Jackson to ref Crusaders
If any Glen Jackson voodoo dolls existed before July 15, they are probably in a dishevelled state now.
Jackson, you may remember, was the referee who copped the wrath of a number of Crusaders fans when their team lost 31-22 to the Hurricanes in their final Super Rugby round-robin match in Wellington.
The whistler, the red and black army alleged, did their team a major dis-service by penalising them off the park, with the defeat eventually costing them the chance to finish at the top of the competition log.
What followed was pretty ugly. Keyboard warriors lashed Jackson, spewing forth their vitriol on social media and blogs. Goodness knows what went on behind closed doors, but maybe there were some expletives uttered in a few man caves around the upper South Island.
Now the Crusaders have to contend with Jackson again, because he has been confirmed as the man who will referee the semifinal against the Chiefs in Christchurch on Saturday night.
Crusaders assistant coach Jason Ryan was never going to fire any verbal death stars at Jackson because who in their right mind would criticise a ref in the days leading-up to such an important match?
‘‘We are happy with Jacko, no problems there at all,’’ Ryan said.
‘‘We learned a lot in that game (against the Hurricanes), clearly, and I think it showed in the penalty count.
‘‘This week we will just concentrate on what we need to be better at, and I think we only had two penalties against us in the first half (of the 17-0 win over the Highlanders last weekend) and not a lot for the whole game.’’
The Crusaders stats showed they lost the penalty count 17-8 against the Hurricanes in the Cake Tin, and when you concede that many turnovers against a team like the defending champions you are destined to land in an undignified heap.
Lessons, it seems, have been absorbed. In the quarterfinal against the Highlanders, which was controlled by Aussie Angus Gardner at AMI Stadium last weekend, the Crusaders only conceded six penalties.
‘‘You have got to adjust, you have got to be better,’’ Ryan emphasised.
‘‘Otherwise you won’t be standing here on Monday – the season is over. You have got to get it right.’’
The Chiefs, who beat the Stormers in their quarterfinal in Cape Town, are scheduled to arrive back in New Zealand in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
They have endured a killer travel schedule. Having to fly to Cape Town via Sydney and Johannesburg to play a tough sudden-death game, and then do the journey in reverse prior to getting back home to Hamilton, is gruelling.
Given a large chunk of the Crusaders team will still have unpleasant memories of their losses to the Chiefs in the semis in 2012 and 2013, both played in Hamilton, no-one should be surprised that Ryan refused to take a bullish attitude in public.
Instead, it was time to praise the Chiefs.
‘‘The Chiefs have shown a lot of grit. They have gone over to Africa and beaten a pretty good Stormers outfit, done the job. It will build confidence for them.’’
On a day when the Crusaders confirmed front rowers Tim Perry, Oli Jager and Ben Funnell had resigned for another couple of seasons, Ryan, who will manage his forwards to the point they will only pack down four ‘‘live’’ scrums this week, was keen to offer a warning about the power of the Chiefs’ pack.
‘‘Their set piece, in particular, is going well. Brodie (Retallick) is a real enforcer for them at lineout time and around the track. And their scrum is going good.’’