this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2023
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On the NZ coverage Shag made the point that there were no cards in this game, and I have to say that is bloody refreshing. Probably because the collision zone was so dominated by one team rather than being a real battle. But still a positive for rugby no matter the cause I think.
None in Ire vs SA last week either
huzzah! I think all the teams are working hard on tackling height and everything, so really it must come down to a bit of luck, get the timing just a little bit wrong and its bad news.
Cards will decide knock outs for sure, so discipline really important to work on for now too
Penalties too I think; defensive breakdown is so well rewarded that players might need to go against instinct and let the ball go if they're caught isolated. The mantra for any team needs to be no easy metres, make them earn it not be given it by letting the referee ping you.
We noticed this and thought how clean the game was for both teams, especially the AB's. I think I saw one Italian player that looked like he was hurt but no major issues it seems!
Yeah even with all the stops for kicking conversions and restarts the game itself breezed by - and that's as much as anything due to what you note, with few players going down to pretend injuries just to get some water & air etc. I'm not a huge fan of the way Carley refs either, but I thought he was pretty decent and kept the game moving quite well too.
Foz's comments after that match have got a bunch of people worked up because they think he's saying that big collision low points rugby is bad. I expect he's misinterpreted, the people he was talking to were the WR officials trying to encourage them to keep games moving and avoiding all the clock manipulation that's going on.
I think some fans think Foz is saying Ire or SA can't play rugby; but my impression is that what he's trying to say is if the game is kept moving then they'll really be able to show what they've got. Because NZ hasn't forgotten the lesson of how well Ireland can play with the ball and players in motion.