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Crusaders captain Richie McCaw on the charge against the Reds as referee Stuart Dickinson looks on - Source: Photosport -
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Well now, there at last my friends was a true game of rugby. A perfect one to climax the full round of Super Rugby games over the weekend; a game to savour and salivate over and one to celebrate how good and great the game can be. And even more perhaps was it a kind of preview to what we might see in New Zealand in about 100 days' time from this week? And how about the involvement of the referee?
When the Crusaders of Canterbury (and all their South Island franchise mates) met the Reds of Queensland last night the quality of the Super Rugby game matched all the pre-match hype. It was a game between the best franchises from our side of the ditch against the Aussies' clear best of 2011.
For a start I liked the Sunday night timing of the kickoff. It might have been 4pm in Brisbane with the sun out, but at my place in Wellington, New Zealand it was 6pm and pretty well perfect timing. When you think about it, the game was played in a new TV timezone. It cut right across the Sunday evening news on TV ONE - which is probably the time when most folks are at home, relaxing from their weekend activity, catching up on the world and getting set for work first thing Monday morning.
But hey - I was watching the game. With the news repeats on at all hours these days, even missing the 6pm news on Sunday night now is no biggie. You can always press 'record' and watch Bernadine and Rawdon later!
The rugby game was best served live. And what a treat it was!
It was played at the highest speed of warp factor right through its 80 minutes by both teams, leaving the speedy outer backs gleaming with sweat at the end, while some of the forward roly-poly blokes were left with nothing to do but to stand and stare blankly into the middle distance, so exhausted were they.
The Reds contained a number of players who, if we speak up honestly on this side of the Tasman, we would have to say they would make it into the top line-up if there was ever to be one team picked at the end of the super Rugby series - an 'ANZAC XV' or something similar.
Reds players like Will Genia, Quade Cooper, Digby Ioane, Scott Higginbotham, the skipper James Horwill and Luke Morehan were simply magnificent on the night. But that's not to decry the stars on the other side of the white line.
For the Crusaders I just loved Daniel Carter and Zac Guildford but also Robbie Fruean, Sonny Bill Williams, and the whole scrum which competed so vigorously all night and in fact gave the Reds scrum the sternest contest they will face all season.
Problems for Richie
On the other hand poor Richie McCaw had quite a few problems last night. While it is true he never seemed to get a break from referee Stuart Dickinson, nonetheless, Richie might have been guilty at the end of playing dumb in that last ruck.
His team were in the lead, the pile-up of bodies was right under the sticks, the referee is the most determined official in the game these days and was calling 'hands off'. When leading by only two points you don't take risks, mate.
But Richie played a game of chance and reached in on the ball. Of course he must have thought it was out of the ruck but more pointedly Richie gambled on the referee suddenly discovering some big-heartedness of spirit and looking the other way.
Old Stuey was right there and he saw it differently. A penalty was awarded which Quade Cooper could have knocked over with his elbow. That made it 17-16 to the Reds and that was the end of the story. Was it an early night at your place?
That last decision might have affected the way we judged Richie's play. Overall it was his best game of the season. He was courageously into everything. Nevertheless he did take that final risk and that was bad judgment given the knife-edge state of play. He himself kind of admitted his folly at the after-match interview.
He was quoted as saying 'I got it wrong. I involved the referee which we said at halftime we couldn't afford to do.'
But he also said with a sigh, 'it was a good old game.' And it surely was.
The competitive and willing nature of the action made me think; 'what say we get a game like this to climax the Rugby World Cup in October? Is it possible that we could have a breathless game like this one was, with the best of the full All Black and Wallaby teams in action at their fastest pace? And we celebrate a great game to terminate the memories of all those previously severe and sober finals we've had in the past World Cups?
Remember the facts; at the six previous Rugby World Cup finals we have had nine tries scored and 40 penalties kicked. No final has reached a status of being a 'great' game. Even New Zealand's four-try 20-point demolition of France in 1987 was rubbished by the British media.
Showpiece-style rugby
After watching the super velocity of the Brisbane game last night there is now a hint that if New Zealand and Australia do meet in the World Cup final then the game will at last get a universal showpiece.
But what's this? Looking at the final result of 17-16 to the Reds actually strikes home a slightly unnerving sight for us who watch on the good side of the Tasman Sea.
You see, last Sunday's game was so good I decided in my head to compare it with the 'previous best' game I'd seen in the last few years. My mind immediately went back to that sleepy Saturday night in Hong Kong last October when the All Blacks, having scored three good Bledisloe Cup wins over the Wallabies in the previous three months, were stunningly beaten by a last minute try as the Wallabies pulled off a 26-24 shock win, against a New Zealand team, again with Richie as captain.
The facts are: in both those great rugby occasions Australia and the Reds both lasted the distance better than our guys, they did not make mistakes and misjudgments at the end, and their focus on winning lasted longer than our blokes did - and the New Zealand guys conceded the game in the very last minutes of the action.
So we must ask - are we suddenly seeing the start of a trend? Are our top players consistently losing the really big games now? Or is it too early to say? Are we going to bang our heads against a wall every time a referee upsets us?
Of course it probably is too soon to say. But as every Australian tells us, our All Blacks are chokers. Also, are we are going to suffer again when the Rugby World Cup is played in our own backyard in a few months' time. These last two high-speed losses in great games, with a referee involved in the final decision are, at best, unsettling.
Don't you think?
Read more Keith Quinn opinion.
What did you make of the Super Rugby match between the Reds and the Crusaders? Or what did you make of Stuart Dickinson's performance? Comment below.
Add a Comment:
Post new commentioneeye said on 2011-05-31 @ 17:06 NZDT: Report abusive post
Keith Quinn always has a backward remark about McCaw. Dickson erred badly as it was neither a ruck or a maul, McCaw was not as dumb as Quinns remark, overall Dickson had a very bad one sides game. Dickson has been very bad all the season so far and should be permanently replaced. McCaw 8 out of 10 is 100% correct moreso than most of Referees, there are bigger infringers in Australia and S.A and yet they continually get away with foul play with the Referees. Most are biased.
Maccer said on 2011-05-31 @ 09:05 NZDT: Report abusive post
I say change the colour of your jersey and all will be healed!
Jock Hubris said on 2011-05-30 @ 22:01 NZDT: Report abusive post
I felt McCaw was within his rights to go for the ball but those situations are a lottery so if Dickenson saw it differently, fair enough. What did bother me, however, was the knock on by Ioane and the forward pass that led to the Reds' inside centre's try. You could live with one of those errors but two was fatal. And speaking of that try, am I the only one to notice it came after a hugely crooked throw? Their lock ran 2m past the Crusaders' lineout tail to take the long throw! Check the vid.
cloudy said on 2011-05-30 @ 18:34 NZDT: Report abusive post
It was a disgusting performance by a referee of his calibre, this is school-boy stuff, not allowed at this level. It is a joke that players bust their guts on the rugby field week in week out, they deserve better at this level.
rugby purist said on 2011-05-30 @ 17:03 NZDT: Report abusive post
Dickinson is inept and should be relegated to Junior rugby even though I'll feel sorry for them. Richie competed for the ball fairly but was not rewarded. How can 1 person over the ball be a ruck? Unbelievable!