Referees in the firing line again
Officials in Super Rugby Pacific have again been forced to reach for their tin hats, with Highlanders captain Aaron Smith the latest to tee-off in their direction.
Smith didn’t bother to camouflage his annoyance after his side’s white-knuckle 22-21 loss to the Hurricanes in Dunedin on Saturday night and, like Ardie Savea the previous week, made sure he hit the bullseye with his tasty comments.
All Blacks halfback Smith, having watched in frustration as the officials agreed they wouldn’t award a try to substitute prop Saula Ma’u in the 81st minute of the match at Forsyth Barr Stadium, hit the hot button when interviewed moments after his side’s seventh loss from eight games.
‘‘It could have been a try at the end – maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t,’’ Smith said. ‘‘But we are getting robbed all the time. We had a red card [to lock Josh Dickson] for contact to the head and one of our guys blatantly gets a black eye, and the touchies and the ref walk it off like it’s nothing.
‘‘All we want is consistency as players, and we’re just getting no rub of the green at the moment. It’s hard to swallow.’’
Smith, clearly, was miffed no action was taken against the Hurricanes after team-mate Gareth Evans suffered swelling around the eye after contact in a ruck late in the game.
If this type of complaint sounds familiar, you’re on to something. Because in the previous round, Hurricanes skipper Savea took a dig at the officials following his side’s narrow, and controversial, defeat to the Crusaders in Wellington.
Savea said he would ‘‘just love the officials to demand better’’.
After the game in Dunedin, however, Savea was in a much chirpier mood. His team had won, after all.
Once Smith calmed down he would, surely, agree that the Highlanders didn’t help themselves. Go no further, for example, than the red card to Dickson for his high shot on Tevita Mafileo.
It’s a message the blokes with the whistles may also want to share.
Not such a Good Friday for southern footy heads
The Crusaders should grab a big mirror to gaze into after their 27-23 defeat to the Blues in an epic encounter in Christchurch on Good Friday.
Having captain Scott Barrett red carded for flooring Alex Hodgman was far from helpful, especially when the Crusaders were already short of experienced locks with the likes of Sam Whitelock unavailable due to injury.
What can be done about high tackles?
Barrett and Dickson have more in common than just red cards. Both are tall locks, charged with reducing their height when executing tackles.
At the weekend they failed to do that, and paid the price.
It’s one thing to blame the officials for missing other alleged incidents, but the players also must play their part. The frustrating aspect of all this, is that Barrett and Dickson are not rookies. Yet, for whatever reason, whether it be fatigue or a desire to put a massive shot on an opponent, their technique was poor. Thankfully, neither of their victims had to be stretchered off the park.
Now, it’s time to cross the Tasman
The New Zealand derby games are over, until the playoffs.
Despite their grim win-loss record, the Highlanders are not out of the title contest. Far from it.
Although they sit in 10th place, the Highlanders fly to Melbourne for this weekend’s ‘‘super round’’, knowing they are just one win away from advancing into the top eight.
The bad news is this: their opponents at AAMI Park will be Brumbies, who are second on the competition log behind the Blues.
The Chiefs (who thumped Moana Pasifika 45-12 in Hamilton on Saturday afternoon), meet the Waratahs and the Crusaders face the Rebels.
The in-form Blues will confront Fijian Drua. Moana Pasifika face the Force.