Super 12 - Week 12

The league ends in excitement

It was a tense weekend with the final placings for the semi-finals decided in the dying minutes of the last match. The Blues were back in sublime mood. The Reds and the Sharks, with no chance of qualifying for any further participation in the Super 12, performed manfully and with pride, which was in itself a tribute to them and the tournament. And then there was that rich trifle in Pretoria when the Cats and the Bulls showed skills previously disguised.

In the discussions we should like to mention again the problem of citing and possible inconsistencies in the process. We should also like to mention a gross bit of commentator ignorance which caused many queries and much upset, especially in New Zealand where Blues' supporters felt hard done by through the appearance of the field of a player who the commentator decided was ineligible.

Everybody involved in human activity gets things wrong, but it's best not to teach the world to be wrong, and we have had several queries about what a commentator promulgated.

The referee, who performed exceptionally well in the match, has had calls from South Africa, New Zealand and as far as Tanzania.

1. Statistics:

We give the tables which show what has happened from week to week with totals for the 12 weeks.

Penalties conceded

This weekend's penalty count was the lowest of the 12 weeks of Super 12 2004, though most of the matches were local affairs which usually produce greater tension. Perhaps the intensity brought with it greater concentration..

The Crusaders remain the least penalised team in Super 12, followed by the Bulls. The Hurricanes have overtaken the Sharks as the most penalised team.

The Bulls are the team which conceded fewest penalties in a match - three against the Cats. The most penalties conceded in a match is 17 - by the Stormers. The Bulls had a unique half for the 2004 Super 12. They did not concede a single penalty in the second half.

Of the 113 penalties this week, 64 were at the tackle - directly at the tackle, not high tackles or off-side but what happens at the scene of a tackle. Consistently more than half the penalties awarded are at the tackle

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
Blues	9	7	7	8		11	8	10	7	14	14	6	101
Brumbies	8	7	8	9	14	7	7	11		14	7	12	104
Bulls	9	8	6	10	8	8		6	12	8	10	3	88
Cats	14	10	11	8	8		10	13	9	4	6	6	99
Chiefs	11	7	10		12	8	5	8	7	16	7	7	98
Crusaders	9	9	8		4	6	6	5	7	9	9	13	85
Highlanders	15	13	9	11	9	10	4	7		7	11	4	100
Hurricanes	11	10	14	12	14	4	16		5	8	10	14	118
Reds	5	12	10	11		9	13	10	10	7	10	5	102
Sharks	14	12	16	11	10		7	12	8	8	8	9	115
Stormers	8	8	7	5	7	17		11	9	9	13	6	100
Waratahs	11	7	7	10	10	13	9		6	7	7	9	96
Totals:	124	110	113	95	96	93	85	93	80	111	112	94
Average	10,3	9,2	9,4	9,5	9,6	9,3	8,5	9,3		9,3	9,3	7,8

Penalties conceded per match

Highlanders vs Reds: 15 + 5 = 20
Cats vs Stormers: 14 + 8 = 22
Crusaders vs Waratahs: 9 + 11 = 20
Chiefs vs Hurricanes: 11 + 11 = 22
Brumbies vs Blues: 8 + 9 = 17
Bulls vs Sharks: 9 + 14 = 23
Crusaders vs Blues: 9 + 7 = 16
Brumbies vs Cats: 7 + 10 = 17
Waratahs vs Sharks: 7 + 12 = 19
Reds vs Chiefs: 12 + 7 = 19
Bulls vs Hurricanes: 8 + 10 = 18
Stormers vs Highlanders: 8 + 13 = 21
Blues vs Chiefs: 7 + 10 = 17
Waratahs vs Cats: 7 + 11 = 18
Bulls vs Highlanders: 6 + 9 = 15
Brumbies vs Sharks: 8 + 16 = 24
Reds vs Crusaders: 10 + 8 = 18
Stormers vs Hurricanes: 7 + 14 = 21
Hurricanes vs Cats: 12 + 8 = 20
Bulls vs Brumbies: 10 + 9 = 19
Stormers vs Waratahs: 5 + 10 = 15
Reds vs Blues: 11 + 8 = 19
Highlanders vs Sharks: 11 + 11 = 22
Bulls vs Waratahs: 8 + 10 = 18
Hurricanes vs Sharks: 14 + 10 = 24
Highlanders vs Cats: 9 + 8 = 17
Chiefs vs Crusaders: 12 + 4 = 16
Stormers vs Brumbies: 14 + 7 = 21
Stormers vs Bulls: 17 + 8 = 25
Hurricanes vs Blues: 4 + 11 = 15
Chiefs vs Waratahs: 8 + 13 = 21
Crusaders vs Highlanders: 6 + 10
Brumbies vs Reds: 7 + 9 = 16
Blues vs Waratahs, 8 + 9 = 17
Sharks vs Cats, 7 + 10 = 17
Highlanders vs Chiefs: 4 + 5 = 9
Hurricanes vs Reds: 16 + 13 = 29
Crusaders vs Brumbies: 6 + 7 = 13
Blues vs Bulls: 10 + 6 = 16
Brumbies vs Highlanders: 11 + 7 = 18
Reds vs Stormers: 10 + 11 = 21
Sharks vs Crusaders: 12 + 5 = 17
Cats vs Chiefs: 13 + 8 = 21
Reds vs Bulls: 10 + 12 = 22
Blues vs Stormers: 7 + 9 = 16
Sharks vs Chiefs: 8 + 7 = 15
Waratahs vs Hurricanes: 6 + 5 = 11
Chiefs vs Stormers: 16 + 9 = 25
Cats vs Crusaders: 9 + 7 = 16
Crusaders vs Bulls, 9 + 8 = 17
Highlanders vs Hurricanes: 7 + 8 = 15
Waratahs vs Brumbies: 7 + 14 = 21
Sharks vs Reds: 8 + 7 = 15
Cats vs Reds: 6 + 10 = 16
Brumbies vs Hurricanes: 7 + 10 = 17
Crusaders vs Stormers: 9 + 13 = 22
Waratahs vs Highlanders: 7 + 11 = 18
Chiefs vs Bulls: 7 + 10 = 17
Sharks vs Blues: 8 + 14 = 22
Bulls vs Cats: 3 + 6 = 9
Crusaders vs Hurricanes: 13 + 14 = 27
Chiefs vs Brumbies: 7 + 12 = 19
Sharks vs Stormers: 9 + 6 = 15
Reds vs Waratahs: 5 + 9 = 14
Blues vs Highlanders: 6 + 4 = 10

The match between the Hurricanes and the Reds has produced the most penalties. The matches between the Highlanders and the Chiefs and between the Bulls and the Cats produced the fewest penalties.

Cards

It was the worst weekend of Super 12 for the number of disciplinary actions - six yellow cards and two citings with suspension. But then internecine warfare is always toughest.

All, except one, of the cards were for actions under Law 10, which deals with the handling of foul play.

Russel Winter of the Sharks: High tackle on an airborne player
George Smith of the Brumbies: Stomping
André van Niekerk of the Cats: Stomping
Scott Fava of the Brumbies: Fighting
Michael Collins of the Chiefs: Fighting
Sione Lauaki of the Chiefs: High tackle
Jaque Fourie of the Cats: A critical infringement

Jerry Collins and Chris Masoe of the Hurricanes were both cited for high tackles and suspended - for two weeks and one week respectively.

In the Blues match there was a tackle which seemed to the watcher worse than either of those of Collins or Masoe. Bradley Mika tackled/hit Nick Evans around the neck, felling the Highlanders' fullback who then needed attention.

The referee decided that it was a reflex action, which it did not seem to be at all.

Then there was David Croft's tackle on Chris Whitaker in the match between the Reds and the Waratahs. The tackle was late and around the neck, that is high. Whitaker was hurt.

That the match officials missed the incident was understandable as Whitaker had grubbered ahead towards the Reds' goalline and it was not all that far in from touch. But the citing commissioner could comfortably have picked it up.

If Collins and Masoe were cited, why not Mika and Croft?

In the cases of Collins and Masoe the disciplinary inquiry found that the referee had been too soft. It is astonishing that the citing people should not have examined the case of Mika as well.

Are the personalities harmed part of the equation? If the people on the receiving end are All Blacks are the perpetratiors more severely treated than if they are not - as Nick Evans isn't?

Mind you of all non-decvisions in the 2004 Super 12 the non-citing of Owen Finegan for stomping on the head of Wikus van Heerden is hardest to explain.

To get a sort of a total we have allotted one point for a yellow card, four for a red card and four for a citing with suspension. It's artificial but there is some sense in it!

By that reckoning the Reds are the most virtuous, the Chiefs the most offending.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
Blues						Y	Y			Y			3
Brumbies	Y							Y				2Y	4
Bulls	Y								Y	Y	Y		4
Cats								Y				2Y	3
Chiefs		Y,C	C					Y				2Y	12
Crusaders											R		4
Highlanders		Y					Y	Y			R		7
Hurricanes							Y					2C	9
Reds				Y									1
Sharks	Y		Y							C		Y	7
Stormers	Y								Y	C			6
Waratahs					2Y						Y		3
Totals	4	3	2	1	2	1	3	4	2	4	4	9

Tries

The Brumbies have scored most tries, the Chiefs and Reds fewest. The most tries by a team in a match is the ten the Brumbies scored.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Total
Blues	3	6	2	0		3	3	9	3	4	4	7	44
Brumbies	5	10	2	3	4	7	4	7		4	6	2	54
Bulls	2	4	1	4	4	1		3	2	3	3	9	36
Cats	2	4	1	3	2		4	2	4	3	2	7	34
Chiefs	1	3	3		2	2	5	2	4	4	2	0	28
Crusaders	1	3	1		4	6	5	3	5	4	2	3	37
Highlanders	5	3	1	4	4	4	4	2		2	4	3	36
Hurricanes	1	3	3	5	2	2	4		4	1	3	5	33
Reds	1	5	2	3		1	2	3	3	0	6	2	28
Sharks	2	2	1	5	2		5	4	3	1	2	4	31
Stormers	3	6	1	4	2	3		2	8	2	0	5	36
Waratahs	4	6	5	3	3	2	2		7	3	3	1	39
Totals	30	55	23	34	29	31	38	37	43	31	37	48
Average	2,5	4,8	3,9	3,4	2,9	3,1	3,8	3,7	4,3	2,6	3,1	4

Tries against

The Cats conceded most, the Reds and the Brumbies fewest.

Blues: 37
Brumbies: 29
Bulls: 41
Cats: 60
Chiefs: 36
Crusaders: 34
Highlanders: 44
Hurricanes: 34
Reds: 29
Sharks: 33
Stormers: 32
Waratahs: 31

2. "I don't know what's going on"

It is a pity when commentators promulgate the wrong thing. From the incident described below we have had many queries because of what the commentator said.

In the 20th minute (the substitution hour) of the second half of the exciting match between the Sharks and the Stormers in Durban, Bolla Conradie was taken off the field and a substitute was sent on - Neil de Kock. Conradie was not hurt. He was substituted.

In the 36th minute of the half, De Kock went off with an attendant pressing his bleeding nose. He went off bleeding.

Back came Conradie.

Commentator: "Bolla Conradie's come back on. I'm afraid he's not allowed to. He's not a tight forward - Neil de Kock, and Bolla Conradie has already been substituted. I don't know what's going on."

Because he did not know what was going on - and it is a commentator's job to know what is going on - other people were thrown into confusion, and inevitably the referee is presumed to be wrong.

The commentator did not leave it there.

The next time Conradie touched the ball, he said: "Now I believe that that is an unregistered player, effectively, who has just played the ball - Bolla Conradie."

After Schalk Burger juggled and scored his try in the corner, the commentator came back at it again: "I still have to come back to what is Bolla Conradie doing on the field. He has already been substituted. He can't come back onto the field just because his scrum-half has gone off."

Thrice he denied Conradie the right to play - and thrice he was wrong. What he told the world was wrong, wrong, wrong.

Law 13.3  SUBSTITUTED PLAYERS REJOINING THE MATCH If a player is substituted, that player must not return and play in that match even to replace an injured player.

Exception 1: a substituted player may replace a player with a bleeding or open wound.
Exception 2: a substituted player may replace a front row player when injured, temporarily suspended or sent off.

Please, note, being a tight forward has nothing whatsoever to do with the situation.

If the Stormers' wing had been bleeding they would have been within their rights to send Bolla Conradie to play on the wing.

If you are going to pronounce on the law, it is better to know the law.

The problem is how to put to rights a false proclamation. Perhaps St Peter did it right. He went and wept and repented for the rest of his life!

3. Stomach trouble:

Let's stay with substitutions.

At the start of the second half of the match between the Sharks and the Stormers in Durban, John Smit, the captain of the Sharks did not take the field. His place was taken by the replacement hooker Skipper Badenhorst.

After 19 minutes in the half Smit returned to the field of play.

Allowed?

The commentator supposed that he had been bleeding. But that could not be the case.

10 TEMPORARY REPLACEMENT

(a) When a player leaves the field to have bleeding controlled and/or have an open wound covered, that player may be temporarily replaced. If the player who has been temporarily replaced does not return to the field-of-play within 15 minutes (actual time) of leaving the playing area, the replacement becomes permanent and the replaced player must not return to the field-of-play.

Smit was off for 19 minutes of playing time.

Smit had not been bleeding. He had a stomach problem. That means that he had been substituted.

As a front row player he could come back on if another player in the front row needed to be replaced. That is covered by exception 2 in 2. above.

Smit came back on in the place of Skipper Badenhorst. That would have been allowable only if Badenhorst had been injured or, as with Neil de Kock, was bleeding.

When Smit appeared on the field the commentator wondered if some skulduggery (sic) had gone on.

Why he should suspect skulduggery from his lofty perch is beyond credibility and is, as was the case with his Bolla Conradie comments, irresponsible.

The coming and going of replacements is regulated by officials appointed to do the job and the status of the substituted/replaced player is recorded and checked.

When Badenhorst came off, he was medically checked and it was recorded that his lip was bleeding.

Smit had two reasons to replace him - bleeding and the need to have a front row specialist.

4. Over the top:

The Hurricanes throw into a line-out but the Crusaders win the ball. The form a maul and drive ahead with the ball at the back. Rodney So'oialo, the Hurricanes' intent No.8, is caught up in the maul and tries to reach over to get the ball. He stretches but cannot reach. He carries on stretching and as he reaches further and further his feet get higher and higher off the ground until he is lying on top of the maul.

The referee tells him to get out of it, which he does.

OK?

It looked odd.

The Law doesn't say he is not allowed to do it, unless it is considered an act of collapsing a maul.

You can;t really see crawling along the roof of a maul as a legitimate rugby tactic, can you?

5. You;re pulling my leg:

The Crusaders throw into a line-out, win the ball and form a maul, not too far from the Hurricanes' line. The maul is pretty static. Ross Filipo of the Crusaders is on the side of the maul. Kristian Ormsby of the Hurricanes is also on the side of the maul. The two are on the same side. Ormsby reaches down a hand, lifts Ross's leg, picks it up and drives him to the ground.

The referee penalises Ormsby.

Right?

Yes.

Players in a maul must try to stay on their feet and are certainly not to get others off their feet, especially if such an act is liable to cause a collapse.

6. The Brumbies throw in at a line-out. It is a shortish line-out. Second from the back and about two metres in from the 15-metre line Scott Fava soars up and catches the ball. He brings it down and passes it. By the time he brings it down Marty Holah of the Chiefs has moved about three metres infield over the 15-metre line.

The referee penalises Holah.

Right?

Yes. Until the line-out is over he must stay inside the 15-metre line. The line-out was not over till it left the line-out.

Place of the penalty?

On the 15-metre line.

7. Self-control:

The Blues are playing the Highlanders at Eden Park. The smoke of pre-match entertainment is still thick on the field. The players are fired up. The Blues need five points to have a semi-final chance. The Highlanders would like to take the Gordon Hunter Trophy back to Otago.

There is tension in the air.

It is the first line-out of the match. The Highlanders are to throw in. The Highlanders have five men in the line-out. They do their choreographed thing and Anton Oliver throws to the second last man. Simon Maling soars high in the smoky air, catches the ball and flings it down to scrum-half Jimmy Cowan.

It is a harsh pass. It bounces at Cowan's feet, hits his shin and bounces straight back to the forwards.

Forwards are simple people. They react in simple ways. Throw a ball at them and they catch it and hug it and humbly try to make it good for their backs.

In the tension of the starting moments the Highlanders part. Carl Hoeft and Dan Quayte step aside and let the ball pass, because they know they are off-side. And so Kees Meeuws of the Blues grabs the ball and drives ahead.

It was a wonderful moment of self-control.

Paul Delport of the Cats did something similar. Instead of grabbing the ball knocked on to him he stood aside, hands in the air, lest he concede a penalty.

Pleasing moments! No wonder the partial moon smiled over Eden Park at the noble men playing below.