Steve’s shocker
Here’s the photographic evidence to prove New Zealand referee Steve Walsh incorrectly determined the outcome of the Super 14 final.
Walsh told this website’s Ryan Vrede he may have got it wrong. No Steve you DID get it wrong.
This is not a picture to encourage play on. Walsh should have blown for either a knock, or penalised the Bulls player on the ground for scooping the ball back after losing it or any one of three Bulls players for not being on their feet at the ruck.
Whatever the choice play should have been stopped and possession should have been handed to the Sharks. It would have also been the end of the game.
Once again a failure to use technology has determined a championship and where the bloody hell was the touch judge’s vision?
This was a shocker!
Richard Young, who sent the clip, writes (sic)
Dear Country People
I only watched the last three minutes of the main game on Saturday afternoon for reasons that might have been deduceable on Sunday.
But I have captured a series of nine still images of the video between the 45th and 47th seconds of the 80th minute thereof.
Here is just one of them in the 45th second of the 80th minute.
Would anyone care to offer an opinion on what is the meaning of this?
Apologies to recipients of this email who have no interest whatsoever in the outcome of the Vodacom Super Whatever 2007.
Some Answer Options
Is it legal?
Is it illegal?
Is it blindness?
Is it shortsightedness?
Is it outofsightedness?
Is it conspiracy?
Is it sad?
Is it not sad?
Is it a combination of any of the above?
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:04 am
No 1 for this one
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Was Albert’s try a try?
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Too many games are decided through referring mistakes. Referees cannot be expected to be perfect. More needs to be done to assist them in making right decisions. The time has come to introduce one appeal against referree’s decisions per game for each team, as in American football. The coaches could make the appeals during the match and video replays could be used to reach the right decision. Commentators and viewers watching games usually see the errors. Why not make use of the technology? This HAS to happen, and happen SOON! It would reduce contentiousness in a big way and increase enjoyment of games. Keo, please take this forward and keep it in the news until it happens. It’s the right thing to do.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:25 pm
the milk is already lying all over the floor, no use crying over it now! Just win the trophy next year Sharks
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Sure. Should I now go and sift through the recording of the game to capture a still image of the penalty try that should have been awarded to the Bulls when Butch James illegally stole the ball from the ruck? The Bulls were right on the goal line of the Sharks, and the Sharks were desperately scrambling in defence and suddenly the ball pops up on the Sharks side…
Nah. There were bad calls on both sides. The Bulls wasted more scoring opportunities than the Sharks, and in the highlights of the game on Supersport, seem to be doing most of the attacking in the game.
On the performance of the day, they probably deserved a draw. But seeing as it was a home game for the Sharks, that tells you that the Bulls are clearly the better team, by a good margin.
In the end, the best team in SA won the trophy. Get over it…
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:27 pm
How the hell should steve see that? He is standing on the other side of the ruck! If you want to make same noise and get some hits, blam the TJ on that side, whoever that was!
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:28 pm
About Albert’s try!! I am a stormer and had no problem with his try!!!!
He went to ground and in one movement placed the ball like he is allowed to!!! Other wise we can go back and claim the currie cup back where Grant Esterhuizen was held by Pieter Rossouw and still scored by placing the ball over the try line!!!
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Tacitus,
The Sharks finished top of the log. That makes them the best team in SA.
But all that aside, is anybody surprised that the Bulls had to resort to cheating to win? After Bryan Habana’s WWF audition on Percy, this is just another misdemeanor to add to their staggering list.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Linston Manuels the TJ who missed this one ?
You owe us one bugger!
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:31 pm
The way ppl are going on over this, you’d think that they think they still have a chance of getting the trophy if they prove that Walsh was wrong.
From that pic, Walsh wouldn’t have been able to see, but i agree, the TJ shoulda done something.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:33 pm
How often have the Bulls lost in the past on bad refereeing and then everyone shouts: “Typical Bulls – they blame the ref!” Linston Manuels, Jonathan Kaplan, Freek Burger – the list is endless.
For once the shoe is on the other foot
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:33 pm
in the 1998 Currie Cup Final, Chester Williams scored a winning try for WP against the Bulls which was adjudged forward, when in fact it was incredibly marginal.
The try was not allowed and the Bulls won the Currie Cup
Maybe ***** is on their side?
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:34 pm
1966, England v. West Germany, Football World Cup Final. Did the ball cross the line to make the score 3-2 to England? Who knows. Did they use TV images, computers and C3PO to try and prove/disprove the goal? YES. Does it matter at all? NO. It is fkin pointless. The cup is in Pretoria and not in Durban and I for one don’t give a **** whether the Sharks feel cheated or not.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Twig i bet you woulda loved it if they suspended habana for a few tests for that shot on percy, hey?
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:35 pm
who is the Bulls player playing that ball?
He should be the real hero with Liefling and Habana
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Hoops.
Albert placed it once before the line and then placed it again. (2nd movement). You are allowed to place the ball, but only once.
Anyway, none of this matters.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Get over it the bulls won because the Sharks choked by not kicking the ball out
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Hoops.
Albert placed it once before the line and then placed it again. (2nd movement). You are allowed to place the ball, but only once.
Anyway, none of this matters.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:36 pm
saffa, not at all, he’s a vital asset to our team. but rules is rules, m’boy.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:37 pm
Did the linesman bring it to his attention? If not then it is stupid to blame the referee as he quite clearly can not see the ball on the other side of the play ……
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:38 pm
bad luck sharks…
in the words of chopper – “harden the Fu#k up”
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Die beker is blou!!!
Nothing will change that….but I do feel that the final summed up the whole S14……teams one games in the dying minutes a couple of times…like bulls vs Chiefs…Sharks vs Saders, Blues vs Brumbies!!!
In the end I felt the shark deserved it more….but they had more than enough time to defend their line after the mistake and well done to Habana for actually scoring the try!!!!
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Tjorts # 2
please explain how albert’s try would have changed the result. ask someone for a calculator.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Two issues here
The picture excludes the TJ who was 3m away and in full view of the incident. Steve Walsh was on the other side of the ruck and unsighted… it was the TJs call
More importantly, certain Bulls supporters claimed this to be a great “fetchers” turnover. As I said this must be the distinctly nouveau type of Bulls fetcher!
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:40 pm
I’m speechless and the whole country saw this as well. The Bulls did not deserve to win period !A similiar mistake Springboks vs All Blacks a couple of years ago. In a Tri-Nations game when Richard Bands tried to score a try an All Black player knocked the ball out of his hands as he tried to stand up from a ruck 3 metres from the try line.The ref gave a scrum and blew for time I was speechles. The boks would have won that game. Remember the two forward passes in two Currie Cup finals, WP vs Freestate & WP vs Transvaal. Ja what can we as spectators do…just watch ? Cheers, Ed
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:41 pm
What goes around, comes around, fortunately for the Bulls, their luck was at the right place at the right time.
None of this whineging is going to change the result, no matter how unpleasant it is for all of us non bulls supporters.
At least a SA side is now the reigning S14 champion team, let’s move forward and support the boks now.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:41 pm
You can see my comments in another thread. First off, I’m a Sharks supporter. All this would be unnecessary if Steyn had kicked the ball out when he had a chance after full time. Instead he kicked it long giving the Bulls a chance. Refs **** up all the time, but the refs mistake was no worse than Steyn’s. I’m not vilifying Steyn either, all players make mistakes, but the blame shouldn’t be shifted onto the ref.
Unfortunately, this mistake was visible and preventable had the touch judge done his job, and also unfortunately it was in a match deciding movement. If it had been earlier in the game, no-one would be mentioning it. Perhaps someone can go back and see how many offenses were committed in the lead up to the Sharks scores. Was Albert’s try really a try?
What’s done is done, and pretty much all my Sharks mates feel the same way. We congratulate the gracious Bulls fans, and to those who call us all bad losers, go bury your heads in the sand some more because you’re not being objective.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:41 pm
Based on the perfomances of the last four years the Bulls deserve to be the first SA winners – so I believe justice was done in the end. The Bulls have worked up to this point over the last six years – and has been most consistent overall. And I’m a Lions fan.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:41 pm
The touch judge should really have spotted it. When I was watching the game I actually spotted it directly, I thought the Bulls were gonna be blown for a penalty…20 seconds later, Bulls win! Bulls did well to win but anyone who says the bulls deserved to win the match didn’t watch te game… Anyway it’s in the past, what’s important now is the Boks
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Twig
You can blame whoever you want, the Bulls ARE super 14 champions. As Tacitus said amazing how knowbody’s camplaining about the Butch incident.(Because it wasn’t the winning try.
Stop whining and face the facts. Bulls are champs.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:43 pm
Overall if there is a team who deserved to be champions based on the past 2 or 3 years it is the Bulls.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:44 pm
so that guy lying on the ground is a cheat according to the evidence. is it just coincedence that he happens to play for the bulls too?
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:45 pm
Well said Number 15.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Ha! ha! ha!
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Kevin,
What I am getting at is that the bad decisions went both ways. The Sharks lead 14-13 before Albert scored a try which a TMO probably would have deemed as a second movement. Anything could have happened (and a lot did happen) in those last minutes.
The Bulls won – finish en klaar!
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:47 pm
and they call themselves sportsman. no sport in the way that ball was played on the ground.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:48 pm
Badbok, don’t state the obvious. No-one’s disputing that the Bulls have been awarded the trophy.
But don’t pretend that they’re not notorious cheats who don’t deserve the title.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Hello…ello….llo….lo…o
Something sounds a bit hollow around here, the victory maybe?
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Bod #24
You are so spot on … yesterday it was all legit and now the excuses on this thread are priceless … “we was also robbed”
Number15 #27
Get real, Steyn’s teammates did enough to nulify his mistake. As the picture clearly shows. So if Steyn’s **** up was so bad why didn’t the other 14 just sit down and let them score. No, they continued to play and turn the ball over. So they played the full game not 79 minutes like every second fool is shouting but lost out to poor refereeing. Not going to change the outcome, but you can’t hide the facts.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:49 pm
At the end of the year, the records will show the following: Super 14 Final Result – Bulls 20, Sharks 19. The controversy will be long forgotten. So we should’ve won the test against Ireland where John Smit asked to speak to his team and the Irish scored a quick tap try? Let it go guys. The linesman should’ve picked it up, he didn’t.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Oh please give me a break MARTIN. If everybody who plays rugby, played by the rules then there would not be Penalties. I suppose your heavenly Sharks have never played the ball on the ground.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:50 pm
Stocky build, short brown hair… could it be Derick Kuun?
Or is that Derick in the foreground?
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:50 pm
and because of slack officials fans are denied what should have been a great game and win either way.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:51 pm
hollow? no I thought the movie’s name was “gone in 60 seconds”. Too bad sharkies. Next year back to mid table mediocrity methinks.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:52 pm
There is no trophy for a moral victory so would the Sharks please shut the f#ck up now. It’s over. I’m hurting just as bad as you but this is pointless.
What we should all be doing is channelling our efforts to put pressure on the ruling bodies to make sure this stops happening. It ruins a good contest, that we all pay good money to watch.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Please allow the Bulls and their fans to enjoy this thoroughly. It is a sport and things like this will happen at times. If the ref and his support staff did this on purpose to benefit the Bulls it will be wrong – but this is not such a case at all. Let go of it. The Sharks made huge progress this season and have much to be happy about – so they should not be so narrow to base all joy on the outcome of the final.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Badbok, a penalty is exactly what should have been awarded.
That’s the point.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Julle sharks is patetiese verloorders! Bulle is champs – aanvaar dit!
When the calls go for you, you guys dont mind hey? Remember that hand in the ruck from a sharks player that made Troy Flavell fumble the ball into there own goal line?? JP Pietersen then just fell on it and the try was given – although illegally. The sharks won that game – but if that try wasnt scored they wouldve lost!
Then the final wouldve been at Loftus and things wouldve been different!
So stop wining! Even Albert’s try is shakey…
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:54 pm
It was a despicable act of fetchery and certainly no example to aspiring openside flankers across SA…
But I agree, the Sharks can moan till they’re blue in the face. This will only make them appear to be Bulls supporters.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Tjorts
So if Albert’s try didn’t happen then it would have been a 5 yard scrum am i right / or a penalty… not sure. 5 yard scrum and we have the Bulls pinned on their goal line with a pack being dominated.
Come to think of it, i’d rather have Albert’s try disallowed than what was to follow.