Droppies can work
Mull over these salient facts in the wake of the All Blacks’ blunder in the rugby test in Wellington on Saturday. The All Blacks had to be branded drop kicks for not taking a potshot at the death – so easy if set up correctly.
But Beauden Barrett has kicked just one in his nearly 220 first-class matches, mostly because he hasn’t had to.
The All Blacks have not scored that way in their past 35 tests and their last was Dan Carter’s from 40 metres in the 2015 World Cup final, only his eighth in 112 tests.
It seems our men reserve them for World Cup matches, because that’s when they have landed four of their past six.
Carter won the third test against Ireland in 2012 with one and Manawatu¯ won the Ranfurly Shield via that route with a wobbly in 1976, so there.
What about Springbok Jannie de Beer? He slotted a world record five in a row in 31 minutes to oust England from the 1999 World Cup.
In rather ancient times, All Black Ross Brown banged over 10 droppies in the 1964 season for Taranaki, including three in one Ranfurly Shield defence against North Auckland.
Old South African potters Gerald Bosch, now living in Brisbane, Naas Botha and Joel Stransky would have choked on their biltong watching their old foes ignore the obvious. Great Puma Hugo Porta banged over 28 droppies in his 66 tests, including three to draw 21-all against the All Blacks in 1985.
Everyone on the rugby planet on Saturday could see a pot was the answer with time up, with the Boks out on their feet plumb in front of the poles.
So good on coach Steve Hansen for not sticking up for his blunderers.
And yet halfback TJ Perenara reiterated that they had made ‘‘the right call’’ to bunt it up with the fatties, which was plain nonsense given the outcome. The whole thing was a botch-up and it cost a test match and has given belief to previously cowering teams.
Perenara should have buttoned it. When he missed touch with a clearing kick, Aphiwe Dyantyi, who looks to be the new predatory Bryan Habana, ran in to score from nothing on the opposite side.
We were hollering from the other end of the stadium, but onfield chief executive Kieran Read wasn’t listening and nor was the game manager, Beauden.
My impromptu poll in the dunnies afterwards to any unfortunate close by was unanimous in answer to my loaded question.
To heck with all this rubbish about a loss doing us good, except that Jordie Barrett won’t throw another hand grenade because Ben Smith must be at No 15. With Beauden’s misses and the two donated tries, the Boks were gifted 22 points.
This was an Aaron Cruden test. Beauden was hesitant from first touch against a flat backline and it seems when he’s off he’s off. At such times Read must pass the kicking tee to Damian Mckenzie.
Beauden couldn’t have kicked a barn door on Saturday and assuming he still had the nerve, he could have lobbed over a three-pointer from pointblank with one toe and a knee jerk.
NRL teams do it every weekend with the light brigade charging at them. South Sydney’s Adam Reynolds banged over three to beat St George on Saturday, while the ABS only needed one.
Two weeks ago the Melbourne Storm’s Cameron Munster banged over a wobbly from 31 metres to beat the Rabbitohs.
When Luke Mcalister botched his pot at World Cup 2007, it was desperation from 50 crazy metres out. On Saturday, the Blacks were five metres away, miles ahead in every stat except the big one at the end, despite the Boks playing out of their green skins.
History still hurts
Now the Manawatu¯ Turbos were well bullied by Northland last week.
But when a team is getting done, the calls tend to go against them.
It can be revealed the video ref later apologised to Manawatu¯ coach Jeremy Cotter. A blatant knock-on was dismissed after countless replays and yet Northland’s try was awarded, only for the Northland player to reveal afterwards he had touched the ball.
Northland don’t have a big screen at their ground so the referee was relying on the voice in his ear.
Then came the scuffle in which Manawatu¯ ’s Antonio Kiri Kiri was penalised for ‘‘reaggravating’’ and off it, Northland rolled downfield and scored.
That was a blatant hometown cheat from the video ref, a Mr Smart no less. The endless replays showed lock Murray Douglas igniting it by shoving Manawatu¯ prop Fraser Armstrong and then everyone was in – and Douglas escaped censure.
Later, Manawatu¯ prop Sione Asi was binned after a ruck near the Manawatu¯ tryline and he still has no idea what his crime was.
At the time the penalty count was 6-2 in Manawatu¯ ’s favour.
Meanwhile, a day later, test referee Mike Fraser was reffing a women’s game in Palmerston North in front of a crowd of about 60. Enough said.