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Vikings look ahead after solid second debut from Randy Moss Randy Moss' second game vs. the New York Jets in the last four weeks was much like his first: He hauled in a beautiful touchdown pass, but ultimately ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Teams have to cope with refs' foibles Brendan Venter's outburst over officiating inconsistency had a point, but teams simply have come to terms with itVentering his spleenBrendan Venter, and Saracens, are in trouble again with European Rugby Cup Ltd. The club faces being fined for not sending captain Steve Borthwick to the Heineken Cup launch while Venter is being investigated for remarks he made after last weekend's defeat to Leinster at Wembley.Saying nothing may cost as much as saying too much. Venter was exasperated by the interpretations of the referee Christophe Berdos at the breakdown, feeling the Frenchman was last year's model because he persistently penalised the attacking side and consequently discouraged attacking intent."I asked European Rugby Cup how much effort had gone in to ensuring all the referees were on the same level," said Venter. "They said nothing. That's a disaster. I could have guaranteed you this would happen. We don't have enough systems in place to feed back and show everyone what to do. There is a real danger that if we don't take action, going into a World Cup year, the game of rugby is going to die, because the public won't come to watch."Venter is about as good a loser as Arsene Wenger. There always seems to be a reason, other than the superiority of the opposition, why his team does not win. He is threatening to dump his side's attacking approach, in the Heineken Cup at least, and go back to last season's kicking game because, whereas in the Premiership he knows how the breakdown will be refereed, in Europe there is more uncertainty with officials from the Top 14 and Magners League having a different take on what is permissible.In fairness to Venter, he warned about inconsistency at the launch Borthwick missed. "The biggest challenge to me is the practical challenge. The Premiership, Top 14 and Magners League are all refereed differently," he said then. "The crucial thing is how are you going to get this right? Remember we have planned the whole pre-season around the new [breakdown] directives."We still struggle with consistency in a brilliant environment in England. The referees put in hours analysing their own performances, which is brilliant. You cannot criticise them. I'm asking whether we have this kind of process, which without a doubt we can't have, within ERC? All this money spent and everyone is so excited but we have this one variable. It is less than perfect, it could be a disaster. These directives were brought in to make rugby a better game to watch - full stop. This is a potential problem because the game is played so differently in the different places."It is not just the breakdown that causes problems. At Wasps last Sunday, the French referee, Pascal Gauzere, took far longer over the crouch, pause and engage routine at scrums than officials do in the Premiership. His English was excellent, so communication was not an issue; he merely dragged out the process, meaning a series of reset scrums took minutes out of the game.It is a question of adapting, which Saracens failed to do against Leinster. Once they knew what they couldn't get away with, they should have reacted and played more of a territory game. They failed to and came up short. Regardless of whether Berdos was complying with the new directive, and a mistake some directors of rugby have made is assuming that it gives attacking teams carte blanche after a tackle, which it does not, Saracens were not smart enough and Venter's anger should not deflect from that.One reason why it takes teams time to come to terms with the demands of the Heineken Cup is that, being a cross-border competition, it poses different questions to a domestic league. Sides have to get used to referees from other countries and, while Magners sides have a slight advantage in that it is a tournament made up of four countries and they are more used to officials from the other three than English and French clubs, it tests their resource.Venter is arguing for consistency and, in a professional game, he is entitled to it. But referees, no matter which country they are from, will have their own foibles and tolerance thresholds. Was Berdos refereeing as he would have a year ago or were Sarries contemptuous of the laws, believing they were entitled to the ball at their own breakdown?It was only a few years ago that Premiership matches in general became tedious because after a player was tackled, the only way an attacking side would be penalised was for holding on. Games became a dreary round of recycling, a style of play Eddie Jones once used with Australia.The breakdown has to be a true contest for possession. The essential difference in the way the law has changed this year is that a tackler can only play the ball after he has got back on to his feet. It gives the attacking team an extra second or so but if they are short of numbers at the breakdown, they are not entitled to seal off. When European sides face New Zealand and Australia next month, they will come under severe pressure at the breakdown with the Tri-Nations sides looking to force turnovers.Where Venter has an undoubted point is that the emphasis in next year's World Cup will be on attacking rugby. It is being held in New Zealand and the southern hemisphere countries have been vocal in their desire to ensure that the tactics that brought England success in the last two tournaments are not rewarded."The IRB wants to make it better for the World Cup," said Venter. "If it can put this in stone, we will have a great product for a long time or, if not, we will lose this whole thing." It works both ways: Berdos applied the law and, while he could have sent a Leinster defender to the sin-bin in the closing stages, he was ensuring the breakdown was a fair contest for possession, not weighted towards the attacking or defending team.Which is as it should be and if it means teams having to commit more forwards to the breakdown rather than cluttering up the backline, the better it will be for the game as a spectacle.New Gatland deal brings Lions role into equationWarren Gatland turned down the chance to return to New Zealand after next year's World Cup to remain in Wales for another four years. If he sees out his full term, he will become the longest-serving Wales coach since the first, David Nash, was appointed in 1967."I had a contract offer from New Zealand before I agreed anything with Wales," said Gatland. "It is still sitting in my computer. The thing about New Zealand is that offers tend to be in black and white: here is the deal - take it or leave it. They are a bit more amenable in the northern hemisphere."The offer is believed to have come from Waikato, the province Gatland played for and later coached, with an input into the Super 15 side, the Chiefs. The Waikato union is in some financial strife, owing some £170,000 in unpaid rent to Hamilton City Council for the Waikato Stadium.The union is having to cut costs and is introducing measures such as rail travel for players and sharing office resources with other unions. In contrast, the Welsh Rugby Union this month announced a record turnover.Gatland's decision to stay in Europe makes him a candidate to become the Lions head coach for the 2013 tour to Australia. The WRU is unlikely to sanction the appointment, given the Lions want to make it before next year's World Cup and any national coach would be expected to take a sabbatical from his country for the 2012-13 season.The WRU chief executive, Roger Lewis, gave a diplomatic response, saying that he had not spoken to the Lions, but the Union would almost certainly refuse to make Gatland available for the top job, preferring him, as was the case in South Africa last year, to be one of the assistant coaches.This is an extract taken from The Breakdown, guardian.co.uk's weekly rugby union email. You can sign up here.Rugby unionPaul Reesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |