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#Post#: 76334--------------------------------------------------
Re: Six Nations 2024
By: RCG Date: February 27, 2024, 10:02 am
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I must admit I too was surprised at the level of assessment
given. The 3 games themselves were not very good and whilst
there was intrigue in them all I felt it lacked intensity, which
made the games easier to referee but it was very stop/start
Piardi did fine, helped that most players have seen him at
league level, he communicated well, got most things right znd
was part of the 2nd best team in that game.
Brace was also fine, some good bits, some poor bits. Management
of the scrum was haphazard; management of breakdowns was good. A
classic example of a referee unable to improve a game but trying
hard not to kill the game.
Ridley I thought had done well, seemed to ooze confidence; only
for the game to let him down. He will definitely regret the
management of that last kick (the French got away with one)
It was Brace's weekend to shine amongst the new boys but the
quality of SCOENG really didn't help him
#Post#: 76336--------------------------------------------------
Re: Six Nations 2024
By: Alfie75 Date: February 27, 2024, 10:48 am
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Crikey, I actually thought Piardi was all over the place, for
example - pinging for crooked feed on one side and not the other
which was far more blatant, I thought he was terribly
inconsistent!
I also thought he was really pedantic especially against the
Welsh in the first half and perhaps subconsciously changed the
approach in the second half.
Brace's experience certainly helped him and I thought out of the
3 performed the better.
Agree, the games all had some intrigue but really lacked in
quality. Wales & Italy's character really shone through whilst I
thought this was Ireland's poorest showing, yet were very
comfortable whilst Scotland didn't have to get out of second
gear (especially in the second half).
Yet again England were really poor for 60 minutes and France's
WC hangover lingers on as they were once again average at best
from what we have come back to expect.
Really interesting how opinions differ :-)
#Post#: 76408--------------------------------------------------
Re: Six Nations 2024
By: Whistleblower Date: February 29, 2024, 2:16 pm
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As always I start with my usual disclaimer that I do not have
enough technical knowledge to properly rate the accuracy of many
of the referees' calls; I comment more on style and
inter-reaction with the players.
I did in fact see all three matches on TV and here are my
thoughts. I thought Piardi did pretty well for a debut match at
a Six Nations. I liked the way he explained his decisions but
didn't brook any dissent. "This isn't a discussion, I'm telling
you what I saw " is a good line and one I used a fair few times
in my refereeing career. I thought he maintained a good control
Brace gave a competent performance; to me he appears like a very
safe pair of hands but completely without the 'wow' factor.
I thought Ridley also did well for a debut, at least during the
first part of the match and then as the intensity level rose and
it became clear it was not going to be a French rout of the
Italians I think he lost his way a bit and by the end was
clearly out of his depth. The late penalty given to Italy was a
brave call but I think he rather mismanaged things from them on.
Surely the French players were encroaching, why didn't he deal
with it ? Italy were made to rush the kick unfairly and I was
left with the feeling they had been robbed of a great victory.
#Post#: 76846--------------------------------------------------
Re: Six Nations 2024
By: Alfie75 Date: March 10, 2024, 3:07 pm
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Week 4 Review
Well, what a difference a couple of weeks make! After what was
in truth a technically poor weekend of rugby the previous match
day and for me not the best officiating either, we needed this
weekend to produce on all levels and boy did it - week 4 was an
absolute cracker!
Have to say on Saturday night, I was a very happy man and a bit
emotional (after numerous alcoholic beverages that contributed
to the emotion hahah)!!
Italy v Scotland - Angus Gardner
The theme going into this fixture was that Scotland would score
heavily and then drop off in the second half whilst Italy would
generally be the opposite - In the main, that’s exactly what we
saw.
Have to say what a thoroughly enjoyable game to open this set of
fixtures. It was never going to be easy for Townsend’s men as
Italy were quite literally robbed of a famous win over France,
you could sense that the Azzuri were well up for this one!
Great game to watch as I said, I have to say that the passion
and determination was there for all to see. Added to that the
fantastic crowd made for an enthralling watch. The new regime
has certainly changed the approach and boy did it pay off today.
For me, the question is can they continue in this trajectory as
it’s exactly what the 6 Nations needs (all times to be
competitive)?
As for the Scot’s - Well, what can you say? It seems to be a
common theme with them, we’ve been praising how good they had
been for the first 3 matches and then they go and faulter
towards the end. With a huge match on the final weekend, they
could walk away from this campaign hugely disappointed. They
just fell away in the end and Italy came up thoroughly deserved
winners!
For the World Cup semi-final referee, this was Angus Gardner’s
1st of two appointments (replacing the retired Jaco Peyper). He
always has a very communicative approach with the players
(almost coaching them). Today, I actually felt he was quieter
than usual. Whilst I didn’t agree with all the penalty decisions
(especially in the first half against the Italians), overall, I
felt he had a very solid performance. There we only a couple of
talking points:
I agreed with the Scottish “no try” in the 42nd minute for
obstruction. There was also a good TMO intervention in the 76th
minute for the deliberate Italian knock-on. What was interesting
was the fact that Karl Dickson initially disagreed with Angus
over whether a penalty try should have been awarded. I’m pleased
the Aussie stuck to his original decision of penalty only as for
me that was the correct call.
The other point I noticed was right at the start of the game
where once again the ball came off the T for the first Italian
penalty. I thought “ Oh no here we go again!”. Thankfully
Gardner was quick to stop any charge down and probably the
officials were told in no uncertain terms to police this area
following the mess in the previous round!
Angus should be pleased with his performance ready for “Le
Crunch” next weekend!
England v Ireland - NIka Amashukeli
Well, I was lucky enough to be in attendance at Twickenham. What
a game, what and atmosphere and boy what an end! Have to say, I
haven’t heard the “home of rugby” sound so buoyant for a long
long time and as with the Italy game, from the moment I got to
the ground, I could sense we were going to see something
special!
Why oh why can’t England play like that all the time?!! After
they were rightfully panned for their performance against the
Scot’s at Murrayfield, I have to say I was hoping for a response
and we certainly got that! For Ireland, well it shows just how
difficult winning grand slams are. England played with
determination, passion and pretty much stopped the Irish playing
the way they wanted to (particularly in the first half).
Yesterday, they were rattled and it showed!
I was also very keen to see the Young Georgian referee
Amashukeli and he certainly didn’t disappoint me.
Nika has continued from the World Cup performing well and was
rightfully handed this fixture. Yesterday, he got the decisions
correct - his was so calm, clear and has the right balance with
his communication style that the players respect. During the
game, he only got involved when needed and quite honestly his
officiating was perfect for this fixture.
Two talking points which I feel he got right - the disallowed
try for a knock-on and the Mahoney yellow card was spot on.
This guy has pure raw talent - if he continues to the levels he
has been performing, the Georgian will be one of the leading
match officials for many a year!
Wales v France - Luke Pearce
Could we see another potential upset after the previous two
games? Not quite, but for 50 minutes Wales were certainly in the
game!
Gatland’s men have gained a bit of respect for the way their
youth and inexperience has approached games with a “never give
up” attitude - but it was exactly that youth and lack of
experience that ultimately cost them with the almighty power
from the French.
A cracking first half through some great attacking and at times
horrible defending from both sides made for compelling viewing.
When the Welsh came out and scored in the first few minutes of
the second period, I thought we could well see an upset on the
cards here. Credit to Le Blues as the actually put on a totally
dominant performance for the remaining 30 minutes and ultimately
ran out deserved winners putting them up to 3rd in the table.
It was Luke Pearce’s second appointment of the tournament and
once again he has shown me just what a top-notch referee he
really is! His communication was clear and concise, looked
extremely comfortable with the whistle. In my opinion, he is up
there as one of the very best in the world right now!
Again, only a couple of points to note. The 56th minute try was
correctly disallowed for a know-on, In the 70th minute there
were inconclusive pictures to see if France were off-side for
their try (I’ll go with the officials on this one).
Very good tournament for the Englishman and I fully expect him
to receive plum appointments in the Summer window.
It’s great for the 6 Nations that needed probably the most
exciting weekend of international rugby since the magic WC
quarter final weekend. For two and a half games we saw some
great entertainment and a spectacle which tells you what rugby
union is all about!
I also have to say the officiating this weekend certainly
contributed to a fantastic advert for the game! Bravo!!
Can’t wait for next weekend as every match has something riding
on it.
#Post#: 76886--------------------------------------------------
Re: Six Nations 2024
By: RCG Date: March 11, 2024, 10:36 am
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One of the most comprehensive reports/reviews. Not much to add.
These 3 should be up there come WCF in 3 years time.
All were v good - Gardner's less vocal approach meant they
listened when he spoke, Nika's deciveness around the YC was
brilliant and Pearce was his usual, efficient self.
All contributed positively to the games they were involved in
One negative was the lack of replays and therefore no review of
Genge's entry into the ruck before England scored. At the time
it looked reckless at best and to me was certainly worth a
review.
#Post#: 76905--------------------------------------------------
Re: Six Nations 2024
By: Hendo Date: March 11, 2024, 12:40 pm
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Agree with RCG, nothing much to add. Alfie back to his reporting
best after a little blip in round 3.
I too thought all refs were excellent and added to the
excitement of the weekend. None were perfect but then who are
and the laws and technical infringements are too many to
understand. What struck me was how all 3 had a feel for the
occasion and tried as much as possible to let the games breathe
without adopting a robotic approach seen in some of the earlier
games.
Have always rated both Gardener and Pearce for the rapport they
create and the young Georgian just oozes presence; a great
talent already.
Roll on the final weekend. I see Carley is down to referee
Ireland v Scotland. Perhaps the robotic approach will be making
a return!
#Post#: 76933--------------------------------------------------
Re: Six Nations 2024
By: Alfie75 Date: March 12, 2024, 3:52 am
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This coming weekend will be fascinating to watch for me - all
equally matched teams currently and potentially the most
exciting could very well be the wooden spoon encounter where
Raynal is a pretty decent fit to officiate.
Carley reminds me a lot of Alain Rolland - a very strict
no-nonsense approach that works for him and actually may well be
good for the Irish.
Gardner will generally let the match in France flow I feel
(which could very well benefit France).
We shall see!!
#Post#: 77103--------------------------------------------------
Re: Six Nations 2024
By: Alfie75 Date: March 17, 2024, 7:06 am
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WeeK 5 Review
England & Italy's win over Ireland and Scotland respectively
ensured that each match had something riding on it coming into
this final weekend of 6 Nations Rugby (dubbed "Super Saturday").
We had potentially 3 mouthwatering fixtures to look forward to.
So, here we go with my review (for what it's worth):
Wales v Italy - Mathieu Raynal
Italy have finished last for the past 9 years but, the win
against Scotland had moved them 4 points clear of Wales and
could actually finish as high as 3rd place (other results
pending) which would be their best ever finish whilst Wales had
not finished in the wooden spoon position since 2003. The odd's
were always against Gatland's side here after a winless campaign
to date.
In effect, if Italy win or draw - Wales would finish bottom.
Even if Italy lost with a losing bonus point, Wales would need
to score 4 try's and overturn the points difference. If Italy
lost with no bonus point, the Welsh would still need to overcome
the points difference.
This wooden spoon decider had the added emotion of George
North's decision to retire from international competition
earlier this week.
Let's be honest, this wasn't the greatest match of the
tournament in terms of quality. I have to say Wales were so poor
in the first half (as they were against Scotland), with just too
many errors, whilst Italy completely dominated and went into the
break deservedly ahead. I get that this is a re-building job,
BUT, you can't play so poorly for 70 minutes and expect to
overturn deficits. In reality, the Welsh played rugby for a 10
minute period and the actual result flattered them. Italy were
far the better side and deserved the victory which is great for
the 6 Nations as a whole!
So pleased for the Italians - they have been the most improved
side during the tournament!!
I understand Gatland's resignation afterwards was rejected by
the WRU, my goodness, he has a hell of a job turning this team
around!
For Mathieu Raynal, this appointment was an interesting one for
me. If I'm honest, I would have expected the WC QF referee to
have got a let's say "bigger appointment" on paper (no
disrespect to both teams). The fact that it was on the final
weekend may have had some impact when the appointments were made
by WR initially.
None the less, he still had a job to do and to be fair it was a
relatively quiet afternoon for the Frenchman. He controlled the
game well with no real issues. A competent performance shall we
say.
As we continue to say on this forum, we are not going to agree
with every decision the referee makes and this was the case for
me. It was highlighted for me in the 14th minute when Joy
Neville intervened to overturn the Welsh penalty in favour of
the Italians for obstruction - a harsh call!
I also thought that some penalties at the scrum should have gone
the other way.
I did however feel the correct decision was made in the 63rd
minute to over-turn the original "no-try" call by Raynal for
Wales.
Overall, this unassuming approach worked well for Mathieu - a
solid match for France's number 1 whistleblower.
Ireland v Scotland - Matthew Carley
Ireland may not have been able to claim back-to-back Grand Slams
however, heading into this game, the were the clear favourites
to retain the title. Bonus points and points difference could
also come into play too along with the even more ludicrous
scenario of winning less matches whilst still capturing the
championship.
The Scot's could still mathematically win their first 6 Nations
with the more realistic goal of potentially winning the triple
crown (something they haven't achieved since 1990).
This match was always going to be interesting to see how they
reacted after losses the previous week and had the making of
being an absolute cracker!
Well, what a gift to Ireland for their first try by the Scot's
with total lack of concentration. After 40 minutes though, we
could well have been on for an upset after an evenly contested
and cagey first half. A completely different story in the second
period though. After some unforced errors and brave Scottish
defence, Ireland took control and eventually outplayed/dominated
Townsend's men deservedly winning this fixture and with it the
title!
Whilst congratulations are in order for Andy Farrell and his
side, as the tournament progressed, they certainly weren't the
team that finished how they started the tournament with a
fabulous display against the French in round 1. At times they
looked rattled and uncomfortable in their subsequent matches
(credit to their opposition I guess).
I'm also going to be quite harsh on the Scot's. There is no
question they are a decent side. The fact of the matter remains
for the 3rd straight year they have only won 3 matches and I
actually don't see any progression moving forward. The question
has to be asked - Has Gregor done all that he can for this team?
Ultimately, they must be disappointed with this campaign yet
again!!
Matthew Carley got the nod from WR in this appointment - I think
a decent appointment too giving this was always going to be a
decisive fixture. I also felt that he needed to deliver a
stellar performance to challenge Luke & Karl for the battle of
England's number 1 referee.
And, to be fair I thought that's exactly what he did! He has
been criticised on this forum before for being robotic and I
believe he is a no-nonsense referee that at times may not relate
to the players. However, I thought he was clear, cool, calm and
delivered a polished performance.
As always, there are talking points: There were a couple of
"no-try" decisions for Marius Jonker to assist with and I think
on balance probably got them correct. The Scottish yellow card
was also the right one in the 64th minute. The other main
talking point was the yellow card in the 75th minute for Harry
Byrne. Carley followed the protocol and issued the yellow with a
review which remained yellow. For me, there is an argument that
a red card could have been issued as this is exactly the kind of
head contact WR want to remove from the game. Ultimately, that
was the decision and I'm sure this would be discussed in the
follow up meeting.
Overall, Matt should be pleased with his showing in what was the
title deciding match.
France v England - Angus Gardner
England's slim hopes of snatching the title away from Ireland
were dashed with the result of the game in Dublin. So, this
match was being played for pride and placing. Both teams were
riding high after wins in their previous outing. We had to save
the best game of the weekend for last - and boy did we get it!
What a belter of a match - particularly in the second half and
of course the drama right at the death! Have to say, what an
atmosphere too!!
The French dominated the first period in the main with a
distinctly average England performance. The Lawrence try at the
end of that first period really spurred Borthwick's side who
were a completely different team in the opening 15 minutes of
the second half (what a contrast) as they exploded into gear
with some unbelievable try's. The French were all over the
place.
I just don't understand what happened after the Smith try -
England just stopped playing which let the French back in again.
This was one hell of a ding-dong battle! Ramos quite literally
saved the home-side with some superb kicking ability!
Then, the drama - The try, the 79th minute penalty, the
converted kick and France snatched runner's up spot, just
incredible! Fair play to the French, they just about deserved
it!!
Couldn't ask for more in a pulsating match that had everyone on
the edge of their seats!!
As for Angus Gardner - Well, after I applauded his officiating
in his first appointment a week earlier, I have to say, I
enjoyed his performance again this week!
I mentioned earlier, we are just not going to agree with
everything. Let's start with that 79th minute penalty. Some
pundits are saying it's a soft penalty, but it is a penalty and
I think he's got it right! Also , there could well have been an
off-side too during that phase. On balance a penalty is the
right decision.
Have to say, earlier on I thought Freeman was very lucky not to
receive a yellow card for that knock-on and who knows what could
have happened there.
It's a game of margins and on balance I thought Angus refereed
the match really well. He's continued his good form and should
be really pleased with how he's handled both matches of the
tournament. He's established himself as a top top referee - Good
job!
Ultimately, for both teams, I think they will be pleased how
they have ended this tournament and both sides have shown
improvement as the 6 Nations have progressed. They are not
perfect by any stretch but, they are getting there!
Have to say - Again decent refereeing performances all round. A
solid job by the officials this week!
Another good weekend of rugby (not on the same level as last
weekend), the drama in that last match encases what this 6
Nations is all about. There is nothing quite like it!
#Post#: 77109--------------------------------------------------
Re: Six Nations 2024
By: BabyRef Date: March 17, 2024, 9:15 am
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Disappointing to see Neil Jenkins using his role as 'waterboy'
to harangue Raynal - thought Raynal did well to tell him where
to go - I hope World Rugby follow up with some kind of
punishment
#Post#: 77178--------------------------------------------------
Re: Six Nations 2024
By: JCFC Date: March 18, 2024, 5:59 am
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Many thanks to Alfie75 for his informative, enlightening and
always enjoyable summaries of the matches throughout the series.
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