Aussie chief slams ref after Wallabies thrashing
Source: Agencies |
August 2, 2010, Monday
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AUSTRALIA rugby chief John O'Neill has questioned referee Craig Joubert's red card on winger Drew Mitchell that left the Wallabies with 14 men for most of the second half of their 28-49 loss to the All Blacks on Saturday.
Mitchell was sin-binned for a dangerous tackle in the 28th minute and then sent off two minutes after the break for holding up play to prevent the All Blacks from making a quick lineout throw while on attack.
"You're scratching your head a bit to think that for 38 minutes we're down to 14 men because Drew, probably stupidly, threw the ball away at (a) lineout," O'Neill told a state radio yesterday.
"Unfortunately the referee had given a general warning ... but for a test match, it seemed a bit sort of out of kilter that you've lost one man because a player throws a ball away.
"It's not as though he punched someone or it's a dangerous tackle. But you've got to live with it."
Mitchell, who celebrated wildly after scoring an early try before being sent off, however, was not granted a reprieve by Australian media, which cast him as a villain in the Wallabies' eighth consecutive loss to the All Blacks.
"(The Wallabies) continue to falter under pressure, waste opportunities, have absolutely no idea how to play well two weeks in a row, and believe the task has been done well before it has been completed - as shown by the silly antics when Mitchell scored the first try only to look damned stupid when he was red-carded 40-odd minutes later," fumed the Sydney Morning Herald's respected rugby columnist Greg Growden.
But New Zealand coach Graham Henry praised Joubert's hard-line refereeing.
"I think it's good they're strict. Okay, there might be some debate about some of the decisions, there's always going to be some debate about the decisions," Henry said.
"What you don't want is referees being soft and therefore you get a game that doesn't flow and there's a lot of illegal stuff happening at the tackle. If he's grey at the tackle area or he's grey on people throwing the ball away when the other side wants it, you've got a shambles on your hands."
Mitchell was sin-binned for a dangerous tackle in the 28th minute and then sent off two minutes after the break for holding up play to prevent the All Blacks from making a quick lineout throw while on attack.
"You're scratching your head a bit to think that for 38 minutes we're down to 14 men because Drew, probably stupidly, threw the ball away at (a) lineout," O'Neill told a state radio yesterday.
"Unfortunately the referee had given a general warning ... but for a test match, it seemed a bit sort of out of kilter that you've lost one man because a player throws a ball away.
"It's not as though he punched someone or it's a dangerous tackle. But you've got to live with it."
Mitchell, who celebrated wildly after scoring an early try before being sent off, however, was not granted a reprieve by Australian media, which cast him as a villain in the Wallabies' eighth consecutive loss to the All Blacks.
"(The Wallabies) continue to falter under pressure, waste opportunities, have absolutely no idea how to play well two weeks in a row, and believe the task has been done well before it has been completed - as shown by the silly antics when Mitchell scored the first try only to look damned stupid when he was red-carded 40-odd minutes later," fumed the Sydney Morning Herald's respected rugby columnist Greg Growden.
But New Zealand coach Graham Henry praised Joubert's hard-line refereeing.
"I think it's good they're strict. Okay, there might be some debate about some of the decisions, there's always going to be some debate about the decisions," Henry said.
"What you don't want is referees being soft and therefore you get a game that doesn't flow and there's a lot of illegal stuff happening at the tackle. If he's grey at the tackle area or he's grey on people throwing the ball away when the other side wants it, you've got a shambles on your hands."
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