short straw with this one – you can only referee what the players put in front of you. Proof, yet again, that a referee cannot construct a silk purse from a sow’s ear. The scrums were difficult, and perhaps a lot less patience from Brace might have paid a better dividend in this phase.
A key moment came early in the second half when a breakaway Argentinian try was touched down by Santiago Carreras. Owen Farrell’s pass had gone to ground and he queried whether it had been knocked on by an opponent, Thomas Gallo. Brace rightly took ownership of the decision and, despite one camera angle suggesting the Argentine’s finger might, just might, have touched the ball in flight, he awarded the try.
If that score had been chalked off, England and Jones would have left Twickenham with a completely undeserved victory and Argentina denied a famous win. And that would have been a crying shame.
