Today’s Le Cup has just eaten an entire baguette, sideways.
Rugby World Cups are supposed to be showpieces (and Wales-Fiji was). But it didn’t take long for rugby also to showcase its major flaw: rigid rules, inconsistently officiated, prone to stuffing up a match (and fans’ enjoyment of same).
According to the strict letter of the law, a red card for England flanker Tom Curry was valid for the head clash he precipitated in the match against Argentina. It was obviously accidental but … safety rules. Soon after, Santiago Carreras tried to charge down a kick, leapt in the air, flattening England No 10 George Ford after hitting him in the head with his hip. Yellow card. Why not another red? It was another head. Maybe Carreras couldn’t have pulled out of his attempted charge-down – but a head clash is a head clash. In the Japan-Chile match, there was an almost identical head clash plus a late tackle that looked to have clear intent and injured the target. The bunker gave both a yellow card. Go figure.
Nobody can argue with World Rugby’s attempt to eradicate head injuries. But effort and execution can be conflicting partners. Head injuries will never be extinct in a collision sport.
The goal is player protection – but it’s the players who keep getting it wrong. Maybe the only answer is to make red card punishment so harsh (like an instant ban for two months and heavy fines) that players finally ditch dangers like leaping in the air for charge-downs and upright tackles.
However, it’s all too easy to see a legal challenge from a player arguing unfair restraint from plying his trade by such a ban, because of what was essentially an accident. It’s ironic that there is already legal action being taken against World Rugby by players claiming brain damage. It’s rugby’s Palestine; there seems no solution.
Maybe there are three options if rugby wants to guard against head injuries but preserve the game and the spectacle of it: 1] a red card for any head clash, regardless of mitigation, as above; 2] a red card only if there is intent or wilful carelessness or 3] as the Southern Hemisphere urged (and the Northern Hemisphere ignored), a 20-minute red card after which the offending player is replaced, so the match doesn’t repel some important people. Who? Oh yes, fans.
Consistency is required. The sport needs to sort this out before it red cards itself.
One of the few positive bits of light emitted by the All Blacks’ loss to France was the galloping form of Scott Barrett. It was another display underlining how much he has cemented his spot as No 1 lock.
His dynamism is remarkable, that engine of his keeps him moving at a fast clip – he made two line breaks, multiple tackles and several good carries. He was a prime mover in Mark Telea’s second try – winning the lineout to begin with, then belting to the ruck at halfback (Aaron Smith was elsewhere) and getting the ball to Rieko Ioane for the final pass. Highly impressive.
The secret thoughts of Eddie Jones, international rugby coach and media manager
I need to have a word with Taniela Tupou. I don’t know what they taught him at Kelston Boys’ High but, when the ref asks you if you scored the try, you don’t say “No”, you lie through your flamin’ teeth.
He’s part of the pack I told you could dominate the world, mate. I told you, the Georgians had no answer, mate. I don’t know why the crowd at Stade de France booed me when I was shown on the big screen during that match. Must have been a lot of English there. Either that or they don’t like my winning personality. “Winning”, geddit?
Maybe some had read the book written by that motormouth Danny Cipriani. He’s accused me of being like a horny teenager, in asking him about his relationship with (British model and TV presenter) Kirsty Gallacher. That’s a bit rich. I mean, in the same book, he talks about how he used to sleep with up to three women a day and how threesomes became the norm. Who’s the horny one again?
Nah, mate, Cipriani’s never liked me since I left him out of the England 2019 World Cup squad. He got hit by a double-decker bus in Leeds during a pub crawl with his Sale Sharks mates in 2013. I rest my case. I’ll leave you with a bit of wisdom I’ve gathered – always say what you mean and never admit to winding anyone up. Ask any of my remaining friends.
George Ford (England)
Second choice for England (some would say third) and previously a limited first five-eighths at international level, he took control of the match against Argentina with a single-minded purpose after England’s Tom Curry was red-carded in the opening minutes.
England barely looked capable of scoring a try even with 15 men so Ford went ahead and kicked all 27 points, nine coming from dropped goals in a remarkable turnaround from how matches are supposed to go when a player is sent off. One of his droppies was kicked from halfway and could have been goaled from 60m, so sweetly was it struck.
“I sense there is a feeling among the players they’ve been written off too early… I sense the frustration about what people have been saying about them and right now I have an expectation they will go and perform with the quality that they have.” – England head coach Steve Borthwick ahead of the match against Argentina, won convincingly with 14 men.
Hooker: Peato Mauvaka (France)
Props: Taniela Tupou (Australia), Andrew Porter (Ireland)
Locks: Thibeau Flament (France), Scott Barrett (NZ)
Flankers: Peter O’Mahony (Ireland), Siya Kolisi (South Africa)
No 8: Gregory Alldritt (France)
Halfback: Antoine Dupont (France)
First five: George Ford (England)
Second five: Bundee Aki (Ireland)
Centre: George North (Wales)
Wings: Mark Nawaqanitawase (Australia), Mark Telea (NZ)
Fullback: Hugo Keenan (Ireland)
Jaco Peyper (South Africa), France v NZ: 8/10
A fine display to begin the World Cup without the over-officiating and TMO nitpicking we all feared. Peyper synced perfectly and quickly with the bunker, communicated well and refereed almost without blemish. He ignored Hollywoods from kick chasers Matthieu Jalibert, Peato Mauvaka and our own Will Jordan. He loses marks only because he awarded a scrum penalty against Ethan de Groot that would normally have led to a reset and a dubious ruck penalty against the All Blacks.
Mathieu Raynal (France), England v Argentina: 4/10
Always eccentric, M. Raynal can’t be blamed for the cards (the bunker dished out the England red card and the inconsistency) but he presided over a bewildering number of penalties against Argentina, odd in a sport where so much can be penalised.
Matthew Carley (England), Wales v Fiji: 3/10
Reffed pretty well for most of the game but almost ruined the grandstand finish by appearing to let Wales off the yellow card hook before firing one out immediately against Fiji. Some of his later calls seemed suspiciously “make up” in nature – probably as he realised he’d come close to committing the cardinal sin of being the ref who decided the game.
Paul Lewis has been a journalist since the last ice age. Sport has been a lifetime pleasure and part of a professional career during which he has written four books, covered Rugby World Cups, America’s Cups, Olympic and Commonwealth Games and more.
England players were questioned by police as soon as they landed at Christchurch Airport.