Refs in the Spotlight - Rugby Breaking Down

It seems this has been a weekend for the refs to standout from the players. After having just watched the Bulls lose to the Blues, I cannot understand where this game is headed. The breakdown is one big sloopy mess; the point of the ELVs were to encourage more attacking play and provide us with more ball in play. Now you want to stay as far away from taking the ball into contact as possible. An example was the Bulls going to attack. Olivier took it into contact and passed the ball backwards through his legs. A retreating Blues play falls back over the ruck and tries to steal the ball; the Bulls were penalised! This happened throughout that second half, mystery calls for now good reason that completely disrupted play. Then there is the Cheetahs game where the ref was on a mission in the final 20 minutes. Honestly, this is becoming a sick joke.

 I feel your pain Aristokrat - I want a team to win the game and not the ref for them. I feel robbed!

Case in point, the last scrum for the Cheetahs vs Brumbies - you already knew the ref was going to give a penalty even before they packed down! Disgusting/shameful/aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggg!

 and I am a Blues fan - unfortunately have not watched the game yet, will do it when I return from work!

...sitting bull listen...hear same song ...see dogs gnawing on same bone even though no meat left on bone...young buck Anscombe new rising star and deserve much credit....dozy bulls need to sharpen horns as Mighty Chiefs on warpath...

..blues fan who feel robbed for enemy team not blues fan at all but shapeshifter...ask any woodpecker ...sitting bull know shapeshifter is of many faces and storm in teacup supporter that speaks with many forked tongues... 

sitting bull, I am an All Blacks  die hard fan and a die hard Auckland Blues fan but I also know  good rugby when I see it! I have been blogging on this site for a very long time! I also blog on www.allblacks.com using the same name!

I'm not much of an Aussie Team fan but did admire how the Reds played running rugby last year to win the S15 although depressed when they beat the Crusaders (another NZ Team).

 Aristocrat, now that I have watched the game, even though my Team won, I thought Steve Walsh was good in that he laid down the law early! IMO he was more tough on the Blues than the Bulls - it was unfortunate that the Bulls only scored one try during Ali William's absence instead of two as per TMO call!

Morne missed alot of kickable penalties and the Bulls only decided to play the rugby they were known for the last 2minutes of the 2nd Half when Basson scored! This is my opinion!

IMO I was irritated more with the shambles in Canberra - maybe because I have always hated the Brumbies! I do admire the way the Cheetahs are playing running rugby come hell or high water!

..sitting bull know crusaders are nz team so very strange thing to say to another kiwi - Die hard Blues fans would be heaping praise on their team not sounding apologetic or making excuses for Bulls or ref - Die hard Blues fan would give credit where credit due and mention perhaps Gareth Anscombe's dream game  or breaking of a long drought against Bulls but strangely absent - 56 posts not very very long time at all really is it? - sitting bull also struggle to find any mention of Blues til now in any previous posts...seem very fluent discussing SA rugby though....sitting bull having trouble suspending disbelief as monumental win for Blues given underwheming response, enthusiasm. poor summation ,analysis, and knowledge of team lacking .... posting times also suspect for Aucklander suggesting otherwise - Chief sitting bull  probably wrong but shapeshifter posts and writing style reminds sitting bull of certain Storm supporter whose name sounds like Denny and if that's the case there's a bit of a dichotomy looming  this week as the Bues meet Stormers..

 sitting bull spending too much time smoking own peace pipe

..they say where there's smoke there's fire so...if you want to carry on with charade and sound credible try not to use same phrases and writing style as Denny ,then do a bit more research on the team you pretend to support and you might sound a bit more believable..i would really love for you to prove me wrong and convince me your a kiwi ..but you keep posting about aussie teams and SA teams which someone from Auckland would'nt know about...you seemed embarrassed by the fact Auckland won so i will remain a skeptic until you prove otherwise ...

Sitting Bull

Upto now I've quite enjoyed your writing style and sense of humour, however, I don't enjoy the manner in which you've bandied my name around made worse by the fact you're hopelessly wrong by associating it with another poster. Please don't speculate for you're only making a fool of yourself, instead get your facts right, and oh by the way for what it's worth  I'm much less of a Stormer supporter than what you make me out to be.

Just trying to clear your confusion, no harm done....hope your sqwaus and ponies are all accounted for.

 Chief sitting bull smells something fishy -  henrynz09 another fictional kiwi me thinks but sitting bull listen to wind and watch sky ...

atlas1: (yesterday) Don't like or follow League much...big on Union....Stormers and the Boks

Well fine...believe whatever you want, that's your prerogative but I reiterate you are making a fool of yourself by associating me with another poster. I can assure you that the vast majority of posts are read by the Moderators of this site and it's an insult to them if posters are using a dual nick. I don't care whether henry09 is a fictional Kiwi, it sounds like more speculation on your behalf and whether he is or isn't  he does no damage to you or anyone else. If you persist in bandying my name around based on a false allegation then I'm afraid you will lose all credibility with me and the posters who personally know me. I rest my case.

Sitting bull you are on the wrong track here whatever the case Denny does not operate in that way.

 Sitting bull smelling something fishy - maybe sitting bull standing in the horse _ _ _ _ coming out of his mouth!

 Sitting Bull, as Denny has said, up until now I have enjoyed your style of writing and then BANG all of a sudden you just went off on a tangent after me ( I find it flattering in a way that you find me so knowledgeable about SA rugby and Aussie rugby - most of the things I have said anyone can find on any rugby site and copy and paste) and lost your creativity - you remind me of a certain NZFirst/Raging Bok/BigBull that was kicked off the www.allblacks.com site several times for similar inquisitional / bullying tactics! I would stick to the rugby and not make it personal!

The reason I am not here rubbing it in when the Blues won is because I have respect that this is a Saffer Site - It is simply bad manners and lacks attiquette and grace! I will however make what I believe are valid points where I see fit!

What am I doing here? This is a site for people who are passionate about their rugby and there is noone more passionate than the the Boks, the Kiwis and the Islanders about their rugby. I am an islander Sitting Bull - do you have something against that?

..kia ora ana Talofa Fakalofalahi atu ,Bula Venaka can you speak any language other than english? What part of Auckland are you from ? Korero mai..

 Sitting Bull, whoa, slow down, what about dinner and dance first? This is only our first date!

 and Sitting Bull, if you had been following the Blues closely, you would have noticed that one win does not make a season! In case if you haven't noticed, the Blues are in trouble - we lost the first 2 games, against the Saders, Daggs was definitely offside to charge down what could have been Weepu's match winning drop goal, against the Chiefs, we were simply ambushed and sent on our way with our tails between our legs - NOW Kaino is injured, Wulf is injured, Weepu cannot last a full game due to unfitness, Nonu needs more game time, Hobbs is back in NZ  with his critically ill father, Ranger has just been banned for 2weeks, even our coach Lam is rumoured to be moving to Bath if the players don't perform - this is not the time to be counting our chickens. Sure Ancombe did well, but he was humble even to say that the 2 experienced players on either side of him, namely Weepu and Nonu helped him immensely - "they were good communicators". 

 and by the way, I can speak in all the languages you just spoke via google translate! and it is bula vinaka not bula venaka - get it right! What about you Sitting Bull? Where are you from - are you coloured like me or are you are white redneck from NZ?

....Talofa , Malolelei not sure which one you prefer  ....First mistake,  echoing Denny's comments again kinda ironic ...Second mistake,  Never heard anyone say "i'm an islander"-  you're either Samoan, Tongan,or whatever and totally proud of it - islanders don't say i'm an islander thats just a dead give away sorry ...Third mistake islanders never ever totally unheard of to describe themselves as 'coloured'...boy some hole you're digging and i am enjoying this immensely...Fourth mistake , needing google to translate your mother tongue...Bit like me trying to pass myself off as a zulu warrior  in south africa so far...LMAO then you say the Blues won but i don't want to say anything that hurts South Africans feelings ? PALEEAZE ....mate if you're a Blues fan you need to grow some cahunas..

 Denny if you are there LOL I don't know what it is you have put into sitting bull's peace pipe but I think he has completely flipped/gone with fairies!

Then then, he probably will be thinking that I am talking to myself - Poor you Denny - this is NOT my fault hahahahahahaha - Denny you are good man! I appologise for any inconvinience!

Quite frankly, I think he's a nutter.  I used to enjoy his post but for some strange reason he's gone off at a tangent and I no longer find him funny. There's no need for you to apologize, you've done no wrong. I'll ignore the loony....no point in doing anything else until he recovers.

Methinks Chief Shitting Bull has put too much of the devil's lettuce in his peace pipe!!

...puppet to master.. what do i do now i'm busted ? lol ... Kiwis are'nt something you can just make up when the recruitment drive fails. Lets face it , theres no Kiwis here otherwise they'd stick out with their parochial comments. Mate i'm from South Auckland, born and bred so i can spot an Aucklander a mile off. Without the cultural capital you will be hopelessly exposed - The deal breaker was when you said you were coloured because only South Africans use the word coloured - not part of our vernacular unfortunately...

puppet to master - I thought that was my line! You seem fixated with me sitting bull - maybe because I helped kick you off the www.allblacks.com site for your similar personal attacks under the name of NZFirst/Raging BOK/Big Bull! And now you are trolling on a safer site! If you had been here long enough you would have known I have been blogging here since the old format!

Not all Auckland fans live in Auckland or in NZ or are even Kiwis for that matter!

I will leave you to stew in your own venom and bizarre thought patterns NZFirst/Raging Bok/Big Bull and now sitting Bully! 

,,your line is, ..be afraid , be very afraid - remember ?

atlas1: (yesterday) Yep, they got rid of the Clown. Be afraid...be very afraid, there'll be no pissing around with Meyer in charge

....big relief to hear you're not masquerading as a Kiwi but to say your an islander and use the term 'coloured' must make you a South African that in yr words is a die hard All Black supporter - very strange animal sitting bull not seen or heard of before but read about in fiction novel .. havnt registered at All Black site not confrontational enough for me but Kiwis would'nt use Bok in their name for obvious reasons anyway .. can understand you having problems there cause some kiwis hate south africans with a passion so what were you saying to wind the kiwis up? seems strange though being attacked if you're a die hard All Black supporter ...sounds like you've got one foot in each camp perhaps... and if you are standing in the middle of the road you're bound to get run over

 you are having a nervous breakdown sitting bull - go sit in your tepee and let sitting cow bring you some water to wash your face!

....sitting bull get tracking skills from Sitting Bull...sitting bull see you not from my tribe so...sitting bull go light fire somewhere else now...

 no sitting bul, I'm not from the South Auckland Nazi Chapter!

....ahh showing your lack of knowledge of Auckland again - sitting bull fully patched member of Black Power -- haha you slipping again ...accusing sitting bull of racism remind sitting bull of this guy..

atlas1: U seem to have issues with Oz...best if you remove the chip and have a look at NZ instead. What exactly in your opinion is an Ozzie...fair skinned and blue eyed?

 so you don't have a job and you are on the dole! As for me, I don't have any gang affiliation - I don't think I am that tough but it seems that you are!

..sitting bull had job at Buffalo Bills Wild West Show but people hissed at sitting bull so sitting bull turn detective and uncover bogus Blues supporters now instead..

 that is actually funny RB/BB/NZFirst/Sitting Bull, you being a detective and all - do you actually know my PSI?

.... go on then, tell sitting bull how many pounds per square inch.. - u getting flattened by sitting bull like big wind bag  haha

Aristokrat, about the matter of the refs, here is an article by Morne pre season - I wished the NZRU would take note.

Ref’s getting down and dirty

January 31, 2012

Posted by Morné

Referee’s for once found themselves on the other side of the whistle as they tried to get a better understanding of the intricacies of scrumming.

South Africa’s top referees scrummed against each and were given master classes from top coaches as part of a recently completed four-day training camp prior to the start of the 2012 rugby season.

Former Springbok prop Balie Swart had SA’s top whistlers packing down to demystify the intricacies of scrumming while Rassie Erasmus and Rudolph Straeuli took referees through examples of their pre-match analysis. They also put the match officials through the same training drills used by many of the teams.

“Feedback from those attending – and it included referees with Rugby World Cup experience – was that the pre-season camp was one of the best of its kind they had yet experienced,” said South African Rugby Union general manager of referees André Watson.

“In addition to the technical Law reviews and input from experienced coaches, they also underwent fitness testing, completed the updated BokSmart programme, participated in a motivational/self-analysis presentation and wrote the National Laws Exam.

“I’m confident that our Super and National Panel referees are now well prepared for the season and I’m personally looking forward to the first blast of the whistle on opening day.”

Material covered at the SA Referees’ Camp at Konka included the outcomes of a recent SANZAR workshop.

“We’re committed to ensuring uniform application of the Laws across all of the rugby competitions in which we officiate,” said Watson. “We met in Sydney with our SANZAR partners in the middle of January and agreed on protocols for the coming season.

“While there are no Law changes to be implemented, it was a platform to review the highs and lows of last year and agree on common expectations for the coming year.”

The so-called ‘Big Five’ – tackle, scrum, offside, ruck, and maul – remain the priority areas as in previous years but with additional emphasis on the following points:

Scrum

• Alignment – front rows must be in a position to interlock on engagement; there must be no touching of heads.
• Early engagement – both teams must start the engagement process simultaneously on the referee’s call.
• Engagement angles – front rows must push straight and parallel to the touchlines; loose-head props must not ‘walk’ the scrum around the tight-head.
• Binding – front rankers must bind on their opponent in the appropriate manner; no hands on the ground for support.
• Post-engagement infringements – illegal wheeling on purpose, so-called ‘whip wheeling’ and not pushing straight and parallel to the touchline are all actions to be penalised.

Tackle

• The tackler must release and clear away after the tackler.
• The tackler-assist must release in a clear and obvious manner before going for the ball.
• Arriving players must not go past the ball into an offside position and try to obstruct the opposition going for the ball.
• Players must respect the offside lines at the ruck and maul (the hindmost foot of their player in the ruck or maul).
• Arriving players not attempting to clean-out the opposition must demonstrate positive actions to stay on their feet.
• A player who uses correct technique but ends up off his feet after removing a threat is not penalised.

Assistant Referees at Vodacom Super Rugby level will also be called on to take a more involved approach to the game without becoming an interference or hindrance to the referee. This will involve greater monitoring of offside lines at the ruck and maul and infringements close to the touchline where the referee may be unsighted.