Boks: Intense study of refs crucial
29 Sep 2011
Gary Gold says notable differences in interpretations between the northern and southern hemisphere referees has made detailed analysis critical to World Cup success.
Gold said the most prominent differences are at the breakdown, with officials from the north tending to award more penalties than their counterparts, who are generally more lenient in this facet of play.
Welsh referee Nigel Owens, who will take charge of the Springboks’ final pool match against Samoa on Friday, has bucked that trend, awarding less breakdown penalties than any of his colleagues in the tournament on average (8.7 per match). This facet of play will be decisive to the pattern and flow of the match, and Gold says it is their responsibility to adapt accordingly.
‘We’ve done a lot of work on the analysis of referees, we felt that was key if you want be to successful,’ Gold told keo.co.za. ‘There is an interpretation difference between the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere referees at the breakdown.
‘It’s not that they are doing anything wrong, it’s simply that they look at different key triggers at the breakdown. Does he [the referee] get the tackler out of the way? Does he allow the ball carrier some right to present the ball? Does he allow the defending players a chance to contest? Who does he give those rights to? From our point of view the breakdown has been a massive area of concern and work. But we’ve got a simple philosophy here – we are responsible for how we fare there. If we’re good enough and do our job properly we make his life easy.’
The Springboks, armed with potent openside flank Heinrich Brussow and competent ruck scrappers like Schalk Burger and Bismarck du Plessis, will be encouraged by the trend that has allowed defending sides a relatively fair crack at slowing or turning over possession, particularly against a Samoan side who thrive when allowed to build momentum through phases.
‘In Super Rugby it was about 75-25% to the attacking team,’ Gold said of the penalty split for breakdown infringements. ‘In 2009 it was almost 50-50%, and now it’s gone about 60-40% in favour of the attacking team, which I think is right. If you’re legal in your contest you’re getting rewarded, if not you’re pinned, which is exactly how it should be.’
The Springboks’ ability to stifle Samoa’s attacking flow will also amplify their defensive threat, in so much as it will allow them to set their defensive line more often. While their defensive discipline has been excellent (they have one of the lowest penalty counts – 7.3 on average per match), the Springboks have been defensively vulnerable, missing an average of 26 tackles per pool match. That they missed most of those in the opposition’s half or in relatively non-threatening areas of their territory has aided their cause, as has their scramble defence.
Gold is acutely aware that Samoa are able to capitalise on such lapses in a manner Fiji and Namibia never were. ‘When you’re playing against big stepping teams like Fiji and Samoa there are going to be half breaks,’ Gold said, explaining there are inconsistencies in assessing what constitutes a missed tackle.
‘We’re very happy with conceding just nine points in the tournament and after three games that’s a good start. There’s some way to go still. They have steppers but also physical and direct players. So stopping their momentum [at the gainline] is another focus defensively. We’re on the right track but there is room for improvement in our one-on-one tackles. I’m proud of how hard the guys work in training on this and it has become personal now. We want to maintain, even improve on, the standard we’ve set.’
The Springboks have been criticised for being overly conservative against elite opponents, but have vehemently maintained that the pragmatic style they prefer maximises their strengths. Gold, however, warned to be careful about branding them conservatives without due consideration.
‘Sometimes perceptions don’t match reality,’ he said. ‘The Crusaders were among the teams to kick most in Super Rugby this year, but they are perceived to be this wonderfully expansive side. They are in fact very structured and kick often, but they do that very well and very intelligently.
‘The mindset does change [for a World Cup]. You play not to lose, as opposed to playing to win. There’s a fine line in what that means. You’ll play more to your strengths and minimise the risk because potentially the higher the risks the lower the rewards.’
By Ryan Vrede, in Auckland.
Follow Ryan’s World Cup coverage on Twitter.
Statistics supplied by ruckingoodstats.com
19 Comments
29 Sep 2011, 07:18 am
Imo this Dragon get’s to much airtime…
Maybe friend of Keo?
29 Sep 2011, 07:38 am
A Springbok ‘study in to referees’.
easy peasey
A. the ones that cheat
B. the ones that are not good enough to cheat, but cheat anyway.
C. the cheap cheaters
D. the expensive ones.
Where do I send my bill ?
29 Sep 2011, 07:39 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-2:
Our currency is so poor please be lenient…
29 Sep 2011, 07:43 am
@Staal(Staal)-3:
We could do with a little of your flacidity in NZ right now.
29 Sep 2011, 07:58 am
@Staal(Staal)-1:
maybe the only guy willing to speak to keo?
or the guy ‘mandated’ with the duty (read: fall guy) to speak to the press/journos who the boks don’t like/trust?
29 Sep 2011, 08:01 am
19 points against not 9.
29 Sep 2011, 09:29 am
Rule 101 in dealing with refs — get FdP to quit whining and windmilling at them. He gets their backs up.
29 Sep 2011, 10:18 am
The mindset does change [for a World Cup]. You play not to lose, as opposed to playing to win. There’s a fine line in what that means. You’ll play more to your strengths and minimise the risk because potentially the higher the risks the lower the rewards.’
That is so right, especially since the game went pro.
Not losing, its as simple as that. Not losing by any way you can achieve it has been a winning strategy.
There is no bonus in the final for winning by playing outrageously. Just as there is no demerit for just doing enough.
When you look back at old records in the stats book, no price is given on how well the losing team played. The record simply records them as being the losers.
29 Sep 2011, 10:29 am
There are some really intelligent comments coming from our coaching staff this World Cup. I am impressed thus far.
29 Sep 2011, 10:38 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-2:
Breathing made easy – An All Black handbook:
Step 1: Organise an invitational competition, at home and without the Boks.
Step 2: Blame Suzie. It was all Mandela’s big plot.
Step 3: Blame Wayne – couldn’t he see it was forward?
Step 4: Warning: To be used only in absolute emergencies. League is a better game anyway, I mean we’re World Champions in that aren’t we?
29 Sep 2011, 12:27 pm
I’m assuming we’ll bash through Australia to the semi-finals where we will encounter either Alain Rolland or Stu Dickonson – set up by their master Paddy O’Brien to “referee” this all-important match – the former will blow Brussow for breakdown penalties all night and warn McCaw all night to stop doing it, but won’t penalize him unless the AB’s are winning by 30 points with 5 minutes to go – and the latter will send off a Bok for 10 minutes and then another one … you can be sure that they are acting to instruction from their master with one overriding order to action:
“Let not the Boks through”
I would feel comfortable with an incompetent ref who was honest rather than a good one who isn’t.
29 Sep 2011, 14:12 pm
@J.B. Cowper(J.B. Cowper)-11:
The latter is impossible.
But here’s a potentially sickening question – does Steve Walsh, as now an “Australian” representative, qualify to referee matches involving the ABs?
29 Sep 2011, 14:13 pm
Yeah and one that isn’t selectively blind either !! How did the Poms manage to change the ball so that dear Johnny could kick the ball he prefers ??? What were the useless ref’s “assistants” doing ? I hope Scotland da Bravehearts give those Poms a good hiding……..@%$#*ng cheats !!
29 Sep 2011, 14:16 pm
#12 – Tartan
Really good question – Walsh – who let off Lewis Moody fwith a mild warning or nearly decapitating Butch James – while his predecessor paddy O’Brien sent Labuscagne off for doing the same, but less, to Johnny Wilkinson …
Don’t get me going about these guys …. because then I am going to start on about how they stitched Bakkies up with the Lions ban … “they are not impartial” is the nicest way I can put it …
29 Sep 2011, 15:12 pm
@Ratel Brussow(Morne Steyn is under-rated)-10: MIssed a step Ratel:
Step 4: Infiltrate IRB, bribe Aus to vote for you, so the RWC is held in your country (despite not being able to handle the crowds and IRB making a loss). Ensure Head of Refs is a Kiwi. So you have as much as possible lined up in your favour to try and squeeze a World Cup win.
Step 5: Warning: To be used only in absolute emergencies. League is a better game anyway, I mean we’re World Champions in that aren’t we?
29 Sep 2011, 17:58 pm
Having watched the ref almost penalise Cheetahs out of the match last week at the breakdowns, methinks GG has a lopsided view of penalties for this offence.
29 Sep 2011, 19:36 pm
@J.B. Cowper(J.B. Cowper)-11:
and to think I was only (half)joking at post no2.
@Tartan(Tartan)-12:
oh yes he can.
Its a brilliant scheme isnt it ?! We all worked on it collectively – and by “we” I clearly mean every single Kiwi in this Stadium of 4 Million – by taking turns to entertain Stevie with a night on the town, a Steinlager here, a Margarita there, a whiskey chaser, a frisky schister – until poor old Stevie didnt know his whistle from his @rse (which reminds me, there was that 1 ugly incident on Fort Street, but even the Police decided not to release the CCTV footage, because they were in on it too). By which stage we eventually shipped him off to Australia, when poor old Stevie thought he was going for a long weekend in Rotorua given the number of Maoris that greeted him off at the airport.
But dont you worry, Stevie is none the wiser and ready and prepared to ‘referee’ this NZ team just like he did last time he was in Rotorua for the BIL vs NZ Maoris match in 2005.
Its all been agreed. And to think, we ALL worked collectively towards the ONE goal, together. It felt like Telethon where we were ALL winners
Thank you very much, thank very very very much..
29 Sep 2011, 20:26 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther)-17:
Hahaha
I was just thinking, it might be the only match in history where both sides would probably accuse the referee of being both biased and incompetent, and both would have a case.
29 Sep 2011, 20:30 pm
@Ratel Brussow(Morne Steyn is under-rated)-10:
and WELCOME BACK Kotter
that is, if youve ever been away….
(which one is your alter ego ?)
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