A Game of Two Decisions : Sporting Karma

I felt the need to raise my lone and often vilified voice when Scotland beat Japan in their first Group game, by 45 – 10. The try that broke Japan was scored with Mark Bennet’s foot crossing the deadline. It took a 17 – 10 lead to 24 – 10 and effectively sealed Japan’s fate as they missed the losing bonus point which may have seen them through to the quarters. In addition to that blatant decision, referee Johnny Lacey’s performance in that game was described by a fellow punter as ‘organised cheating’.

Similarly, Samoa had a couple of tries disallowed by the TMO against Scotland, in a game the Thistles won by a slender 3 points. A defeat would have seen them out of the World Cup. That Samoa were hard done by, is an accepted fact outside of the UK.

To say that Scotland were largely dependent on the benevolence of referees to reach the quarter final is an understatement. So it’s only fair, one would think that the score is settled by the rugby gods poring over their double entry accounts, seeking to balance the cosmic ledger.

Nobody said a word when Jaco Peyper was hideously bad in the opening match. Ironically, it was former Scottish legend John Jeffrey – in charge of the match official appointments – who excused the TMO interventions and praised the technology to the hilt. It is hard to suppress a chuckle when Jeffrey’s beloved Scotland fall on the technological sword, before an uproar ensues. While it was Japan getting the short end of the camera lens, nobody complained. The Bennet try was one. Matsushima’s ridiculous sin binning for the same ‘offence’ committed seconds earlier by a Scottish player was another incident in that game. Nobody. Said. A. Word. The English media, usually so voiceferous in the face of injustice, were conspicuous in the silence. There was no talk of the referees, and there was certainly no condemnation of World Rugby’s administration of the TMO process.

So when Ben Skeen, the TMO intervened [I didn’t hear Joubert ask] to rule a ‘deliberate knock on’ against Shaun Maitland, my initial reaction was one of fury. The referee had seen it, and made his decision. Maitland was nowhere near the 22m and it was the normal Aussie attack. He saw the ball close to him and instinctively stuck out a hand. If it stuck he was in at the other end, despite an Australian player tumbling in front of him. As his luck would have it the point of the ball struck his palm, and anyone who has tried to catch a rugby ball, knows that those don’t stick. He was prevented from diving on it before it hit the ground because of the Australian player on the ground in front of him. Deliberate knock ons are ones where defenders make a conscious decision to interfere with a pass when they know they’ve been beaten, just ask David Campese who explains it all here.

So for Ben Skeen to intervene, in itself, was uncalled for. To most people watching, except the most canary eyed Wallaby supporters, it was a common or garden knock on. That Skeen pressured Joubert into awarding a penalty, and Joubert further assumed the mantle by saying yellow card, was tragic. It was a management lesson from hell. Knowing he’d put his foot in it, Skeen could not tell Joubert that a yellow was too harsh. Joubert himself said the ‘cover was coming across’, and then took no cognisance of the fact that Mitchell – the intended recipient of the pass – was less than 5m from touch 40m or so from the try line. To give a yellow in those circumstances is bizarre and disproportionate. There was no build up to a try.

Suddenly, the 19 – 15 lead was overturned, with Mitchell touching down exactly where Maitland would have been defending. When Maitland returned on 52 minutes, Scotland scored a charge down try 2 minutes later. The momentum Scotland had after they’d already extended their 1 point half time lead by 3 more till Maitland was sent off in the 42nd minute, was completely shattered. Once momentum shifts, it is difficult to claw it back although Scotland did manage to do that with two tries Australia will kick themselves for conceding. Whether it has been part of the defensive plan we don’t know, but Scotland have scored a few intercepts in this World Cup so far. Against Japan and Samoa before this one. So for the detractors who call them cheap tries – it is important to understand whether it is part of the defensive pattern or not. But that’s another story.

It is clear that it was entirely the TMO’s intervention that led to this change in momentum. Subsequently, after fighting their way back into the game, Scotland made enough mistakes to let Australia stay in the game. Contrary to what many people believe the last penalty was indeed a penalty. The ball came off Strauss and was played by Ford. Any intercession by Phipps was easily missed. Ford should have known better than to play the ball that seemed to come off his own player, even after Russel Finn was lucky to get away with the identical offence earlier in the game.

After awarding only a scrum against Finn, it is important that Joubert noticed Ford’s playing of the ball – as Finn did – from in front of his player as causing detriment to Australia. It is this inconsistency that Joubert is at fault for. In any event, even though Scottish captain Laidlaw would have liked Joubert to refer this to his TMO, the protocol doesn’t permit it, just like it didn’t permit the nature of Maitland’s offence to be reviewed.

Similarly, Stuart Hogg was shoulder charged by Drew Mitchell after he had kicked the ball. A similar tackle had seen the Argentine prop binned in the earlier quarter. In the same game, Keith Earls got away with the identical shot on an Argentinian. The commmentators described the Argentine hit as a ‘cheap shot’ and Earl’s hit as him being ‘committed’ – presumably to the shoulder charge. That Mitchell’s hit on Stuart Hogg – who had a shocker of game – was not even reviewed by the enthusiastic Skeen, just highlighted the incompetence of the official and his team. A penalty for Scotland would probably have won them the game.

Scotland don’t deserve to be in the semi final anymore than Australia do. Both teams played appalling rugby and Australia’s over rated status was made blatantly obvious. Scotland having beeng kept alive by referees all tournament were karmically extinguished also by a referee. It’s poetic.

What is far from poetic though, is the ‘justice’ meted out by the this wandering band of minstrels masquerading as referees. Apart from Nigel Owens who is unafraid to take charge and recognise the difference between degrees of offences, i.e. ‘punch’ vs ‘fist in face’, the referees have been held entirely unaccountable. The deafening silence of the media was bound to catch up with it as the unrighteous indignation of Scotland and the Northern Hemisphere is extinguished. Wayne Barnes – god forbid – has been good. As has Owens. Apart from that, this World Cup has been a joke, saved from a disastrous punchline only by a pool of fantastic players.