The Dreaded TMO

Naturally, all of New Zealand are talking about the Television Match Official, or TMO. The TMO played a critical role in the Rugby World Cup 2023, especially in the final.

Everyone is calling for consistency in decision making. I agree, but don't feel inconsistency is what determined the outcome of the match. 

I do believe the TMO played a critical part and did influence the outcome, but I'm not seeing people understand how this was done. The TMO slowed the game down, allowing pauses to occur, and this allowed the weaker team, the team noticeably running out of gas to have timeouts, regroup, and set their defense again. This helped South Africa as the game wore on as they were the team that needed the rests.

Think politically too; World Rugby want to expand the game. If New Zealand are always winning, people other than rugby purists are not going to be so interested. Every year, new laws come along to try and neuter the power of the NZ game, and now we have match officials actively interfering.

This is statement of fact, not sour grapes. NZ had their chance to win and blew it. Credit goes to South Africa, but the rugby governing body have got to sort this nonsense out, they're turning rugby into something akin to American Football, with constant stoppages.

Rugby World Cup 2023 - Final

South Africa 12 - 11 New Zealand

New Zealand scored the only try, but South Africa won their fourth Rugby World Cup and became the greatest World Cup winning rugby team of all time.

New Zealand had their chances. They failed to convert the one try and had a 50 metre penalty kick that went wide. Either of these kicks would have put NZ in front.

South Africa never really looked like scoring a try, but they defended resolutely, and had physical dominance for much of the game, especially in the first half. They had NZ playing their game.

NZ did not play well in key areas. Its ball handling was flawed with too many players taking their eye off the ball. And NZ did not ring the changes when adjustments were needed. It looked to me as if the team had decided to make replacements at appointed times and they just stuck to that. When replacements were made, they had an instant impact, but not enough minutes to turn that into points. 

Here's my way of looking at it: when the NZ captain, Sam Cane was off for good, they needed to inject Sam Whitelock at that point, to level the ship and provide experience and leadership. Then, at halftime, change the first five eighth (fly half), and early in the second half, off comes the halfback Aaron Smith and the winger Will Jordan.

My main gripe, however, is with the refereeing and the direction the game is taking. The referees have too much influence on the game. Both teams received two yellow cards. The NZ captain had his yellow upgraded to red and so NZ was down to 14 men for the rest of the match. But, the South Africa captain also received a yellow for head to head contact, and yet this did not get upgraded. Inconsistency such as this has got to be sorted. Did this matter in the end? Probably not, as South Africa received its next yellow soon after the South Africa captain came back on, so for the remainder of the match they were down to 14 men as well, it became a 14 man contest.

Once the game is reduced to 14 men, teams must adjust and this influences how teams play, which lessens the spectator experience. If teams had stayed at 15 men apiece, the score may have ended the same, but the fans would see a proper game, not one that resembles a shambles. 

For New Zealand, the plus is that this team even made the final. Leading in to this tournament, many considered them to be the worst All Blacks team in a long time. So, they achieved above expectations, but looking ahead, the new coach Scott Robertson has to introduce his brand of rugby and get things back on track.

Rugby Explained to a German

With the Rugby World Cup final looming, a German visiting Ireland wrote to the local newspaper looking for an explanation of the rules. Here's the response:

Rugby World Cup 2023 Semi-Final: England v South Africa

South Africa have pipped England to advance to the final of the Rugby World Cup, where they'll face New Zealand's powerful All Blacks. I notice England fans are criticising the New Zealand referee, and claiming their side was better.

That's not how I saw the match. England lacked creativity and relied on their defense while on attack they were kicking all the time. Their defense held well, but they ended up giving away possession, so while they often held field position, they were unable to capitalise on it.

South Africa were clearly the better team, but they were their own worst enemy at times. When in possession they'd often cough the ball up, giving England the ball. Thus, when you look at the game stats, you'll see England had more possession, but South Africa made the clean breaks, and beat defenders.

Crucially, South Africa scored the only try. This came after they brought on replacements which actually improved their team performance. They got better with replacements, while England got worse with theirs.

Another factor must be fatigue. It has been a long tournament with many days between games. South Africa have had tougher games, while England have had an easier run. South Africa looked tired.

Will this matter in the final? New Zealand have an extra day's rest, and their semi-final was a stroll in the park. They should be fresher and have had the advantage of seeing what South Africa bring. Clearly, the final will be a tough encounter, but NZ must go in as favorites given they don't appear so tired.

South Africa 16 v England 15

Did the Working Class Desert NZ Labour in 2023?

Left-wing writer and activist, Chris Trotter lays out what he thinks are the reasons for working class New Zealanders voting against their traditional home - the Labour Party.

I have been saying for years now that the working stiff in New Zealand needs to ditch Labour and find another voice. I don't believe right-wing is the answer either, nor is racial division. A voice has to be found that can unite all working people once again, under the one banner, building a New Zealand for all Kiwis.

https://pointofordernz.wordpress.com/2023/10/19/chris-trotter-losing-the-working-class/

I ALWAYS WONDERED what it would take to detach the New Zealand working class from Labour. Not all of the working-class, obviously, but enough to strip the party of the demographic heft that, for more than a century, has made it a decisive electoral player. Now I know, but it took a fair few wrong guesses before I got there.

New Zealand Election 2023 Result

Those interested in the results of the New Zealand General Election 2023 can find the full information here:

https://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2023_preliminary/

Be careful following the mainstream media as they are full of it and often wrong in their assessment. Right now, National have a paper thin majority, which is likely to evaporate after special votes are counted. That means NZ First are back and able to bring some sanity to Parliament.

The problem hasn't been solved though. The NZ Parliament still kept us locked up under lockdown despite having done no wrong, and they tried to kill or injure us with the poisonous jab. So, National and ACT are not to be trusted any more than the other bunch of criminals.

For useful links about just how bad the poisonous jab is, see this page full of information to open your eyes with: https://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/p/interesting-links.html

Oh and now that timely graphic:

New Zealand v Ireland - RWC 2023 Quarterfinal

One of the best games ever played at a Rugby World Cup has just been played, with New Zealand defeating World number 1 Ireland, 28-24. For me, the critical moment was when NZ held Ireland up over the line, preventing a try which would have seen them take the lead, then from the resulting goal line drop kick, Ireland fumbled the ball. The pressure of never holding the lead and always having to play catch up told in the end. 

Some have commented that Ireland could not win despite having 16 on the field all game, which is a dig at the referee, Englishman Wayne Barnes. But he didn't do too badly, he's biased against NZ, but his performance wasn't dire. 

Then again, NZ did well defending when down to 14 men twice in the match.

So, this was one of NZ's gutsiest performances, the All Blacks showed why they're total legends. My man of the match was Ardie Savea, he was everywhere and gave it everything, including scoring a swan-dive style try.

Neil Oliver: Hatred is Everywhere!

Will Germany Disappear?

I found this very interesting; Germany is faced with seemingly unsolvable problems:

NZ General Election 2023 - Early Voting

We are seeing interesting turnout results with only a few days of voting remaining in the New Zealand General Election. The number of people voting is well down on 2020, but ahead of 2017. 

This looks bad for Labour and the Greens. These two rely on a large turnout. But for National, ACT and NZ First, their voters get to the polling booth rain, hail or shine. It's looking like a disaster for Labour, based on the numbers voting.

Read the Stats here: https://vote.nz/2023-general-election/resources/voting-statistics

Middle East War 2023

I've been looking around for content that closely reflects how I feel about the current events in the Middle East. Sanity 4 Sweden is close so I embed his video below.

Lies!!

Do Not Vote Early

Early voting has begun for the New Zealand General Election 2023. The polls close at 7pm on October 14th, and between now and then you can cast your vote at any voting place across the country. 

Given the unsecured way voting occurs, with ballots placed into an unlocked cardboard box, I suggest voters DO NOT vote early. Leave things until the last minute. This prevents interference with ballots. Who knows what may happen to that piece of paper if you vote now.

I'm voting late, on October 14th preferably, and I'm voting for a party currently outside parliament. For me, that's a first, but I refuse to vote for any of the criminals that call themselves MP's, or their parties for that matter. They should all be prosecuted for crimes against humanity, and their parties banned. 

Neil Oliver: Who are we and what is it we truly care about?