Rugby Union World Cup

[Wedgie]

Ref was fine, game was great.
France were awesome and dominated the 2nd half as NZ dominated the first half.
Well done France on such a great performance and congratulations to the All Blacks, the best rugby team in the world!

[Jim05]

Just spoke to a kiwi workmate who went over and reckons he will partying for weeks. He has played rugby at a decent level and he voted Joubert as man of the match but he isnt complaining about him obviously.

[Jimmy_041]

Ref was not fine. Their try shouldn't have happened - France should have been given at least 2 penalties for BLATANT infringements at the breakdown in the minute before.
What is it about Richie McCaw that the refs wont give a penalty against him let alone send him off for consistently breaking the rules.

The All Blacks still haven't won a World Cup away from home

[Jimmy_041]

It would appear Im not the only one mystified by Joubert's contrasting performances.

Anyone would think I wrote this piece - exactly what I said on Sunday night

McCaw given carte blanche

BY: BRET HARRIS From: The Australian October 25, 2011 12:00AM

YOU would have thought watching the World Cup semi-final between the All Blacks and the Wallabies and the final between New Zealand and France that the two games had been controlled by different referees.

Yet they were both officiated by South African Craig Joubert.

Interestingly, in both games, the losing team received more penalties and free kicks, but it was the penalties not awarded that were more important.

In the space of a week, Joubert went from being pedantic to almost laissez-faire, at least in his adjudication of the breakdown.

In the eighth minute of the All Blacks' 20-6 win against the Wallabies, Joubert penalised Australian openside flanker David Pocock for going off his feet at the breakdown. Three minutes later, Joubert penalised Pocock again for leaving his feet, ruling that he was on one knee.

While Joubert was technically correct, you could argue that he was being pedantic.

Pocock's frustration was evident when he clashed with All Blacks hooker Andrew Hore following a scrum penalty in the 65th minute. That was important because Pocock's head-to-head clash with All Blacks captain and openside flanker Richie McCaw was considered the key match-up.

McCaw was penalised just once in the 14th minute for not releasing a tackled player. It was the first penalty against the All Blacks and they were already ahead 8-0.

To be fair, the Wallabies did not lose to the All Blacks because of the refereeing, although it did not help their cause.

Joubert's officiating was far more influential in the final, which went down to the wire.

After being hard on Pocock the week before, Joubert appeared to give McCaw carte blanche at the breakdown, particularly in the first half.

McCaw was coming in at the side, going off his feet, spending most of the game in a horizontal position.

In the third minute, McCaw tackled French winger Alexis Palisson, who was penalised for not releasing the ball while McCaw still had his arms wrapped around his legs. In that situation, the onus is on the tackler to roll away. The penalty should have gone the other way.

Joubert did penalise McCaw just after half-time for hands in the ruck and French halfback Dimitri Yachvili missed a shot at goal, but that was a blatant offence which could not go unpunished.

You cannot blame McCaw for testing the limits of the law and playing accordingly, but why were the limits so different from one week to the next under the same referee?

It's not that Joubert refereed badly in either game, but that his interpretation was so inconsistent.

Who knows what happened? Perhaps IRB referees manager Paddy O'Brien instructed Joubert to let the final flow for the sake of the spectacle.

Or maybe Joubert put his whistle in his pocket because he wanted the players to determine the outcome of the final rather than himself.

A bit of advice Craig - take your holidays in New Zealand and not France from now on, or maybe that was always your intention..........

[Wedgie]

You don't think you and Australian journos/commentators might be a tad biased?
There was a much bigger uproar world wide after some decisions at the breakdown went our way in the Quarter Final.

[mighty hounds]

You don't think you and Australian journos/commentators might be a tad biased?
There was a much bigger uproar world wide after some decisions at the breakdown went our way in the Quarter Final.

You cant be serious, the ref was terrible in the quarter final. Gave Australia sweat FA.

[Wedgie]

You don't think you and Australian journos/commentators might be a tad biased?
There was a much bigger uproar world wide after some decisions at the breakdown went our way in the Quarter Final.

You cant be serious, the ref was terrible in the quarter final. Gave Australia sweat FA.

Ummm, surely YOU can't be serious.
The ref got death threats and for getting us over the line against South Africa as well has having a facebook page with over 50,000 people signed up at quickly with the disgust of how he helped us! It was a huge issue in every rugby nation except for Australia where we just prattled on about how good our defense was. I love the Wallabies spending thousands to see them play this year but there was no way we were better than South Africa in that game.

Perhaps this will help your memory:
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/south-african-referees-want-to-take-action-against-bryce-lawrence-20111013-1lm18.html

[mighty hounds]

You don't think you and Australian journos/commentators might be a tad biased?
There was a much bigger uproar world wide after some decisions at the breakdown went our way in the Quarter Final.

You cant be serious, the ref was terrible in the quarter final. Gave Australia sweat FA.

Ummm, surely YOU can't be serious.
The ref got death threats and for getting us over the line against South Africa as well has having a facebook page with over 50,000 people signed up at quickly with the disgust of how he helped us! It was a huge issue in every rugby nation except for Australia where we just prattled on about how good our defense was.

Perhaps this will help your memory:
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/south-african-referees-want-to-take-action-against-bryce-lawrence-20111013-1lm18.html

Well maybe it was more like what he didnt pay both ways.

[Wedgie]

Well maybe it was more like what he didnt pay both ways.

I'll try telling that to the rest of the world.

[mighty hounds]

Well maybe it was more like what he didnt pay both ways.

I'll try telling that to the rest of the world.

Go for it. Might be as hard as telling kiwis that there fair wheather supporters.

[Jimmy_041]

You don't think you and Australian journos/commentators might be a tad biased?
There was a much bigger uproar world wide after some decisions at the breakdown went our way in the Quarter Final.

Biased ha ha What makes you think I like the French?
Quite happy to go through a replay with you and show where the penalties were.
bigger uproar world wide? - mostly the South African press and I dont disagree
Point is - Joubert was pedantic one week and couldn't give a toss the next.
Oh sorry, until the last minute when he penalised the French for doing what the Kiwis had done all game - utter bull$hit
McCaw is a great player but he gets away with blue murder because the refs let him - bring back rucking I say. McCaw could play for the Hurricanes without a jersey on within a season!!!

only Australian journos?

http://www.606v2.com/t16746-craig-joubert

http://www.espnscrum.com/2011-rugby-world-cup/rugby/story/153014.html

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/5841299/World-Cup-ref-blowtorch-turns-on-Craig-Joubert

He did have a nice girlfriend but she broke up with him because he kept lying on her side of the bed all the time

[Wedgie]

What were we talking about again? I lost my train of thought!

[Jimmy_041]

Which NZ city you were born in.....

[Wedgie]

Which NZ city you were born in.....

ha ha, you're mistaking me with Quade Cooper!

[Jimmy_041]

Nah, I dont think so...........

[bloods08]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/rug ... 6176209934

What a joke

[Jimmy_041]

Absolute joke and just backs up my contention that NZ are totally favoured by the IRB.
The f***ers even say NZ is the spiritual home of rugby (only coz they've got SFA of anything else)
They have threatened to pull out of the next RWC unless they get more money (so have we by the way)
The Haka is a war threat and dates back to early 1800's
Kapa o pango is a bastardised version of the Haka
Stay back 10m - go f*** yourselves IRB
This entire RWC stinks of favoritism
I cant wait for another 4 years when they choke again

[Jim05]

Absolute joke and just backs up my contention that NZ are totally favoured by the IRB.
The f***ers even say NZ is the spiritual home of rugby (only coz they've got SFA of anything else)
They have threatened to pull out of the next RWC unless they get more money (so have we by the way)
The Haka is a war threat and dates back to early 1800's
Kapa o pango is a bastardised version of the Haka
Stay back 10m - go f*** yourselves IRB
This entire RWC stinks of favoritism
I cant wait for another 4 years when they choke again

Agreed.
For all their leg ups they get from the IRB they have only got 2 home world cups to show for it. Enjoy another 24 years of chokes.

[Jimmy_041]

I should have added that they never bothered respecting the advantage line during the game so why should anyone else during the haka

[Wedgie]

Would have been cheaper if they did a nudey run. Work that one out!