| Written by Neville Huxham, on 16-01-2008 19:19 |
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A whole new ball game!
Awful puns aside - yes it is going to be whole new ball game when the Super 14 gets underway - on Feb 2 in Windhoek when the Lions meet the Bulls in a pre-season warmup game.
The tournament proper starts on the weekend of 15 February - with the Sharks meeting Western Force in Durban, Crusaders v Brumbies in Christchurch, and the Waratahs against Hurricanes in Sydney.
The next day, Saturday 16th, the Stormers take on the Bulls in Cape Town, the Cheetahs meet the Lions in Bloemfontein, Blues v Chiefs in Auckland, and the Reds meet the Highlanders in Brisbane.
It is going to be interesting to see how the victors and the vanquished deal with each other in the year's contest - but there are some changes in the rules which the IRB has proposed, and which will be played out on a test-drive basis in the Super 14.
There are already dark mutterings that the rule changes have been implemented at the insistence of the NZ and Australian rugby boards - the reason being that the Antipodeans want the changes in order to neutralise South Africa's obvious strengths.
Once again it is at the line-out (Matfield) and the rolling mauls (SA's tight five) where the neutering is needed if the Antipodeans are to stand any chance in upcoming national contests. But who can blame the Down-unders for feeling that they'll have to do something really different if they are to have any chance - especially since the international refs have got wise to all the clever tricks the Antipodeans (All Blacks in particular) used to get down to in order to win. Of course, the advent of technology makes it almost impossible nowadays to blatantly foul and play on the edge of the rules - so all the teams will have to play much better, and cleaner, rugby.
Which brings us to one of the serious issues that seems to be troubling world sports in general - the use of technology to avoid "errors by officials."
The fact is that global sports - whether rugby, cricket, or soccer - are now so lucrative, and so much money is decided on the outcome of the games - that the days are long gone of being able to say: "It matters not whether you won or lost, but how you played the game."
Ask Symonds (and the rest of his team) if that's how they view international test matches!
The fact that Steve Bucknor made some blatant "errors" is beyond question. And the Indians were absolutely right to throw a tantrum, and insist that he got the chop. Cricket leads the way in using TV technology to show enthusiasts what is happening close-up. Which of course means that the umpires take huge risks in calling it wrong - as Bucknor found out.
Our ongoing bleat on RugbyRedCard is for the introduction - and use - of all the best technology that exists, for the very same reason that the Indians complained. It is bad enough losing the match - but when you lose because the umpire/ref is baised, blind, or bribed, is totally unacceptable.
We will be listing all the Super 14 refs - once again - and urging our readers to help ensure that they are held accountable for their decisions. Not to the Old Farts in SARU or the Antipodean Unions, or to their bosom buddies in the IRB - but to us, the fans!
Please send your comments, and let us see how much muscle we can bring to bear as enthusiasts. Maybe, just maybe, if we shout loudly enough, our local administrators might take notice. And we could get the equivalent of a Bucknor dismissal.
It is worth aiming for - so please send in your comments and we'll do the rest!
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