Referee Paul Williams speaks to Highlanders halfback Aaron Smith. Photo / Photosport
Referee Paul Williams speaks to Highlanders halfback Aaron Smith. Photo / Photosport
OPINION:
An observation....
As my colleague Gregor Paul pointed out this week, New Zealand Rugby is winning the war to keep most of the top All Blacks. That can only be good thing, but as I wrote a few weeks ago, there’s a risk the Japanese market isgoing to chew up the mid-tier and possibly younger players — the ones that help mould those All Blacks and are on the fringe themselves.
It’s a unique market where having no test caps is seemingly more of a bargaining chip — unless you’re a superstar — given restrictions around the number of test-capped players allowed in each squad.
In addition, players heading to England and Europe have become increasingly rare post-Covid. The contracts aren’t flowing like they once did down this way. But keeping what is likely the first-choice front row for this year’s World Cup through to 2026/27 is no easy feat — even if Ethan De Groot, Tyrel Lomax and Samisoni Taukei’aho are at the start of their careers rather than the end like some of the post World Cup departees.
Samisoni Taukei'aho scores a try. Photo / Photosport
A suggestion...
The review system might be the best idea rugby has come up with in years, and now World Rugby has its sights on it for the World Cup. All signs point to a centralised bunker for the tournament, which would make the call in the review period.
It’s time to allow the referees to add to the theatrics a wee bit — the referee should communicate the final decision with the crowd via the ground PA system, like they do in the NFL.
That’s something that rugby continues to battle with — putting the fan front of mind in the experience. You can look to the lack of imagination around Super Rugby’s Easter scheduling for more examples of that — a day game on Good Friday or Easter Monday wouldn’t have gone amiss. Instead we got a reduced round of largely blowouts.
An explanation...
The new yellow-card review system got a full examination in the Brumbies/Reds game where Angus Blyth was shown a yellow card quickly by referee Ben O’Keeffe for a ludicrous charge-down attempt that more closely resembled a flying tackle, and subsequently was upgraded to red by the television match official. While it was been decried by some up north as qualifying as a straight red, that was the system working exactly as it should. O’Keeffe’s call was made quickly and the game continued, then the card was upgraded. Sport is entertainment. This was the right outcome, just a different way of doing it.
Is Sarah Hirini the most influential figure in New Zealand women’s rugby in the last 15 years? There are contenders, Ruby Tui, Kendra Cocksedge and others, but Hirini — an Olympic gold medal and Commonwealth Games winning captain, Kelvin R Tremain award winner and two-time 15s Rugby World Cup winner — will become the first contracted women’s sevens player to take a playing sabbatical when she heads to Japan later this year. That is a major step for NZR to allow her to take.
A prediction...
Hirini should be a long way off retiring from sevens but she may be the hardest player to replace in the set-up. Talk to any of her teammates and they struggle to have words to describe her impact. She doesn’t score the flashy tries that her sevens teammates do, but there’s a legitimate argument they wouldn’t have won the medals they have without her — especially in Tokyo. Hirini’s legacy will be her leadership and as a trailblazer. Appreciate greatness while it lasts.
