ABs right to fume
TMO Glenn Newman played the role of detective in what was far from an open-and-shut case in the first half, poking his beak into the drama after ref Glen Jackson had already awarded a ‘‘try’’ to Chiefs wing Tim Nanai-Williams.
Damian McKenzie was preparing to convert when Newman ordered a halt to the game, telling Jackson it was time to tune into the telly; what transpired was not good news for those Chiefs fans in the disappointing crowd of around 13,000 fans.
Williams was deemed to have lost the ball in the act of sliding over the line, and just to add to the Chiefs annoyance, Jackson refused to acknowledge the penalty advantage by stating it had expired.
Earlier Bryn Hall nailed the only try of the first 40 minutes, the Crusaders halfback steaming up the fat man’s track following a breakout that started on the other side of the halfway line and required some smart thinking by Dagg and Ryan Crotty.
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson must have gazed at the stats sheet at halftime and wondered how his men had held onto their 10-6 lead.
If you were in the red and black camp, the digits certainly made for scary reading. The Chiefs had doubled their running metres (320) and grabbed 72 and 75 per cent of possession and territory, respectively.
Yet the Crusaders, thanks to tight forward warriors such as Codie Taylor, Sam Whitelock, Jordan Taufua and Matt Todd, repulsed their opponents by tackling themselves to a stand still.
The Chiefs’ strike weapons were the usual suspects. Big Brodie Retallick was everywhere in the first spell, and Aaron Cruden, Damian McKenzie and Lowe were prominent in the backline attacks. IF you were a conspiracy theorist, or prone to the odd bout of paranoia, it would not be too difficult to make the case that there are forces at play looking to bring the All Blacks down a peg or two.
Of course we are all too levelheaded to entertain such preposterous notions. But still ...
World Rugby’s recent decision on the Sonny Bill Williams suspension to rub out the All Blacks’ looming August 11 match-up against provincial sides Counties Manukau and Taranaki as a ‘‘meaningful’’ contest, and thus render the midfielder unavailable for the opening Bledisloe in Sydney on August 19, isn’t in itself reason alone for Steve Hansen and co to start taking furtive glances over their shoulders.
But in conjunction with some other things, it could make a Kiwi wonder if our beloved national rugby team isn’t up against more than just some well-motivated and resourced opponents.
Let’s look at the Williams decision in isolation, which has been appealed by the player and will have to be further considered, hopefully by people who are not Australian, and especially not former Wallabies.
Yes, the three-man panel that firstly deemed Williams’ hit on Anthony Watson in the second British and Irish Lions test to be worth four ‘‘meaningful’’