From: slang@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: rec.sport.rugby
Subject: Re: lineout lifting
Date: 27 Jul 92 13:18:49 +1200
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

In article <1992Jul25.094251.13525@cs.aukuni.ac.nz>, awil2@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (Andrew James        Willmott       ) writes:
> First of all I would like to make it clear that in my opinion Richard Loe
> should have been suspended for a match. I've been unhappy since the World XV
> games about the increasing level of violence in the AB's play. I think that
> perhaps the coaches are confusing personal aggression with team aggression.
> Many incidents have been blown up out of all proportion by the Australian
> media, however, and I wonder if the NZRU's refusal to discipline Loe isn't
> due to their crying wolf once too often.

I'm afraid I'd have to agree with you here.

> Now for the controversial bit. I would have to say that the last test series
> has contained the most consistent cheating by a side in a sport that I've ever
> seen. Almost every Australian lineout off their own throw has been won by
> having two forwards lift Rod McCall metres into the air to take the ball. The
> huge lineout advantage this gave the Australians in the first couple of tests
> lead to their winning tactics. These involved punting the ball down into the
> NZ 22 whenever in their own half, knowing that when the AB's put it out, they
> would be certain to get possession back. The resulting territorial advantage
> was huge.

[lots of neat stuff about cheating deleted.]

Once again, I'm afraid I'd have to agree with you. What pisses me off, is that
in such an obvious situation as it was, it took the AB's close to three weeks
to either 1) work out what the Aussies were doing in the line-outs, or 2) work
out that they too can get away with it! I hate to say it, but shit I was pleased
to see the AB's start lifting (and getting away with it) in the third test,
'cause Oz was starting to make them look stupid! I deplore losing lots of
posession due to cheating only slightly more than our team being forced to
cheat as well just to even things up. Normally it would only take the AB's 1/4
of a game to work something like that out, and start cheating too. It seems to
be the way the game is played these days.
 
> About the game today; I would have been stoked if Australia had been able to
> draw the game. A clear AB try in the corner was ruled out by the touch judge,
> and a couple of minutes later the Australians scored after two passes that
> were forward by three or four feet! We're not talking line balls here!
> Undoubtably this was incompetence rather than bias - previously the Aussies had
> a promising attacking move snuffed out when they were called for a forward pass.
> Replays showed it travelled about a metre backwards!

Yeah, that last try was really a 14 pointer after Timu's (I think it was Timu)
try was disallowed. What nationality was the touch judge? Was it his decision?

> Sheesh! The standard of refereeing in this series has been abysmal. I would
> have preferred Sandy MacNeil for the last two matches, any day!

I haven't liked the standard of reffing either, but I think it would have been a
lot better if both teams (mainly ours) didn't make so many damn stupid mistakes!
Clive Norling, where are you? Come back, PLEASE!

-- 
	   Drink is the curse		Steve Lang
	of the working class man	Systems Programmer Analyst
	Work is the curse of the	University of Waikato
	   Drinking class man		Hamilton
					NEW ZEALAND
					<slang@waikato.ac.nz>
					Ph	+64-7-856 2889 Ext 8341
					Fax	+64-7-838 4066

I am not responsible for my employers opinion (thank heavens,) and neither are
they for mine.
Newsgroups: rec.sport.rugby