Jonathan Kaplan
Retired South African referee Jonathan Kaplan says the Crusaders can feel hard done by after a late penalty cost them the Super Rugby title.
The Waratahs beat the Crusaders 33-32 in the Super Rugby final in Sydney last Saturday courtesy of a late penalty by flyhalf Bernard Foley.
The Crusaders looked headed for their eighth Super Rugby crown when flyhalf Colin Slade put them in front with a penalty in the 76th minute.
Sport24
But the never-say-die Waratahs fought their way into the Crusaders’ half and earned their winning kick at goal when All Black skipper Richie McCaw was penalised in a maul.
Foley’s kick just cleared the crossbar to put the Waratahs back in front in the final minute, much to the delight of the record crowd for a Super Rugby final of 61 823.
However, Kaplan feels the wrong decision was made by SA referee Craig Joubert.
He commented on the decision via his website, www.ratetheref.co.za:
“Towards the end of the fixture he (Joubert) penalised the Crusaders for side entry, as the player involved was not the tackler. The pundits on SuperSport (Nick Mallett in particular) were keen to point out the ruck before hand, one of the ‘Tahs had helped the ball back with his hands at a ruck. While this may be true, the laws around this facet are so complex, and referees do not apply all of them consistently. In addition one has to ask whether the contest for possession was over?
“This type of thing happens partly as a result of the laws and partly as a result of the fact that they do not have a dedicated coach to ensure consistency. There are many laws which are written in the same ink as others which we KNOWINGLY choose not to apply. This has been done for years.
“That passage of play was messy, and I always say, that unless the penalty is clear and obvious, the players and not the referee should decide the outcome. The final penalty against the Crusaders was also incorrect as there was no tackle! This was indeed a very disappointing end to a very well refereed match, and the Crusaders would have reason to feel a little hard done by…”
Come on Kaplan… why not in the same breath mention that the 1 Crusaders try was also not a try!
The right team won on the day!
@ grootblousmile:
“The work of the TMOs was a borderline disaster until the latter stages of the competition, but there was also an incident once again in the final where it appeared as if Nadolos foot touches the line on his way to scoring the Crusaders second try.”
I have read the full article and the News 24 article takes one paragraph and makes it look like Kaplan is criticising Joubert, but on the contrary, he commends Joubert, having some sympathy for him because of the laws and coaching, and has huge dip at the standard of reffing in SR in general, and was even more scathing of the TMO’s this year.
2 @ Lion4ever:
The try I was referring to in Comment No 1 was exactly that one, Nemani Nadolo’s try… which should not have been one, his foot was out.
@ grootblousmile:
I missed the game so can’t really comment, but from Kaplan’s remarks he enjoyed the way Joubert reffed the game. Although he points out some mistakes, he is very sympathetic to Joubert. But he has also said what we have all been saying this season. That the standard of reffing was lousy, and that the TMO’s need to up their games somewhat. It was actually quite a good article.
Here is his full article. I received it Monday morning, but couldn’t put it up in an article because RT was still off.
So now it’s already been reported on, but for those who want to read the full piece…..
The super Rugby competition is a thing of the past and congratulations go out to the winning Tahs outfit . For me at least it was patently obvious that they were one of the best coached teams in the tournament . I managed to referee them a couple of times in my last year and could already see the stamp Michael Cheika put on them . His assistants Nathan Grey and Daryl Gibson were equally worthy of mention and did a great job in their respective domains getting the backs to function brilliantly and create many opportunities and the defence to understand their roles and structures and what they needed to do to win . Critically though , I believe their culture seemed to have changed . There is a lot more positive energy flowing and they are playing a beautiful quality of football which they were always trying to over the years , but not quite getting right .
The Crusaders .. Well they are the Crusaders ! Many have tried to match their style and their culture but few have succeeded . They are the most intelligent of outfits and play the best winning rugby . They are a very resilient bunch who pride themselves on the quality of their game in general but also on the intimate detail of their game planning and match day work ethic . They have outstanding individuals who play very well as a team . Todd Blackadder is a top bloke and also deserving of his success .
The final was one of the best in many years ! It was an excellent advert for the modern game , and could have gone either way . The Crusaders were so determined , so primed for this fixture and almost managed to come back from conceding many early points . In the end they were denied by a Bernard Foley penalty which snuck over the crossbar to seal the deal . I thought the referee on the day was superb , his consistency and application outstanding . There can be little doubt that the ruck preceding there was hands in by the Tahs ( they had already won possession .. The contest was over ), but as I have said many times , there is very little consistency in application of the myriad of rugby laws as they do not have a coach ! As a refereeing friend of mine commented , the right team got up , but that passage resulting in the penalty was inaccurate .
The Tahs were the best attacking team in Super Rugby and I am so happy that their efforts were rewarded as often defence prevails . Theirs is not the worst though , but they used the ball so magnificently , had weapons cross the park , and crucially were not afraid to use them . Congrats to all concerned especially the players , who transformed themselves into a team that not only played winning rugby but knew how to do it in a manner which was easy on the eye .
Of our teams … Not much to say here . The Stormers were equipped to do a whole lot better than they have . They continually disappoint with he quality of players that they have at their disposal and are missing a few vital tricks which would help them to be more consistent . The Bulls are in transition but didn’t do too badly . They don’t know how to win away from home and that is not good enough if they want to be contenders . Big ups to Frans Ludeke who became the most capped super rugby coach of all time ., an absolute gentleman of the game ! The Lions were superb under Warren Whiteley and delivered on their promise to be competitive . They were never going to trouble the big guns and have some way to go but can be proud of their season where no one gave them much chance . The cheetahs were very poor . I don’t know why they underperformed as badly as they did , and it certainly wasn’t on Nakas mind when he announced that he had the strongest ever team at his disposal prior to the start of the season . Their defence was really poor barring a few games .. They have a small budget and it does take some time for them to bring quality into their union but I hope they manage to do so .. And soon . The Sharks were leading the log for much of the competition but I always felt that they were not quite up to it . They were definitely SA strongest outfit but some way behind some of the others in respect of their general performance . I can’t remember how many games they actually delivered a full 80 of top rugby . They have an outstanding coach and very influential players but is their game good enough to win the Super crown .. I doubt it .
The TMOs were abysmal this year . Really the poorest showing I can remember in all my years of involvement at this level . Their interactions with the referees and visa versa was poorly thought out and they never really hit the money until late on in the tourney when there was a notable improvement . The refs too were very average . So many were dropped mid season and others were so inconsistent . They desperately are in need of a good quality coach and some new ideas . The best newcomer was undoubtedly Marius vd Westhuizen , and I thought Glen Jackson had a good tournament . Otherwise I don’t see a hell of a lot coming through which inspires me with too much confidence .. We need 10 referees who can deliver quality performances week in and well out . We are some way off that . In global terms … It’s a disgrace .
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