Peter Jackson: Are we bunkered before World Cup ever starts?
Scotland's Cameron Redpath (right) is tackled by France's Antoine Hastoy at Murrayfield Stadium
If the first red card of the summer is anything to go by, next month’s World Cup will be bunkered from start to finish.
In an attempt to avert miscarriages of justice, like the one that befell England’s Freddie Steward on Ireland’s Grand Slam Day, the sport’s law-enforcement agencies have created ‘central bunkers’ the length and breadth of France throughout the seven-week tournament.
The best referees on the planet ought to know a red card when they see one, an assumption that may be asking a bit too much. South Africa’s Jaco Peyper saw red instead of yellow in Steward’s case at the end of the Six Nations; New Zealander Ben O’Keeffe saw yellow instead of red over the weekend at Murrayfield.
The new system allows referees two replays of the offending video to make up his mind. World Rugby’s guidelines state that ‘where a red card is not obvious, a yellow card will be issued and dedicated foul-play reviewers in a central bunker review the incident using all available technology and footage.’
Zander Fagerson’s dangerous strike at the head of France hooker Pierre Bourgarit appeared to be an open-and-shut case, a straight red. Not, it seemed, to O’Keeffe, nor his two assistants and the TMO. So they passed the buck, leaving a different judge and jury eight minutes to reach a verdict.
They didn’t need that long to rule what was clear from the outset, that Scotland’s tighthead didn’t have a leg to stand on, rather like his hapless French victim. Why couldn’t O’Keeffe, like Peyper one of the world’s elite panel, have seen that for himself?
If a referee is unsure because a sending-off is ‘not obvious,’ then by all means call for a second, third or tenth opinion. Fagerson’s red was ‘obvious’ which begs the question as to how many more referees will refer such cases to the bunker and avoid the risk of being over-ruled.
If they don’t have the courage of their convictions, stand by for the buck to be passed ad nauseum.
THEY may not have rated much of mention but the waves from Fiji are already lapping around shores as distant as Australia, Wales and any other country standing in their way at the World Cup.
The South Sea Islanders clinched a sixth Pacific Nations’ title in Tokyo in some style, 14 tries and 102 points in a clean sweep of Samoa, Tonga and Japan; more than enough to shoot them back into the top ten of the global rankings.
Nobody will be more nervous about that than the Welsh, despite their soothing win over a dismal England. Wales are first up for Fiji on the opening weekend, in Bordeaux. The last time France hosted the World Cup, in 2007, Fiji knocked Wales out at the pool stage, 38-34 in Nantes, prompting the vanquished to sack head coach Gareth Jenkins in the car park of their hotel on the Sunday morning.
Mark Evans, a Welshman, ex-Saracens and Harlequins, now running the Super Rugby franchise Fijian Drua, warns that Fiji will be equipped with ‘potentially the best three-quarters in the World Cup.’ The French-based trio, Jiuta Wainiqolo, Waisea Nayacalevu and Josua Tuisova, are guaranteed their places. The competition is such that the mighty Semi Radradra cannot be sure of his.
HENRY Thomas can claim a unique place in the occasionally brutal, always edgy history between the best, and worst, of rugby enemies: England and Wales. He is the only player to prop for both countries and coming up smelling of roses on each occasion.
England made him surplus to requirements shortly after helping them beat Wales at Twickenham in the Six Nations nine years ago. Transferred to Wales under a rule allowing those with dual qualifications to switch allegiance after serving three years or more out of Test rugby, Thomas’ appearance for Wales against England in Cardiff coincided with another home win.
At least nine other international transfers have taken place: Jack Dempsey (Australia to Scotland), George Moala (New Zealand to Tonga), Ben Healy (Munster to Scotland), Steve Luatua (New Zealand to Samoa), Jean Kleyn (Ireland to South Africa), Christian Leali’ifano (Australia to Samoa), Malakai Fekitoa (New Zealand to Tonga), Vaea Fifita (New Zealand to Tonga), Charles Piutau (New Zealand to Tonga).
Keeping track of every move can be a bewildering experience for the casual observer. Those watching over the weekend may well have asked how Taine Plumtree, late of the Hurricanes, came to be rushed into the Wales back row before he had time to play for his new employers, the Scarlets. Answer: he happened to be born in Swansea when his father, ex-All Blacks’ coach John Plumtree, was running the local team in the days before their shotgun marriage with Neath to form the Ospreys.
CIAN Healy will be 36 on the first Saturday of October which just to coincide with quarter-final weekend at the World Cup and the prospect of running headlong into New Zealand or France.
It sounds like the perfect time for Ireland’s perennial loosehead to mark his place by going one clear as the prop with the most international tries in the history of the game. His touchdown against Italy equals the 12-try record set by the fearsome Italian tighthead, Martin Castrogiovanni.
Their joint totals are way ahead of other propping centurions. Owen Franks, a double World Cup-winner with New Zealand, lasted for 108 Tests and somehow managed to do what old-school props invariably did, make sure they didn’t blot their copybook by scoring.
Jason Leonard, the ever-popular Londoner, almost did it (1 try in 119 Tests), Munster’s John Hayes likewise (2 tries in 105) and the Springbok Tendai Mtawarira (2 in 117). Healy has scored six times as many in 124 and counting.
By the time the newly-capped Irish trio of Calvin Nash, Ciaran Frawley and Tom Stewart got off to a winning start, a Welsh prop with a Polish name was busy celebrating his with his large family from the Rhondda Valley.
Corey Domachowski has a back story like no other. According to the family archives, his great, great-grandfather Stefan, a Polish soldier during the Second World War, was captured by the Germans and sent to Auschwitz. He escaped, joined the Free Poland Forces and started a new life post-war in Wales as a coalminer.
‘’His story’s a great inspiration to me,’’ says the Cardiff loosehead prop. ‘’It’s why I am here today."
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