Peter Bills: Disjointed Springboks vent fury at ref justice
Australia 30
South Africa 13
South Africa's BJ Botha in attack during Saturday's Tri-Nations encounter in Brisbane. Photo: Getty Images
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Monday July 26 2010
Irish referee George Clancy followed his fellow countryman Alain Rolland into South Africa's bad books with his first performance in a Tri-Nations match, at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium.
Not without reason, the Springboks raised eyebrows several centimetres and again talked darkly of an Irish referee allowing a home player to escape the sin bin on several occasions.
In Wellington the previous week against the All Blacks, Rolland had been unduly lenient with Richie McCaw's frequent offsides at the breakdown. Yet he sin-binned Springbok lock Danie Rossouw for a first offence.
This time, in Brisbane, Clancy sent South Africans Jaque Fourie and BJ Botha to the sin bin but ignored at least four occasions when Australian flanker David Pocock appeared to either kill the ball on the ground or sealed it off from Springbok players.
The South Africans were not amused. "Those were very harsh decisions that went against us," said Ruan Pienaar. "You want consistency, that is all."
I suppose Rolland and Clancy could claim consistency; after all, they both ignored a flanker's frequent infringements. But the South Africans did not see the funny side of it.
Defeat and a third Tri-Nations match this season, from which they have not taken a single point, has cost the Springboks their title.
They are in disarray, centre Jaque Fourie was yesterday suspended for four weeks after being cited for the dangerous tackle that saw him sin-binned.
Crucial
Wallabies out-half Quade Cooper got a two-week ban after also being yellow-carded and will miss the crucial game at home against New Zealand on Saturday.
The South Africans look weary after far too much rugby this year. But the team does not seem to know which way to play the new game. They cannot decide between traditional Springbok forward play and the kicking and running game produced so effectively by the All Blacks on the previous two weekends.
Australia's finishing was at times very ordinary, so a lot of chances were missed. But six penalty goals, five by Matt Giteau for a variety of South African offences, kept them in charge.
Only when South Africa closed from 23-3 to 23-13 in the second half was there any chance of a comeback. But Will Genia's late try snuffed out that threat.
The Australians will need to be far more clinical and ruthless in their finishing if they are to stop the All Blacks' bandwagon. But at least the McCaw/ Pocock flank-forward contest should be a classic.
AUSTRALIA -- A Ashley-Cooper; J O'Connor, R Horne, M Giteau (B Barnes 70), D Mitchell; Q Cooper, W Genia; B Robinson (J Slipper 59), S Faingaa (S Moore 53), S Ma'afu, D Mumm (R Simmons 67), N Sharpe, R Elsom (Capt), D Pocock, R Brown (B McCalman 70).
SOUTH AFRICA -- Z Kirchner; G Aplon, J Fourie, W Olivier (J de Jongh 54), B Habana; M Steyn (B James 54), R Pienaar (F Hougaard 72); G Steenkamp, J Smit (Capt) (C Ralepelle 72), BJ Botha (CJ van der Linde 67), D Rossouw (F Van der Merwe 67), V Matfield, S Burger, R Kankowski (D Potgieter 55), P Spies (CJ van der Linde 48-55).
REF -- G Clancy (Ireland).
- Peter Bills in Brisbane
Irish Independent
