Scrum penalties a blight on the game
It has always got my goat that referees deem it necessary to penalise a retreating scrum. It never used to be like that. Surely if a scrum is dismembered, that’s punishment enough and the offensive team should get on and attack from it, and capitalise on the victims being in disarray.
At Auckland’s Eden Park on Sunday, Hawke’s Bay referee Dan Waenga, a former first five-eighth of all things, sinbinned Manawatu¯ prop Tietie Tuimauga for allegedly packing at an angle four times.
Waenga gave no consideration to Manawatu¯ being stuckwith a vulnerable seven-man scrum and particularly Tuimauga being at the mercy of some dodgy Auckland scrummaging.
Waenga had earlier binned Manawatu¯ lock Filo Paulo for colliding with Auckland fullback Jordan Trainor, which at worst was a penalty.
The upshot was that the Turbos were down to 13 men, and although Manawatu¯ scored a try during that time, no-one wants to see 15 versus 13. Chopping a scrum to seven might one day render the sport legally liable if a forward is broken by one of those frightening sandwiched collapses.
However, the sinbinnings were not deciding factors in the Turbos conceding seven tries and being swamped 50-12.
There were more than 21 missed tackles, 19 penalties conceded, many for offsides while defending, repeat handling errors and little continuity. Seldom did the ball go through two phases. Their best was a dozen phases at the 77th minute mark.
It was hard to find too many positives as they shipped 45 straight points.
Fortunately, Auckland were missing half a dozen All Blacks, although they still mustered Angus Ta’avao and Patrick Tu’ipulotu. Auckland, drawing from a population of about 1million, should douse Manawatu¯, who have a catchment of 10 per cent of that.
Comparing last year’s team with Sunday’s, the only regular starting players from 2019 were No 8 Brayden Iose, wing Adam Boult and skipper Jamie Booth. Eighteen of last year’s squad have gone. Last year the Turbos dropped their opening four games, then Ngani Laumape returned and they won their next three.
Auckland are the only side in the Turbos era since 2006 they haven’t beaten. Manawatu¯ last toppled them at Eden Park in 1980, the year they won the NPC. Next up are Counties Manukau at Pukekohe, where Manawatu¯ last won in – yes, 1980.
The Turbos have struggled up front for many years, but they must find away to slow teams down.
Losing lock Liam Mitchell in Friday’s captain’s run hurt, but otherwise, man for man, the forwards should be able to compete. At least the lineout was improved from the Otago game.
Centre Nigel Ahwong hadn’t played since about June, while Nehe Milner-Skudder was playing only his third competition game in two years.
Meanwhile, Hawke’s Bay were ecstatic at beating Canterbury for the first time since 1983.
Pither a V8s stayer
The Aussies will be glad to see the back of Scott Mclaughlin’s tailpipe after his third straight V8 Supercars title.
After 56 career wins, he’s off to the oval tracks of Scott Dixon’s Indycar racing in the United States with Team Penske.
Then it will be up to the other Kiwis on the V8s grid to step up – Shane van Gisbergen, Fabian Coulthard, Andre Heimgartner and at the lower end, Chris Pither, the former Palmerston North Boys’ High School first XI hockey player.
Pither came up winning national titles with the Manawatu¯ Kart Club into New Zealand Formula First and Formula Ford, twice won the HQ Holden series and then won the NZ and Australian V8 Utes. He was first backed by late Palmerston North businessman Ash Cairns, who set up NZ V8 Ute Racing Ltd in 2007.
At 12 Pither was reportedly the world’s youngest racing car driver with a licence and his backup plan was qualifying as a fitter and turner.
Now at 33, he made his Supercars debut at Bahrain in 2006 as a 19-year-old. His only full Supercars season was with Super Black Racing in 2016, until it folded. He finished 21st that season and this year is sitting 22nd in the 26-car field, driving car 22.
He has kept slaving away, winning the Super2 title in 2018, often appearing as a co-driver in the enduros, and did finish fourth at Bathurst..
After being a co-driver for the past three years, Pither this year was signed fulltime by Team Sydney.
It helped that his mentor and manager is the boss of United Convenience Buyers, amajor Australian Coca Cola customer. Hence Pither’s Commodore is the totally red car on the grid in its distinctive Coke livery. Off track he drives a 1965 Ford Cortina.