Gregor Paul: The subterfuge and strategy that sank the All Blacks

Coaches under pressure often see conspiracies that don’t exist, especially when their side are losing, but Ian Foster was right to fear match officials in Dunedin had a preconceived mindset on the All
Black.

After the first Test in Auckland, Ireland reportedly received comments from World Rugby that the All Blacks should have received two yellow cards but weren’t.

A review of the match by the governing body’s refereeing boss Joel Jutge reportedly concluded that Rieko Ioane should have been carded for a high tackle on Joey Carberry – an act which should also have resulted in Ireland being awarded a penalty try – and that Scott Barrett should have been sentenced for a late-game unarmed cleanup against Peter O’Mahoney.

Irish coach Andy Farrell, immediately after the match, told the media that he was curious about the referee’s interpretation of the width and depth of a ruck and wondered somewhat obliquely about this. that was happening at the time of the scrum.

Ireland’s first penalty in Dunedin was awarded to Dalton Papali’i, who referee Jaco Peyper said had taken a player out of the ruck.

Then, of course, three maps would be shown in the first 30 minutes – one of which was unmistakable – but the other two, on another day ruled by another group of officials, could have been canceled as accidental collisions.

The All Blacks were victims of their own inadequacies and of Ireland’s thoughtful and cleverly executed game plan, but they were also, to some extent, victims of a narrative that clearly took hold in the aftermath of their first victory 42-19.

“Clearly strong messages have been sent over the past week,” All Blacks manager Ian Foster remarked in Dunedin. “There was a feeling that we should have had four yellow cards last week. That seemed to be the mindset that went into this game.”

The All Blacks were unimaginative and uncertain, calling their performance unacceptable and Foster made no attempt to link the role of officials with his team’s failures.

But his argument that officials may have arrived in Dunedin on high alert for New Zealand indiscretions deserves further consideration, because whatever problems the All Blacks are currently facing, the game will -even is in much greater difficulty.

Ireland clearly did a great job of PR – both publicly and behind the scenes – to create the perceptions they wanted of the All Blacks.

And while this kind of work can be said to be smart and productive, it’s also an indictment of the game, the people who run it, and the law book that there’s a whole underworld of subterfuge and of strategies related to the influence of officials in the run-up to a review.

Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus was broadly condemned last year for producing and posting an hour-long video to YouTube after the first Test against the British and Irish Lions, showing 26 incidents in which he said the officials were wrong.

His crime, it seems, was not his attempt to influence officials, but the fact that he did so publicly.

Rugby, a sport that promotes its integrity, seems happy enough to have back channels and secret worlds where agendas can be promoted, seeds planted and images painted, but suffers the worst moral outrage if anyone will. express grievances transparently.

But the biggest problem that spoils the game is his belief that yellow and red cards can be used to manage the results he wants.

They have become to rugby what Valium was to medical practice in the 1950s – marketed as a wonder drug and prescribed for everything from mild disappointment to psychosis.

The cards have become the “little assistant” of the referees. When in doubt, flash one has become the officiating mantra of 2022; which seems to be an entirely self-defeating philosophy given that the sport is in the entertainment game and awash in private equity cash.

And the general rationale that these cards are all presented in the name of player welfare has become dulled, as it appears that the people making the decisions are on a hugely misguided crusade to not reduce the risk of the game, but zero risk.

Who doesn’t wonder what would have happened if Leicester Fainga’anuku had managed to hit Mack Hansen’s first-half spot-kick on Saturday night and the ball stayed in play.

Would the Irishman have been sent off for taking Fainga’anuku through the air as the All Blacks could have claimed he was on course to recover the stray ball and score.

It’s so absurd it’s borderline farce; and although England manager Eddie Jones is not often seen as the voice of reason, it was Saturday night when he rightly said that many of the cards shown over the weekend were not in the spirit of the game and that common sense must make a welcome reappearance.