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 6:52 pm
Norman Jordaan is a blue legend!!!
May 22nd, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Nee kyk, as Stofile **** van Norman Jordaan, dan gaan hy n deurbraak maak in sy toespraak.
May 22nd, 2007 at 6:55 pm
346
Dude he was joking…
May 22nd, 2007 at 6:59 pm
326 PissAnt,
Yes but in inpreting that rule you could say that the ball was already placed. The idea is that someone with ball in hand can reach out and place it …… otherwise the rule woule say ‘place or replace’
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:01 pm
i got a good sporting Question… which ladies tennis player would u most like to hammer 6-0??
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:02 pm
The Bill
just another sour sharks fan , so who in your eyes should have the cup , the sharks? who haven’t won anything in the last decade ??
Please do tell
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:03 pm
333 niceone,
The Habana fans are quiet
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:04 pm
My S14 team, because of consistency over the duration of 14 league rounds.
15 Julian Huxley
14 Bryan Habana
13 Isaia Toeava
12 Luke McAlister (when fit, otherwise Matt Giteau)
11 JP Pietersen
10 Nick Evans
9 Fourie Du Preez (Brendon Leonard not far behind)
8 Mose Tuili’i
7 Juan Smith
6 Luke Watson
5 Victor Matfield
4 Troy Flavell
3 Carl Hayman
2 John Smit
1 Deon Carstens
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:07 pm
#353 – I know ! Just continuing the sarcasm mate !
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Jacques Botes misses out to Luke Watson based on the fact that Luke played behind a losing pack the entire tournament… and had the captain’s armband.
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:09 pm
355- come on okes, which international star would u like to have a few shots with?
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:09 pm
#357 – They know the truth mate . They know thats as good as ‘Flying Bryan ‘ is, Rico is just BETTER.
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Looking at the photo it is amazing that anyone could see well enough to referee a South African rugby match with the excessive TV graphics
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:11 pm
#355 – Steffi Graff ?
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:12 pm
362
Is that why he’s been demoted to Junior All Blacks?
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:12 pm
Blue rugga new to the site now that your team have won?
Read my post again, I told you to enjoy it. But no, you want to wine & fight about it. You are a sad person.
As you probably know there were 2 HUGE calls by the ref, one was to allow Habana to stay on the field & the other (by the touch judge) was to not call a knock on or penalty (see picture above).
The sharks should have closed the game out sooner, but didn’t and so the Bulls for all their negatives deserved to win.
All I am saying is try be a little bit humble, you only won with massive luck on your side.
gedit?
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:12 pm
But definitely NOT Maria Sharapova
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:13 pm
#365 – Good call that just highights the fact that if Habana was a NZer he wouldnt make the juniors !
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:15 pm
365 ziyaad,
That is just a tactic to give him a wake up call
hmm, you selected Evans over Carter. Evans had some off games. I do not think he is fully back to form.
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:17 pm
Gear and Sivi are the best two AB wingers. Howlett and Roco are back up
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:19 pm
15 Huxley
14 Pieterson
13 Murray
12 Toeva
11 Habana
10 Brett
9 Du Preez
8 Tuili’i
7 McCaw
6 Van Heerden
5 matfield
4 Flavell
3 Hayman
2 Smit
1 Botha
16 G.Botha
17 Carstens
18 B.Botha
19 Smith
20 Leonard
21 Carter
22 Shepard
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:22 pm
#371 – I like that line up Axel. But Carter not starting , BIG call . Also Murray starting – enough eperience and good displays there ahead of other options ?
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:27 pm
The game is finished and bad calls went both ways. That’s the way the game went and the cup is in Pretoria – nothing is going to take it to Durban in 2007.
Well done to both teams on a good team and well done to the Bulls for keeping on playing. The same thing happened in the Vodacom Cup final…
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:30 pm
I think Brett had a better super 14 than carter and I put murray there because I think he did everything right. He was excellent on attack and solid in defence and you need a hard outside centre like him.
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:31 pm
371 Axel,
If that is based on S14 then didn’t Isaia Toeava spend his time at center?
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:37 pm
What we have to remember here is that all refereeing decisions are subjective.
If he wanted too, Walsh could have blown this match to a standstill. Such were the number of infringements committed by both teams which went unpunished.
At the end of the day, I truly believe Walsh entered into the spirit of the occasion by being a little too lenient towards both sides.
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:39 pm
chch
12 is centre
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Anyone else care to post their TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT to rival our selections ??
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Why is everyone blaming the police man and not the guy cheating anyway? ….. it’s because it happens all the time
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:44 pm
377 Axel, I mean 13
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:48 pm
377 I would call number 12 2nd 5/8 or inside center and 13 center
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Ya he did play outside centre most of the time but I had to have Murray and him there and I thought he could slot in at 12 easier than Murray.
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:53 pm
382 true
May 22nd, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Super 14 Team of the season
Percy Montgomery,François Steyn,Waylon Murray
Brad Barritt,JP Pietersen,Butch James
Ruan Pienaar,Ryan Kankowski,AJ Venter
Jacques Botes,Johann Muller,Johan Ackermann
BJ Botha,John Smit,Deon Carstens
simple actually
May 22nd, 2007 at 8:47 pm
No Bill, It is not the Bulls supporters bitching. It is the sharks whingeing again (and a lot of the udder teams).
We understand though. It sticks sideways in your arse that the Bulls slipped the S14 trophy from under your grasp.
I loved it with all the cheering shark fans and then, (like Staal would say) thump. Deafening silence.
Biggest chokers of 2007, even more so than the Proteas and Pakistan
Percy Montgomery,François Steyn,Waylon Murray
Brad Barritt,JP Pietersen,Butch James
Ruan Pienaar,Ryan Kankowski,AJ Venter
Jacques Botes,Johann Muller,Johan Ackermann
BJ Botha,John Smit,Deon Carstens
simple actually
May 22nd, 2007 at 8:56 pm
John Eales famously said that he would never blame a ref for losing a match. An eighty minute game is made up of 100’s of incidents where players on either side deliberately infringe, take bad options or simply make mistakes. To highlight one incident is irresponsible no matter what the timing of the decision was.
Personally I thought that Van der Berghs try was a knock on and that he momentarily lost control. Oldest rule in the book and the first one that you are taught as a kid…Play to the whistle!!
May 22nd, 2007 at 8:56 pm
hmmmm….
On close inspection it looks like the hand of God to me. Perhaps Jaco’s VDW t-shirt worked.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:01 pm
It is clear that the Bulls would never have been able to win the game on merit. They were completely outplayed by the Sharks. The only way they won the game is through cheating. And please keep religion out of the debat because ****** will never be a party to cheating.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:02 pm
its gotta hurt being a sharks fan.
last year we kept them out of the semi’s and this year they threw the game away and are now bitching like its the Bulls’ fault.
conveniently forgetting it was only a forward pass that led to a try against the Blues that put them top of the log.
swings and merry-go-rounds mof&ckers.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:02 pm
Van den Berg’s try was a double movement. You can watch the footage. First he fell short, then he mad a lunge with his arms and upper body, which he is entitled to do, then he rolled the ball with one hand over his arm. That’s clearly a double movement.
Anyway, way to go Wikus for his surreptitious hand! Or was that Kuun?
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:06 pm
iamok,
we’ll all gather around and you can cry us a little river.
just be careful the sharks dont choke in it.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Lyk vir my Xskreeu-nie-Kak nie is weer uit om te stir. As hy die skelmheid van die Bulls kondoneer is hy net so oneerlik soos hulle. Noudat die Shark ondersteuners weet dat hulle die stryd op meriete gewen het en dat skelmheid aan die kant van die Bulle die uitslag bepaal het, kan hul hul koppe hoog hou en die Bul ondersteuners soos Xskree-nie-Kak nie, met minagting bejeen.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:06 pm
I never said the Bulls supporters were bitching I said they were defending their victory too much.
‘Me thinks he doth protest too much’…
A bitter sweet victory if you ask me.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:12 pm
iamok,
moenie nou soos n martelaar maak of jou haaitjies sonder sonde is nie. snaaks dat julle nie die selfde geraas gemaak het toe julle heel gelukkig die Blues getroef het met vuilspel nie. en by vuilspel bedoel ek n drie van n “forward pass’ af.
snaaks dat dit nie jou morele waardes so erg krenk nie? id dit dalk omdat jy net n suurgat slegte verloorder is wat nie kan vat dat sy span ELKE finaal verloor wat hulle in speel nie?
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:16 pm
Bill,
did you see anything bitter in the faces of the Bulls supporters on Saturday?
didnt think so, and funny thing is, i didnt see it either when I looked in the mirror
we have been on the receiving end of dodgy decisions too many times to not savour this one.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Nee bloukarp, ons het die uitslag aanvaar en hou nie die ref aanspreeklik nie. Hy kon immers nie die verneukspul aan die anderkant van die skrum gesien het nie. Ek dink die Shark ondersteuners het met waardigheid uit die stryd getree. Die feit dat daar eers vandag klink klare bewys gelewer is wat ons die afgelope paar dae op hierdie site gepos het, regverdig dit ‘n afsluit opmerking. Indien die Bulls so sou verloor het, dan sou almal soos regte egter Martie Martelgatte opgetree het.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Well all the Bulls players seem to know a lot about the fact that Albert Van Der Berghs try was illegal because of a “double movement”. What silly ignorant litte Smurfs!
Listen carefully Smurfs: THERE IS NO SUCH THING IN THE LAWS OF THE GAME! He is entitled to place the ball over the line if tackled short. If held in the tackle and he is able to place the ball over the line, he can. Its that simple. I quote, form the laws of the game, and not brandy soaked delusions of grandeur:
“LAW 22.4 (e) Tackled near the goal line. If a player is tackled near to the opponents’ goal line so that this player can immediately reach out and ground the ball on or over the goal line, a try is scored.”
So, I stick to my opinion. The Bulls did not deserve to win. They did, and there is nothing we can do about it now. We can be satisfied in the knowledge that they didn’t deseve it and that the better team was robbed.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Well said Bob. I hope this will for once and for all penetrate their silly little minds so that the debate around van der Berg’s try can be closed.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:52 pm
Wel – oor een ding is ek bly. Saterdag was Liefling weereens ge-expose as die average flyhalf wat hy is!!
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:54 pm
Ook snakks dat daar nie weer ‘n bohaai oor Up & under Roets nie in die bokgroep is gemaak word nie.