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

Ireland vs All Blacks: Rugby World Cup 2023

I heard former All Blacks coach, Steve Hansen talking about how the All Blacks can beat Ireland. He mentioned that the All Blacks are the last team to have beaten them. That was back in July 2022, and since then Ireland have been on a winning streak. There have been close games, with Australia and Samoa having had a chance to topple them, so their winning cannot be assumed.

What Hansen was saying is the All Blacks have to avoid going wide too early. They have to keep it in the middle, and get Ireland's big forwards to bunch up defending. Then, when the time is right, go wide and rely on the skill and speed of the Kiwis. They must contest everything, including lineouts. Also of interest was his call to limit Sexton. By cutting down his options with Ireland, their whole game is affected.

Will the New Zealand coach, Ian Foster heed this advice? I don't have him as a thinker. He's a copycat, a classic assistant. He just goes along and hopes what worked in the past will work this time round.

What do you think?