SANZAR
I have no idea what SANZAR thought they were doing when they appointed Bryce Lawrence to the match between the Reds and the Crusaders at the weekend. Maybe they had taken a blow too many to the head. But the officiating of this game was an accident waiting to happen.
The Big 5 priorities have once against been summarised after ten weeks of Super Rugby, and the indication is that the shape of the game looks sound according to SANZAR Game Manager Lyndon Bray.
Maintaining the momentum around agreed scrum outcomes and keeping the time and space around the field ensures that we maintain a focus on attack.
Herewith a general review of the judicial affairs of the 10th week of Super Rugby 2012, with three White Card incidents which led to two citings, while there were no off-field yellows or red cards shown.
Summary of the disciplinary cards shown:
Adam Byrnes, the Melbourne Rebels bearded delinquent was fined an effective AUD 7 500.00 for his verbal attacks on Tom Carter. The amount consist of a fine of AUD 5 000.00 as well as SANZAR costs of AUD 2 500.00.
A SANZAR Misconduct Hearing for Melbourne Rebels player Adam Byrnes has been held in front of Judicial Officer Nigel Hampton QC.
Mr Hampton QC took original submissions at a hearing on 10 April and requested further written submissions from both SANZAR and Mr Byrnes.
Following consideration of these submissions, Mr Hampton QC resumed the substantive hearing on the 19 April 2012.
Today Mr Hampton QC issued his written judgements on the case in which he reported:
The SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Mike Heron has accepted a guilty plea from Butch James of the Lions for contravening Law 10.4 (h) A player must not charge into a ruck or maul. Charging includes any contact made without use of the arms, or without grasping that player, after he was Cited during a Super Rugby Match at the Weekend. James charged into a ruck near the Brumbies Goal Line and made contact with Brumbies player Scott Fardy after a penalty had been blown to the Lions.
To say that the new White Card system in Super Rugby is a disputatious issue, would be stating the obvious. However, SANZAR boss Greg Peters feels the trial is serving its purpose.
SANZAR CEO Greg Peters has again ruled out the possibility of South Africa having their wish to field six Super Rugby teams in the near future.
Sharks prop Jannie du Plessis has been issued an off-field yellow card for his open-handed slap to the face of Hurricanes loose forward Carl Lowe during yesterday’s game.
The South African Rugby Union has written to its Sanzar partners, Australia and New Zealand, requesting a re-scheduling of a planned presentation on an expansion of Super Rugby to 16 teams in 2013.
Some interesting snippets from various other rugby websites
Melbourne Rebels lock Adam Byrnes has been slapped with a 10 week ban from playing Super Rugby after he was found guilty of eye gouging.
Bulls scrum half, Francois Hougaard, has been suspended from all rugby for one week after receiving a RED CARD in the game against the Cheetahs for a tip-tackle on Robert Ebersohn.
Stormers (6) 15 / Sharks (9) 12 (Final Score)
The DHL Stormers and the Sharks did battle in Super Rugby at Newlands, Cape Town at 19:10 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Cheetahs (12) 19 / Bulls (31) 51 (Final Score)
The Toyota Cheetahs and Vodacom Bulls did battle in Super Rugby at Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 17:05 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Reds (23) 35 / Force (6) 20 (Final Score)
The Reds and Western Force did battle in Super Rugby at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane at 10:40 SA Time (19:40 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Highlanders (20) 27 / Crusaders (10) 24 (Final Score)
The Highlanders and Crusaders did battle in Super Rugby at the Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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SANZAR have released the match officials for the second Round in the 2012 Super Rugby tournament and Keith Brown starts the action on Friday and Mark Lawrence brings it to a close.
This weekend has seven matches with three on Friday and four on Saturday. This weekend the Brumbies have the bye.
There would have been much head shaking by those in the North, as the Crusaders and Highlanders recorded opening wins in the New Zealand Conference, and while the losers hardly shamed themselves – it is easy to see how the patient and uncompromising rugby of the South eventually subjugated their rivals.
Every season we muse over the potential changing of the guard, and of all the giants in Super Rugby many would have predicted that the Overlords of the game in the Republic – the Bulls – would have been a team that could have been excused for a season of rebuilding.
One could argue that the one coach who should be most sated after round one of Super Rugby was Michael Foley, who watched his Waratahs come within the brink of upsetting the defending champions – and finally ensure a NSW season begins with the amount of hype and expectation attached to Australia’s most prolific rugby state.
Brumbies hold on for victory against Western Force
Patient Crusaders hold off dangerous Blues
Following today’s metting between SARU and the “Big Five” SA Super Rugby Franchises, SARU released the following:
Representatives of the South African Vodacom Super Rugby franchises will accompany the delegates of the South African Rugby Union (SARU) to present a case for competition expansion in 2013 to SANZAR partners next month.
The South African Rugby Union’s head honchos will come face-to-face with the ‘big five’ at a crucial meeting in Johannesburg on Thursday.
The SARU delegation, headed by CEO Jurie Roux, will meet with officials of the five current SA franchises – Lions, Bulls, Cheetahs, Sharks and Stormers.
The Lions held a media conference to launch their Super Rugby campaign this afternoon, where the team to face the Cheetahs at Coca-Cola Park on Saturday was announced.
Kick Off is at 19h10 local time.
Although we have seven games and only the Melbourne Rebels have a bye, my personal three Big games involve the top teams of each Conference. Crusaders vs Blues, Bulls vs Sharks and Waratahs vs Reds. Continue reading
Picked up this piece on the net at a website called sportbilly.co.za
The man is some kind of biased New Zealand supporter of sorts… and obviously oblivious of what is really happening here in South Africa at present.
This Article of course does not necessarily reflect my own views or that of Rugby-Talk, but at least someone was willing to nail his beliefs to the wall!
Here it is:
Super Rugby previews are more numerous than Whitney Houston tributes at the moment. In both cases time is wasted. There seems to be a reluctance amongst sports writers in general to spare one’s balls from the impending pain and climb down off the fence. So lets now seperate the poop from the champagne when it comes to the teams.
I am not going to bore you with in depth analysis of the no-hopers. I’m looking at potential champions here. To win this thing you have got to finish top of your conference. Bottom line. The ‘extended playoff’ scenario gives the ‘also rans’ a cruel illusion of hope but their chances remain slimmer than a Somalian hunger striker.
Here is how I see it.
Before The Rugby Championship kicks off in August, the All Blacks and Wallabies will entertain Ireland and Wales respectively, in the June International test window that will take place between round 15 and 16 of the 2012 Super Rugby season.
The Pumas this year become the fourth team in what used to be the Tri Nations. Michael Burgess visited Argentina and found nervous rugby people who know they face difficult times but believe they will do better than Italy entering the Six Nations.
The New Zealand television audience has the most potential for growth based on numbers last season in Super Rugby, and local officials and SANZAR chief executive Greg Peters said a brilliant Rugby World Cup last year could provide impetus for some increased viewing.
The chance to tap into the massive economies and population of North America and Asia, primarily US and Japanese markets, is something SANZAR will explore, with the former American broadcasting landscape boggling the mind with astronomical numbers.
It is a simple edict – aim to have at least 70 percent of ball available out of the ruck within three seconds – and this will be one of the crucial areas where referees will turn their attention to in the 2012 Super Rugby season.
Every Super Rugby team has its SANZAR judicial atrocity story, writes Rugby Heaven’s Greg Growden.
South Africa’s five Super Rugby franchises have threatened to boycott the 2013 Super Rugby season if any of the current five teams are excluded from the competition.
The referees for the first 6 weeks of Super Rugby in 2012 has been announced by SANZAR.
Some interesting appointments indeed.
Let the games begin!
Here’s a Schedule as well as the official Statement, as received via Media Release.