AS USUAL, in the aftermath of the Six Nations' weekend, my inbox has been full with the thoughts of my world-wide network of rugby contacts. Following events at Twickenham on Saturday, I received an interesting note from one of my friends in the Sudentenland.
An Anglo-Scot, now retired after 40-years at the chalk face, the son of a noted former Scotland internationalist and top-quality coach, my contact has helped nurture many young players – including at least one Scotland cap - at a well-known English Public School. He knows his rugby and he made an interesting suggestion:
“Two fixtures in the 2022 6 Nations have now been adversely affected, if not wrecked, by the early red card, short changing the spectators who are paying megabucks in the reasonable expectation of viewing an even contest.
A clear red card was, of course, the correct decision under the current interpretation, but I think that there is a case for a rethink. If a referee witnesses foul play, it is his natural instinct to blow immediately. At Twickenham the referee was close to the action and yet allowed play to continue for a good while before he realised that Ryan was on the ground near to the play having treatment, at which point the TMO swung into action.
It could be argued that if Ryan had carried on and not required treatment, then not even a penalty would have been awarded. So I wonder whether a distinction could be made between intentional foul/dangerous play such as a punch or kick which merits a red card and unintentional/clumsy dangerous play which merits a twenty minute yellow card - but maybe that is too complicated. What is beyond doubt is that the TMO is having a major influence on the outcome of matches.”
I can understand the calls for some means of replacing a sent-off player, perhaps after a 20-minute “power play” - when the opposition has a one-man advantage. How about something like the ice hockey rule, where for some offences, the power play ends when the non-offending side scores. Might we make it that in the case of yellow cards, the card ends when the opposition scores a try; if no try, it lasts the mandatory ten minutes. Perhaps with a red card, two tries and the miscreant can be replaced within the 20-minutes.
Or, we could go down the basketball route of individual fouls – the question, since so-many rugby offences are “technical” is – how many individual fouls before a player “fouls-out” and has to go off for good?
I see the Irish papers were piling onto Ian Henderson, for conceding three penalties on Saturday – well, Maro Itoje or Zander Fagerson can rack-up that many in less than one half. So, going down the road of individual fouls might be opening a proper can of worms.
Another point which my friend made in regard to Twickenham on Saturday was:
“I may be ignorant/ out of date, but what I observed at Twickenham was England engaging in a good old fashioned scrum wheel, in the secure knowledge that modern referees always award the penalty to the side putting the ball in.
Ireland were certainly bemused and slow to counter. I did not, however, hear any of the media experts attempt to explain the mechanics of the wheel; the alternative explanation favoured by the English media is that Genge and Sinckler are now world class scrummagers who took Healy and Furlong to the cleaners….”
To get rid of that final piece of nonsense first. Aye, the English “experts,” “bigging-up” Genge and Sinckler were only demonstrating their lack of real knowledge of scrummaging. It was evident from the TV pictures, Genge was taking a step out and boring-in between Furlong and Sheehan.
Credit perhaps to Matt Proudfoot for doing his homework on Raynal as a poor referee of scrums, and in coming-up with a means of countering Ireland's superiority in this aspect of the game.
I note too, some Irish commentators are questioning Henderson's scrumming power. He was the lock behind Furlong and there are some suggestions in Dublin that he doesn't provide the oomph which Furlong usually enjoys with Leinster and otherwise with Ireland.
But, for the English media to claim and celebrate the fact, no scrums were completed in the entire match as a “victory.” Well, if that's the benchmark, we might ass well do away entirely with scrums.
MY FIRST sight of Allan Dell was in a Glasgow A v Edinburgh A virtual bounce game, at Bridgehaugh. That day, I was not impressed. His development was then held up, when he was drafted to Selkirk by Edinburgh, which produced one of Peter Wright's (then coaching the Soutars) great lines: “Edinburgh let us have players on condition we return them in good enough condition to hold a tackle bag on Monday morning.”
But, he worked hard, improved, got his cap and even had a cameo as one of the “geography” Lions on the 2017 tour.
I always said, Scotland used him wrongly, when they started him. I'd have given Gordy Reid the number 1 jersey, with Allan wearing 17 and coming on to run at tired defenders. That certainly is the role Declan Kidney now gives him at London Irish. He's now a specialist sub, a rugby version of David Fairclough's role in the great Liverpool football team. It's a role he's good at, as he showed in Rome on Saturday.
FINALLY – Northampton Saints v Wasps on BT Sport, Sunday afternoon. We have BT's England cheerleaders on their commentary team, raving about Man of the Match Dave Ribbans, who was having his 100th game for Saints.
Ben Kay reckons Ribbans could do a job in the second row for England. I must admit, I haven't paid too-much attention to the boy, other than to acknowledge, he's a good player, especially in the lines-out. So, imagine my surprise when, in the post-match interview, he clearly demonstrated, he was South African.
I thought it was only these bloody Celts and those damned French who used imports. England has more money, more players, but, still it seems, some of the English commentators are not happy and want to import. They don't do irony.
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