St Luke slays Loftus louts
9 Mar 2009
Keo, in his Business Day newspaper weekly column, writes of a player’s triumph and defeat at Loftus.
The Stormers lost in Pretoria but Luke Watson definitely won against a Loftus crowd whose game plan lacked imagination and was devoid of all invention.
The crowd behaviour was as abysmal as the quality of rugby and indeed it was Watson who seemed to intimidate the near 50 000 voices by simply accepting their challenge of continued booing by asking if that was all they had to offer.
It reminded me of former All Blacks wing Jeff Wilson toying with the Newlands crowd a decade ago. Wilson, playing for the Highlanders in the Super 12, was jeered the first time he touched the ball, but midway through the match he was begging the crowd for a reaction as he scored his third try.
With both hands reaching for both ears he gestured for increased noise levels, as he could hear nothing coming from the crowd. It was hilarious and the vocal bullies had nowhere to turn but to further embarrassment. What did these morons do 10 years ago in response to Wilson’s third try? Predictably they booed.
It was the same in Pretoria. What else did the louts of Loftus have to give? Nothing, and when Watson calmly robbed Pierre Spies of the ball in contact and fashioned another clever turnover all the crowd could respond with was another boo as effective as South Africa’s cricket challenge in recent weeks against Australia.
The humiliation belonged to those attempting to ridicule.
Watson, like many of his fictional heroes in the Bible, thrives on confrontation and conflict. Adversity is another must in his working day, as is being condemned by those non-believers of freedom of speech.
In going to Loftus, all the above elements were script guarantees for the stereotype of the persecuted and defiant Christian and naturally, armed with self-belief and backed by God, Watson prospered.
The Loftus crowd, many of them believers of Christianity, misread the contest because effectively they were doing battle with one of their own, but whereas they lacked conviction in their application of resentment, Watson was committed to his stand of defiance.
Watson, disgusted at wearing a jersey with a Springbok emblem on it, is not popular for saying so. He is even less popular for calling South African rugby a game run by Afrikaners, even though there has never been a disciplinary to confirm if he ever did utter the supposedly wicked word ‘dutchmen’.
Watson, the public relations man, is a boring project because his rants and contradictions are as predictable as the Loftus crowd booing. His rugby, though, has more enterprise and is powerful.
He has never produced a Test performance of authority, but his international career has been brief and conditions and playing circumstances cannot compare to the environment of Super Rugby, which is a world made for the skills of Watson.
His Super Rugby pedigree cannot be disputed. Whether you despise his personality or revere him, he can play Super rugby and in Pretoria he did a damn better job of it than local hero Pierre Spies, who for all his athleticism still goes into mute mode when the Bulls tight five engine can’t get out of neutral.
Watson in the one-on-one match-up outplayed Spies, which does not mean I’d pick him ahead of Spies for the Springboks. I wouldn’t, but to dispute Watson’s superiority over Spies at the weekend would be a betrayal for anyone gifted a healthy set of eyes.
Watson is a clever player, whose athleticism is matched by an ability to read the game and by good skills. He may physically struggle in contact but his mind never battles to go forward.
These factors helped him beat the Loftus louts, but because of his persecution complex about being a privileged white Watson in a black South Africa these factors are meaningless in Watson’s fight to beat out of himself the need to be a South African rugby martyr; liable for the actions of those who lived in an era he has only ever read about.
Watson, the rugby player, won in Pretoria, but it is Watson the rugby player who never wins in Watson’s world – and that will always be the tragedy of a player whose world does not allow him to simply be a rugby player.
1,045 Comments
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9 Mar 2009, 19:23 pm
#693 Ed_the_Lion: #692 K9 Pavement-special:
Dink julle twee moet alleen in n bar in Joburg gaan sit en huil oor die ref, dan stap julle dronk deur Joburg en ervaar self wat “gerob” beteken.
9 Mar 2009, 19:23 pm
#698 K9 Pavement-special: Ons het die skrums maklik gewen. Soos jy sê, die lynregters se gidshonde was afwesig gewees op die dag, maar philip bosch het heeltemal beheer verloor oor daardie game. Snaaks dat hulle so poepol vior so groot game kry. Hy ken seker vir Ludekak persoonlik.
9 Mar 2009, 19:23 pm
#576 grootblousmile: Wie het in jou bier gepiepie? Ons kan gesels oor wat ons wil totdat iemand ons van die site afgooi. Met respek. As jy nie wil lee wat ons skrywe nie, eh, wel, moenie dit lees nie.
9 Mar 2009, 19:23 pm
#701 Supa Die Bloubul: Of Loftus toe gaan!!
9 Mar 2009, 19:25 pm
#700 K9 Pavement-special:
Bwahaha! Dis juis die dat ek se jy behoort daar te pas. Nooi sommer Ettiene Reyneke ook saam!
#702 Ed_the_Lion:
Klink my julle het omtrent alles gewen behalwe die game?
9 Mar 2009, 19:25 pm
#701 Supa Die Bloubul: Ons sal nie vir lank alleen kan sit nie dan is daar 20 girls om ons hehehehe. So dit sal nie werk nie.
9 Mar 2009, 19:28 pm
#706 K9 Pavement-special:
dis net omdat julle by n hoerskool sokkie suip!
9 Mar 2009, 19:28 pm
#706 K9 Pavement-special: Dit maak my bang van Loftus. Ek is nie altyd seker of dit girls is nie.
9 Mar 2009, 19:28 pm
#699 hjk:
Yes, you and WPTID are obviously very informed over our past military shennanigans, never been much interested in that. i respect your take on things, but the SADF were central to the entire bully machine.
I’m not even sure the SA military were ever that good despite the massive money and conscription thrown at it. the only just was was probably trying to repel the poms and even then it was a matter of shooting from a distance and jumping on a horse.
i mean for a country besotted with its military history, have there any been any major casualties, apart from a could of pissed yarps falling off the back of a chopper while re-enacting apocalypse now?
9 Mar 2009, 19:29 pm
#706 K9 Pavement-special: en dit sluit die bulle se dancing girls in.
9 Mar 2009, 19:29 pm
#595 hater: He came out alive, didn’t he? If it was Lefortovo he would have died within 6 months.
9 Mar 2009, 19:29 pm
Jy gesien hoe kwaad was GBS hierbo? Lees dit nou eers. Hoekom het hy so kwaad geword? Moes erg gewees het want ken min mense met so baie geduld soos GBS.
9 Mar 2009, 19:30 pm
#708 Ed_the_Lion: Rustig Supa. Het jy gesien, toe ons begin praat van die bulle toe jaag ons al die politicians weg. Eending waarvoor die bulle goed is.
9 Mar 2009, 19:30 pm
#708 Ed_the_Lion:
Is ouens dan gereeld aangetrokke tot jou?
9 Mar 2009, 19:30 pm
#708 Ed_the_Lion: Of watter van die mans is eintlik girls nie hehehehe
9 Mar 2009, 19:30 pm
#709 cab: Dont air opinions on stuff you know nothing about!
9 Mar 2009, 19:31 pm
#712 Supa Die Bloubul: Hy is gatvol vir al die politiek kak. Hy was hoogs die moer in. Ek het net gelees en my kop geskud vir party mense hier.
9 Mar 2009, 19:31 pm
#716 AB:
that does not stop you from talking on rugby.
9 Mar 2009, 19:31 pm
#712 Supa Die Bloubul: Iemand het gesê dat Earl nie talent het nie.
9 Mar 2009, 19:32 pm
#713 Ed_the_Lion:
hehehehe – Ek sal nogal n debat wil sien tussen Bakkies en Juan Smith in Ingels. Moet moer snaaks wees!
9 Mar 2009, 19:32 pm
#714 Supa Die Bloubul: Ek weet nie. Jy kan my sê as ons ooit ontmoet.
#715 K9 Pavement-special:
9 Mar 2009, 19:33 pm
#713 Ed_the_Lion: Dis waar…klomp van daai goggas is terug gate toe.
9 Mar 2009, 19:33 pm
#719 K9 Pavement-special: hehehehehe.
#720 Supa Die Bloubul: ek sit weer hier en lag my gat af, en niemand verstaan hoekom nie.
9 Mar 2009, 19:33 pm
#715 K9 Pavement-special: Dis amazing hoe dit net die ouens wat onder op die log is hier probeer k@k gesels met die BULLE!
9 Mar 2009, 19:33 pm
#719 K9 Pavement-special:
LMAO!
9 Mar 2009, 19:34 pm
#721 Ed_the_Lion:
9 Mar 2009, 19:34 pm
#703 hjk: Moenie daar gaan nie….GBS is ‘n instelling op die site.
9 Mar 2009, 19:34 pm
#722 K9 Pavement-special: Hulle kan mos ‘n http://www.keopolitician.co.za begin dan hoef ek nie te lees hoe die hele donnerse land se rugby ondersteuners oor politiek voel nie.
9 Mar 2009, 19:35 pm
#718 cab: I will heed your advise if you do mine!
9 Mar 2009, 19:35 pm
In case anyone else is interested in the breakdown lottery mentioned earlier, this I found quite informative
REFEREEING THE BREAKDOWN
THU, 29 JAN 2009 15:18
At the courses for the National Panel of South African referees and for the Provincial panel with the top women referees, the three main topics of discussion were the breakdown, the line-out and the scrum.
We shall give some of the pointers from these discussions which were lively and led by André Watson and Tappe Henning with clips to illustrate each point.
The breakdown is for rugby football both agony and ecstasy. It is the phase of the game that is hardest to referee and creates the most penalties. It is also the phase which produces the continuity that is such an exciting feature of the game.
A famous priest/coach at Blackrock College once said: “After the grace of God the most important thing in life is quick ball from a ruck.”
The course dealt the basics but also with calling the ruck, the low clean-out and taking space.
Two principles apply to all refereeing, but especially getting possession:
1. the fair contest.
2. The reason for sanctions should be clear and obvious.
The basics of refereeing the tackle concerned:
* Tackler
* Ball-carrier
* Arriving players
When it came to offences the sequence of offence could vary and it was important to deal with the first offence.
* The tackler was required to release the tackled player and troll away immediately. He could roll sideways or towards his own goal-line.
* The ball carrier was to play the ball immediately
* Arriving players must be on their feet and come through the gate.
If all is not right, the referee should manage by communication and/or sanction.
Communication should be brief, to the point, and said once: “Roll away” or “Leave it.”
If the referee sees an infringement he allows advantage or sanctions.
In refereeing the tackle, the referee should let the players play the game. The players love the contest. If the players are on their feet, the referee should let them play on. Don’t referee the contest out of the breakdown.
This means that the referee should not be in a hurry to call Ruck and he should not call ruck at all unless a ruck has clearly been formed.
All the four elements must be there for a ruck – at least one player from each side in physical contact over the ball which is on the ground.
Once the referee has called ruck, much of the contest ends as players may no longer use their hands and offside lines come into play. The ruck is more demanding of the referee as he has to look for more things. In addition defending players fan out defence, which creates more tackles for the referee to deal with.
Sealing-off
This is going off the feet and over the ball and staying there to deny the opposition to contest.
Symptoms: the body position (head down and bum up) and making the ball invisible.
Sometimes this is done in pairs. A team-mate cleaves to the ball-carrier. He is sometimes refereed to as the hammer. They both go to ground, the hammer on top of the ball-carrier and denying the opposition an chance to get to the ball. The hammer must roll away immediately they go to ground.
This should be watched especially late in the match when the team slightly ahead seeks to “run down the clock”. This often happens that the ball-carrier, having grabbed the ball at a tackle, then immediately goes to ground with the hammer with him. For the ball-carrier to go immediately to ground is already an offence.
Low clean-out
A low clean-out occurs when there is a tackle and the ball-carriers team-mate arrives to shift the tackler away from the ball. Of necessity the tackler is low to the ground. The ball-carrier’s team-mate is allowed to remove the tackler provided that he does not infringe.
The low clean-out can be legal.
* If the cleaner is low but not going in head-first, let play go on.
* If the cleaner rolls away to leave the opposition free to contest/get possession, let play go on.
* If the cleaner’s action makes the ball available (visible), let play go on.
If he uses a sharp shoulder with an intention to drive into an opponent to hurt the opponent, penalise him.
It is important for the referee to distinguish between going off the feet and a low clean-out.
(There was an example of incorrect management of a low clean-out in the Scotland-South Africa match in November when Mike Blair tackled JP Petersen and Schalk Burger came into drive Blair away. Burger’s body is parallel to the ground and his head up. He gets to the end of his action and does not impede the defenders from getting to the ball. His action made the ball immediately available. It was an example of an excellent clean-out and play could have gone on.)
Taking space
Players – usually the ball-carrier’s team-mates – should be allowed to step through the tackle to protect the ball provided that they stay on their feet and do so near to (within a metre of) the ball. If such players go off their feet, they must move.
They are allowed to repel opponents who try to get to the ball.
Sanctions
In the Super 14 there will be free kicks where in the rest of rugby there will be penalties.
Sometimes in Super 14 free kicks graduate to penalties.
The sequence of events for tackle infringements would be free kick, then penalty and a team warning, then penalty and a yellow card.
The warning must be to a team for it to produce further action,. If a team is warned, that warning does not apply to their opponents.
Referees are encouraged to set tackle standards early. Coaches want to be “hit” early when there is still time to put things right, not at the end of a match.
Cynical Offence
The cynical offence should always be penalised, regardless of when it occurs. It is not dependent on a warning to a team.
Cynical defined: Any action by a player which denies the ball-carrying team a definite opportunity to use the ball as they want in an attacking context.
A cynical offence warrants a yellow card.
9 Mar 2009, 19:35 pm
#641 cab: I’m not arguing, but can you name them?
9 Mar 2009, 19:35 pm
#724 AB: Ek laat jou sommer weer perdry! Sommer vanaand nog.
9 Mar 2009, 19:36 pm
#723 Ed_the_Lion:
Ek skud self soos ek lag!
#724 AB:
Ja AB. Die leeus ondersteuners is maar n vreemde klomp! Maar hulle is n dying breed…so een van die dae gesels ons alleen!
9 Mar 2009, 19:37 pm
#733 Supa Die Bloubul: En K9 by nr 719 is vir my een van die bestes ooit. In plein afrikaans, dit is kak snaaks.
9 Mar 2009, 19:38 pm
#732 K9 Pavement-special: jy was great by 719. fok dit is snaaks, wens gbs kon dit sien.
9 Mar 2009, 19:38 pm
Imagine Bakkies is die MC by n funksie van die Britse Leeus later vanjaar…daai Britte sal die heelaand wonder wat de F$% gaan aan!
9 Mar 2009, 19:38 pm
#728 Ed_the_Lion: Ja nee. Paar slim mense hier ****. Hulle was al oral in die wereld. Sommer al terug beweeg in tyd ook. Kan nie verstaan dat mense wat so baie van alles weet nog tyd het om te blog nie. Hulle behoort in aanvraag te wees…..oral. Vanaf NASA to Mensa.
9 Mar 2009, 19:39 pm
#731 hjk:
better not, apparently the okes want to talk rugby now on a political thread, they were all booing watson, but now its all rugby. laat ons maar rugby praat. will never understand it, they’ll all gang-up and then when getting what for, its all about the rugby, unbelievable.
besides old 911 has given a pretty interesting piece above.
9 Mar 2009, 19:39 pm
#734 Ed_the_Lion:
Ja, dit was moer snaaks!
#735 Ed_the_Lion:
Ok dis nou genoeg, wil jy nie hom blaas ook nie?
9 Mar 2009, 19:40 pm
#735 Ed_the_Lion: Kry een van die dae sy nuwe bril….hehehehe
9 Mar 2009, 19:42 pm
#739 Supa Die Bloubul: Sies man!!!
9 Mar 2009, 19:42 pm
#740 K9 Pavement-special:
Fark, n ou in Brakpan met n bril word seker erg gespot…
9 Mar 2009, 19:42 pm
#711 hjk: Okay. I was happy to log off and enjoy the banter, but i have to respond to the **** you just posted.
1. You and St Petersbergbok want to make the rest of us believe that what was done to Mandela and other South African’s was a kindness. Throwing people off buildings, raping the women, beating the school kids and shooting rubber bullets were a kindness because some of us happen to still be alive? Tell me, if it was left up to you and not Verwoerd, and Smuts etc would you have arranged for me to be raped and beaten, would you have commanded Wouter Basson to come up with more evil methods to kill people, than what he managed to achieve.
2. If you think, it was fun, living in your racist apartheid “paradise” why don;t we arrange for you to be locked up in Robben Island for 27 years, and why don;t we try and electricute your testicals and rape your wifes and mothers and sisters, since it was all fun for us black people to be tortured and a “holiday resort” to be at Robben Island how about us locking you two up for the next 30 years! {Piece of cake right, you pieces of ****. And when you come out. Hopefully alive, I hope you are full of forgiveness and kindness. I hope you are capable of preaching peace. I hope the both of you can even dream of being capable of that.
Now F%ck off you inhumane pieces of ****.
9 Mar 2009, 19:43 pm
#739 Supa Die Bloubul: Nee man. Dit is net ek kan al GBS se gesig sien as hy dit moet lees.
#740 K9 Pavement-special: ek gaan dit sommer vir hom stuur oor FB.
9 Mar 2009, 19:44 pm
#742 Supa Die Bloubul: LMFGA.
9 Mar 2009, 19:44 pm
#742 Supa Die Bloubul: Haaaahahahaha….dink hy is moer slim.
9 Mar 2009, 19:45 pm
#743 hater:
Its difficult to tell wether you are upset or not?
9 Mar 2009, 19:46 pm
#731 hjk: Kill rate of 60:1 plus 2100 Cubans pretty good fighting in my books.
3000 vs 25000 no mean feat.
Also wonder why the Commanding General was recalled to Cuba and shot in front of a firing squad if they had won the war?
Go figure!!!!!
9 Mar 2009, 19:46 pm
#743 hater: Did you write this with a smile or a tear?
9 Mar 2009, 19:47 pm
haha. Imagine GBS stap oor die straat om te spog met sy nuwe bril dan kom daar n groep 6 jarige laaities en spot hom en gooi sy bril stukkend!
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