Foley’s intercept try lifts Waratahs
Bernard Foley scored an intercept try with less than eight minutes remaining as the New South Wales Waratahs overcame a rampant Melbourne Rebels side to score a 31-26 victory and consolidate their lead at the top of the Australian conference. Foley’s intercept try from halfway had come just three minutes after flanker Ned Hanigan had dragged his side back into the match after a Kurtley Beale intercept had given them field position.
The victory consolidated the Waratahs lead at the top of the Australian conference, moving the Sydney-based side to 39 points, four ahead of the Rebels, who could be considered unlucky to lose the game after dominating the second half.
The Rebels had been trailing 17-10 at halftime but were inspired by lock Matt Philip, who provided valuable go-forward for the home side as they controlled the ball and field position in the second half.
Thorn latest to slam referees Auckland:
Reds head coach and All Blacks legend Brad Thorn has become the latest to criticise the standard of match officiating in rugby at present.
Thorn was speaking in the aftermath of his side’s 39-16 defeat to the Blues at Eden Park on Friday – a clash which saw two players on each side sin-binned. The problem for the Reds, though, was that they lost two players a minute apart and had to play with 13 men for nine minutes – a spell which swung the game in favour of the home side.
And Thorn, while being conscious of not wanting his comments to come across as ‘sour grapes’, could not help but question a number of referee Egon Seconds’ decisions.
“The game is in an interesting place isn’t it,” said a clearly frustrated Thorn after his side crashed to its ninth defeat in the last 10 matches. “I don’t know if that’s enjoyable for anyone.
“Everyone is talking about that at the moment, both sides of the Tasman. It’s interesting.” The 43-year-old is referring to the recent June internationals in which the New Zealand-France and Australia-Ireland clashes, in particular, were marred by controversial red and yellow cards.
“Probably the No 1 thing, like for a lot of fans, coaches and players everywhere, it’s hurting the game. The game is getting hurt,” he said.
“If that’s what rugby is where you slow things down a lifting tackle where he didn’t drive him into the ground. And Taniela came up, his hands from what I saw were in front of him, and he went in hard and low… if you want to penalise, but then yellow card as well?
“There’s a lot of things in rugby that are interesting. Even the knock-down rules, it’s often a yellow card. In league you just get on with it. Bad pass, pack a scrum, get on with it.
“It’s an interesting place that the game is in. If that’s where we want to go … for me it’s hard. I was a physical player, I enjoyed hitting rucks hard, and played my league in the ’90s.
“As a 12-year-old I remember my coach pulling me aside at halftime, ‘when you pick a guy up drive him into the dirt’. I’m not saying we do that, but for me it’s an interesting place. Referees are trying their best.”
Taufua u-turns on Japan move Christchurch:
The Crusaders and Tasman Makos are set to benefit from Jordan Taufua’s decision to back out of a contract with a Japanese club.
The hard-hitting loose forward, included in the All Blacks squad to play France earlier this month but sidelined with injury, has been granted a release from the Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynaboars club before playing a game for them.
Originally expected to depart the country after completing his Crusaders’ commitments, the 26-year-old will now return to Tasman’s ranks, making him eligible for national selection.
While that is good news for Tasman, they may not see too much of Taufua, who was inspirational for the Mako on their road to the Mitre 10 Cup final last season.
The All Blacks selectors will choose a 33man squad for the Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship and, as Taufua was a member of the group picked for the domestic series against France, he will likely be retained. If he is selected, Tasman could have four All Blacks on their books – Shannon Frizell, Liam Squire, Tim Perry and Taufua – leaving Mako coach Leon MacDonald to look further afield for replacements, especially at loose forward.
Taufua rugged loose forward is contracted to return to the Crusaders in 2019. Tasman Rugby Union chief executive officer Tony Lewis, who confirmed that Taufua had signed with the union last Wednesday, said he and MacDonald had been talking with Taufua’s manager “virtually from the time he decided to go to Japan” and we were always keen to keep him in the Mako ranks.