Newsgroups: rec.sport.rugby
Subject: NZ beats Oz 26-23. Tour comments.
From: wft@math.canterbury.ac.nz (Bill Taylor)
Date: 27 Jul 92 11:42:30 +1200
Distribution: world
Organization: Department of Mathematics, University of Canterbury

Well there it is. I'm pleased NZ won, but I'm not going to go back on my
view that the result is meaningless. Sure, I suppose it's good for AB team
morale for the coming SA tour leg. And, yes, we won't have to put up with so
much trumpeting from the Oz posters as otherwise. [Big plus!  :-)  ]

But it was still a silly game. Fun to watch, though, (apart from the masses
of silly mistakes).  And, being a silly game, of course it had to end in a 
silly way. Bunce clearly scored in the corner before hitting the flag, with 
3 minutes to go (and then the Oz try immediately following was from a forward 
pass, but for once the officials perhaps can't be blamed; no way could they have 
been up there to see).  Still, the Bunce non-try was another shocker, once again NZ were robbed. Shoulda been 33-16 (or 33-23), but what does the margin matter 
in such a game ? Actually, the final score was perhaps a fair reflection.

Come to think of it, it wasn't really the ref's fault. For once he did a fair,
if still flaky, job. The mistakes were about evenly awarded. The Bunce 
non-try was clearly down to the linesman, another Green-&-gold socks man, as 
in the dreadful Queensland "try". Isn't it time we had neutral linesmen in
internationals too ? They can have far too big an effect on the game, and
(as the Oz press insist), justice must be seen to be done.

And here's another suggestion. I'm not really hot about it; but it might be
an idea for the ref to have immediate access to action-replay footage, at
least for try-scoring decisions. We clearly wouldn't want it for all phases
of play, American-football style. Rugby doesn't lend itself to this, as does
gridiron (with its staccato action). But as play stops anyway for a try, and
usually also for a high-speed near-try in the corner, it wouldn't really slow 
things up to use it for try/nontry decisions.
Anyway, just a thought. Anything to improve reffing must be a help to any game.


The Oz press must be wildly disappointed that Loe had an exemplary game [unless
an affectionate bear-hug on an oppo man in a maul could be considered unmanly
and likely to bring disrepute to the game  ;-)  ].  And I bet they don't show
the scene of Coker thumping the shit out of Fitzpatrick; on Oz TV !  And 
while we're speaking of awful NZ rough play, how about the DREADFUL way
Fitzy stood up in a tackle, thus provoking Scott-Young into mistackling him
so that he knocked himself silly and had to leave the field. This *terrible*
rough play by the AB's has simply GOT to stop; calling the game "physical"
is just no excuse.... 

Interesting to see though, that NZ clearly has not yet had enough experience 
at cheating. When Brooke was given some lifting help in a lineout, he clearly
wasn't used to descending from such heights, and wrecked his ankle landing.


Oh well; just kidding (mainly).

For what it's worth (IMHO nothing), the three tests finished up with equal 
points scored and equal tries scored. Some sort of record for the stats-men.

So, the series ends with Australia (still world champs till '95), now still
(I mean *at last*) holding the Bledisloe cup till '93. Well done  Oz,
congratulations again. You showed terrific spirit and a mostly impeccable
attitude to the game. Both teams deserve credit for putting on some
entertaining shows, if far from faultless ones.

It still amazes me that some posters can be so partizan as to insist that
Oz are still far-and-away-the-best team around. Surely any neutral observer
watching those tests would *have* to say that the two teams are of an amazingly
equal ability; virtually inseparable. And (hopefully) the two best in the
world by far. 
In general, the commitment and fitness level was about the same. Equally many
mistakes were made. The forward battles were ground out to about even; lineouts
were shared. Foxy and Lynagh pretty much split kicking honours (as always!),
both tactically and at goal.  NZ may have had a slight edge on the wings, and 
a touch in midfield, but this was cancelled by the definite Oz superiority at 
halfback. Truly, Farr-Jones is a gold mine.   His captaincy is marvellous,
especially the way he gets away with chatting up the ref (as I was insisting
captains *should* do, earlier). And now that he is putting the ball into the
scrum on time, I don't think there's a fault to his game. I love the way he
refuses to take any shit from anyone. His whole attitude is terrific; it will 
be a big loss when this marvellous competitor finally leaves the game.

----------------------. So we lose the series, but I hardly think we can be 
                      | called the worse team. As stated above, the games
          \           | suggest to me a virtual equality. I can think of no
           \          | other sport where the two best are so similar, both
           \\         | in style and ability.
            \\        | 
             )`--')   | Best wishes to both teams, as they travel on to
            <  o /    | give a hiding (please, on my knees,) to those
             `\  /    | Syooth Efrikohns; still in their own eyes, no doubt,
              / /     | unofficial world champions (what a laugh!)
         /_,, ~~      | 
        /   )         |=======================================================
        |  /          |
       /  _>    <-------- Bill Taylor         wft@math.canterbury.ac.nz
      /  /            |
     /   |            |=======================================================  
    |    /            |
    \___/             |Of COURSE you're entitled to your own opinions,   
      o               |            just keep them to yourself.
                      |=======================================================


Newsgroups: rec.sport.rugby