Sapolu to quit rugby
16 Oct 2011
Samoa centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu has responded to the outcome of his disciplinary hearing by saying that he doesn’t want to play rugby any longer.
The Sunday Star Times reported that Sapolu was sanctioned for criticising the International Rugby Board. Following the outcome of Saturday’s hearing, Sapolu tweeted: ‘I do not want to play rugby anymore. One thing is for sure, my children definitely wont be.’
The IRB agreed to suspend Sapolu’s six-month ban providing that he kept his emotions and opinions in check over the next two years. Rugby’s ruling body also demanded that he attend a refereeing course, do 100 hours of community service and apologise to referee Nigel Owens who he accused of being racist and biased following the Pool D clash between Samoa and South Africa.
Given Sapolu’s most recent tweet about quitting rugby, it’s unlikely that he will meet these demands.
On Saturday, independent Judicial Officer Judge Jeff Blackett (England) heard detailed evidence from the player and his representatives regarding alleged breaches of the Rugby World Cup 2011 Tournament Disciplinary Programme and the RWC/IRB Code of Conduct relating to comments made about Owens via the public social media network Twitter.
Having considered all the evidence the Judicial Officer determined that the charges laid by Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) in respect of misconduct by the player for adverse comments against Owens were upheld. All of the charges relating to breaches of the RWC/IRB Code of Conduct arising from such comments were also all upheld.
The Judicial Officer determined that the comments about Owens made by Sapolu impugn his integrity and reputation both as a referee and as a man. The Judicial Officer recognised that the player might have been angry or emotional when making his initial comments via Twitter, however it did not justify his offensive behaviour towards the referee.
Contrary to the player’s submissions, the Judicial Officer determined that there was ‘absolutely no evidence that the referee was biased in the sense that he deliberately favoured one side or the other. To suggest that Nigel Owens is racist against Samoans is also completely inappropriate.’
112 Comments
15 Oct 2011, 06:32 am
His rugby career is over. He’s a qualified lawyer, so he doesn’t need a rugby income any longer at ago 30. So it’s pretty much a Mexican stand-off.
15 Oct 2011, 06:36 am
He’ll earn very big bucks — maybe even an Invictus-type movie deal — by being the poster boy of Pacific Islander underdog resistance to the big bad white fatcats-in-grey-suits of the IRB. $10k fine for an islander wearing a mouthguard, wet bus-ticket wrist-tap for England’s ball-switching…
Cracker of a modern David-and-Goliath movie and magazine deal!
15 Oct 2011, 06:42 am
If he was a South African he’d have been polarised by the rugby fraternity for unbecoming behaviour and branded a whinger.
Funny how people are judged on appearances suddenly.
15 Oct 2011, 06:49 am
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-3:
And deservedly so… Boks fans have officially taken over the mantle from the 2007 Kiwi’s as being the biggest whingers in world rugby and then some…
At least we have some silverware now…
15 Oct 2011, 06:56 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-4:
Every scribe in world rugby will then have to be lumped together in that category. I do not remember too many ex players (read Campo) openly criticising the ref after the All Boks were knocked out. The France vs New Zealand game was pretty much just another game until the forward pass.
Many a game has been won or lost on one or two referreeing mistakes (ask the Kiwis) but not on a full 80 minutes of the worst refereeing in living memory.
15 Oct 2011, 06:58 am
All Blacks…sorry.
15 Oct 2011, 07:05 am
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-5: Campo will grizzle about anything just to grab one last tiny headline, pilgrim.
15 Oct 2011, 07:07 am
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-5:
Firstly… Campo’s opinion counts for absolutely nothing in world rugby… he’s a joke here in Aus as a journo and a ‘coach’…
Lawrence didn’t tell the Boks to refuse to take easy points by the drop-goal on several occasions when they simply could not penetrate Aus defence, he didn’t tell them they should refuse to adapt to his playing style at the break-down, he didn’t tell them to simply refuse to clean-out en-mass on their own ball (they stupidly thought simply playing an open-sider negates and open-sider), he didn’t tell them to stop kicking tactically for touch (when he was awarding them 30% of Wallaby ball), nor did he tell them not to rather try and maul it over from 5m’s on the several opportunities they blindly persisted to swing it wide…
Yes he had some shockers (not the forward passes) and yes the Bok’s lost that themselves…
15 Oct 2011, 07:11 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-4:
“Boks fans have officially taken over the mantle from the 2007 Kiwi’s as being the biggest whingers”
Is that your only defence. F–king lame. NZ weren’t blown out of a SA WC by a SA ref. Hopefully we can return the favour one day.
“At least we have some silverware now…” With it being handed on a plate, good for you. You must be so proud. Needing a crocked ref to get through.
NZ have fixed this WC to get over their choking !
This world cup is tainted and i hope every Bok supporter never stop rubbing it in NZ/Aus faces.
15 Oct 2011, 07:26 am
@mudrockshark(mudrockshark)-9:
Are you (or any other) meaning to tell me that NZ fixed the match so that they could play a better team than RSA?
Now I’ve heard everything!
15 Oct 2011, 07:40 am
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-5: a full 80 minutes, the French penalised twice with 30% possession the entire game?
what a laugh… imagine if the bokkes only got 2 penalties the entire 1/4, with NONE whatsoever in the second half..
but keep living your delusion… eish..
15 Oct 2011, 07:45 am
@mudrockshark(mudrockshark)-9: eish… get over yourself
you all laughed for four long years at NZs exit in 07, with nary a whisper of referees..
as we were told ad nauseam, hardenthefuckup… but how the worm turns… wonderful to see..
15 Oct 2011, 08:22 am
this rwc
is tainted
it was fixed
by the
slimy
antipodeans
nz taking the
leading role
hedging their
bets
most likely
keewees will
get a
final now
an even slimier
nation
than
i previously
suspected
no wonder
bryce lawrence
is a proud
keewee
yucky people
15 Oct 2011, 08:29 am
And Sapolu makes millions out of cocking a very loud snook at the IRB!
15 Oct 2011, 08:35 am
The IRB as a controlling body has zero credibility and it is high time some individual or organization with enough money to finance a legal route takes them on.
Who gave a Rugby Body the right to decide what mouth guard a player must wear? It is preposterous!
Sapulo should be supported by rugby lovers all over the world as opposition to the disgrace the game has become under IRB rule.
I have no doubt that an open court of law will frown upon a NZ referee Bryce Lawrence officiating a game where the winner play his NZ team in a semi final the next week.
In proper governance of the game there is at the least conflict of interest!
15 Oct 2011, 08:39 am
Is this story still going? IRB are about as sophisticated as the playground bully. They could have ignored Sapolu’s tirade but rather opt to sanction him. This bloke won’t go quietly into the night and now he has been given something to shout about, The IRB is being run by Fakkin idiots.
15 Oct 2011, 08:58 am
@Uys(Uys)-15: By your judgement, a court of law would also frown upon a Welsh referee (Owens) reffing the game between SA and Samoa, as that had a direct bearing on whether Wales went through, or not. The exact similar accusations have been leveled at Owens – that he was biased against Samoa, and that without his poor refereeing SA wouldn’t have beat Wales.
That idea is laughed at by all South Africans, however they are happy to embrace their own conspiracy theories.
The IRB didn’t decide which mouth guard he wore – they decided that it can’t display advertising from any company that wasn’t an official sponsor of the World Cup. Similar sponsorship standards apply at other sports events also – the Cricket World Cup, for example.
As a side note, could Bryce Lawrence sue someone such as Noakes for his suggestions that Lawrence might have been bribed? So much for innocent until proven guilty.
15 Oct 2011, 08:59 am
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-17: That should read SA wouldn’t have beaten Samoa, although plenty of people have also suggested that referee error allowed South Africa to beat Wales.
15 Oct 2011, 09:01 am
@Uys(Uys)-15:
New Zealanders would have preferred that SAf won. We’d rather the ABs faced the Boks than the Aussies.
15 Oct 2011, 09:03 am
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-17:
You should read the original Noakes piece and not the sensationalist rubbish in South African media (who are clasping at straws)… nowhere does he suggest ‘match-fixing’ and he has come out and stated as much…
15 Oct 2011, 09:04 am
Guy is a complete idiot. Wants Samoa playing in the hours of ‘prime-time’ viewing… how does he ever expect the IRB to raise money?
The funny thing is people think he is doing this for Samoa. Like it will benefit them.
They already benefit from money invested into rugby in that country. They’ve just build a multi-million dollar training facility in the Samoan capital.
Where does he think the money comes from?
Samoa has a population of roughly 200,000. That’s a quarter of the Fijian population (I believe)… Does he really think that there is enough interest to warrant pushing teams like South Africa, England etc. into midweek games? (meaning less money for TV rights).
Childish outburst, and he deserves to be banned for a long time, even if he apologizes.
15 Oct 2011, 09:04 am
@Uys(Uys)-15: I notice you didnt mention barnes “conflict of interest” in 2007? you know, after England had beaten Aussie in the first 1/4 then he reffed the game deciding who they would face in the semi?
of course not… you forgot about it aye?
15 Oct 2011, 09:07 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-20: I read it, and I thought his first piece suggested that he thought Lawrence had purposefully influenced the game for the Australians.
His second piece, however, tried to clarify what he had said. Perhaps his first piece was taken out of context, however it wasn’t a good look for someone who is normally spot on in his public addresses.
15 Oct 2011, 09:15 am
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-23:
Well he was spot-on… his whole issue was bad performances by refs and how they can effect a game… and this most certainly was an extremely poor performance by a ref it most certainly had an influence on the game to the negative… and did the 2007 NZ/France ref…
I’m just not one to go to the lengths of moaning most my fellow Bok supporters are as there were several aspects of the Bok’s game that were lacking, the game was ripe for the plucking in spite of the extremely poor show from Lawrence…
As for Sapolu… the many years in the UK have obviously rubbed off on him… too quick to play the race-card at every turn!
15 Oct 2011, 09:16 am
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-23:
i agree with
his first
piece
it was
spot on
his second
is just
stupid
politics
15 Oct 2011, 09:18 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-24:
Sad thing is they had protesters going to his judicial hearings with signs saying the IRB are a disgrace etc. Like they thought he actually made a fair case…
Look, Bryce Lawrence was incompetent. I’m not about to abuse him on the street, but he did play at least a small part in the Springboks loss. It’s just a shame that we weren’t good enough to win despite the terrible refereeing, then we’d be facing an All Blacks team this weekend that definitely doesn’t look on top of its game.
15 Oct 2011, 09:21 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-24:
in 2007
the ref had
one
stupid
moment
lawrence on the
other hand
in oz vs sa
had a game
full of
stupid moments
favouring
one team
oh no
favouring
two teams
one is nz
this was a
disgusting
plot by the
antipodeans
15 Oct 2011, 09:21 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-24: Matfield said after the game that if they could play it again, they wouldn’t do anything differently.
That, for me, sums up South Africa’s problem. There are at least three things they could have done differently and they would have smashed the Wallabies, but no one in South Africa – not players, coaches or journalists (surprisingly other than Keo and his mob) have so far considered that South Africa, despite an incompetent ref, could have and should have controlled their own destiny.
15 Oct 2011, 09:23 am
@hendrikp(hendrikp)-26: Well, they’re home. Watching from afar. A4Y.
15 Oct 2011, 09:25 am
@hendrikp(hendrikp)-26:
if lawrence
reffed a
fair game
the boks
would have
won
despite their
shortcomings
no ref
should have
such an
influence
on any game
never mind a
quarter final
in the rwc
an he is
not that
bad
see what
is right in front
of you
15 Oct 2011, 09:57 am
I wonder how many South Africans have read this article by John Robie in the sports section of the Joburg based Saturday Star newspaper. I am going tomwatch the Samoa/Springbok match again. I wonder what the Samoan player that was in trouble for speaking out against the referee wwillsay or feel? Would be nice if this article was available in Samoa/New Zealand.
Mus t apologize in advance the article is long but VERY interesting.
“I have looked at the game again and have changed my mind. This is painful as it is an admission of being initially wrong and maybe even a bit pig-headed.
Sorry. It is also an apology to those who called foul right from the start.
The bottom line is that a top rugby world cup referee deliberately and collously set out to influence the result of a vital game to ensure that one of the sides – the one he favoured- was victorious.
This is monstrouds and equally as serious is the strong evidence that at least one assistant referee , or linesman, was involved in the conspiracy.
Clearly the strategy was to referee as normal at the start of the game and only start illegally interfering as the crowd and television audience settled down and if it was necessary.
At the start of the game his side went ahead and that was fair enough. Indeed, you got the feeling that it was just going to be one of those days when one team turns up and the other does not. That often happens in sport and quite why, nobody knows.
However, after going behind early, suddenly the boys started to hit their atraps. They started to string the phases together and it was clear from the statistics that pressure was mounting.
In rugby it is not much possession as position that counts as top sides invariably turn territorial advantage and pressure into points either via tries or inevitable penalties.
In this game, it was clear that the man in the middle subtly and repeatedly denied the side its fair chance to score. He did by selectively applying the laws and indeed the interpretation of them.
As the losing captain complained, as is his right, you could see in the referee’s face that he was biased. He seemed to enjoy taunting the helpless leader while quietly tolerating the efforts of the other skipper – his skipper.
It was clear as a day.
The trouble is that , as an experienced referee, he knew that rugb y retains enough of the old amateur ethos to go out of his way to protect the official in the middle even calling him the sole judge of the fact.
How can he be allowed to get away with it when the spectators , well known for their encyclopaedic knowledge and appreciation of the laws and sporting support of all the teams – not just their own – could clearly see he was cheating.
To be fair to all, there is only one course of action open to the International Rugby Board. The world cup should be interrupted and the game replayed.
You see,Nigel Owens clearly cheated Samoa against the Springboks in order for Wales to qualify out of the group.
Thankfully, al lSouth Africans could see this and agree unanimously that to sacrifice the illegal victory is in the interest of the great game of rugby.
What a load of rubbish.
We beat Samoa , albeit with difficulty, and they are just bad losers.Sour grapes is a terrible thing, isn’t it? Especially when it applies to others.
We lost to Australia because we sat still for four years and din’t develop a game that could chase a match from a losing position.
At least we went down fighting courageously, but losing Brussow gave Australia amajor boost as the referee, in keeping with others in the quaterfinals,clearly had decided to favour advantageas much as possible over pedantic and finicky interpretation.
Isn’t that what we calle d for for years?
Congratulations to Australia for a gutsy and ugly victory.
Shame on South Africans who cannot put objectivityahead of the narrow, one eyed, tribal victim mentality.”
15 Oct 2011, 10:54 am
@hendrikp(hendrikp)-21: if the IRB were financially driven then the RWC would never be held in NZ. The money comes from the value of TV rights and those rights are diminished when the games are being played 10-11 time zones from the biggest rugby market.
15 Oct 2011, 12:36 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-11:
You will notice the French were hardly penalised in the Welsh game either….is this a conspiracy doodums.
15 Oct 2011, 12:39 pm
@WOLFMAN21(WOLFMAN21)-28:
Besides being prejudiced by a clearly incompetent ref, the result always goes down to a missed penalty here or there.
Australia were just lucky and that is how it goes in RWC’s. Like the Boks were apparently lucky in 2007.
15 Oct 2011, 12:42 pm
@hendrikp(hendrikp)-26:
Oz were lucky and it looks like their luck is going to hold tomorrow. This is where the Kiwis get all jittery and start playing to their strengths, which is out wide, and that’s where the Aussies will strangle them into making error after error.
15 Oct 2011, 13:36 pm
…and the whinging continues….
i just cant understand…if Bryce was so blatantly behind the wobblies…why was o’connor not awarded a re-kick when he was charged during the missed conversion? why was Burger not sent off for raking the face of pocock? and how can a team only have 10% of poession when so blatantly (being the only side) infringing?
keep up the bitching guys….you lost the game and now your’re losing face….
15 Oct 2011, 13:44 pm
@Peter Mkata(Peter Mkata)-31:
Good read Peter.
On a personal note, in my many years, on this…………………………Gods great green and verdent planet.
I have never met a Peter I did not like.
Strange but true. Not one.
15 Oct 2011, 13:51 pm
@Peter Mkata(Peter Mkata)-31:
well said!!!
15 Oct 2011, 14:02 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-2: Did you conveniently forget that an England player got the exact same mouthguard fine, or was it a genuine oversight? Either way, bang goes your flaky theory.
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-29: I’m sure you’ll agree that another 4 years beats the hell out of 24 years and counting. Of hoe?
15 Oct 2011, 23:28 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-39: The England player was, however, a Samoan.
16 Oct 2011, 00:42 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-2:
You forgot the other “English” player also got $10k………….or does that just not fit into your argument?
16 Oct 2011, 00:47 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-14:
Would you seriously like to have him in your legal corner if you were ever in that predicament?………..Hahahaha, doubt it. He can’t string a sentence together without swearing……….what an idiot, he’d get kicked out of court…….probably call the judge racist………….he has a large chip dude!
16 Oct 2011, 00:59 am
@mudrockshark(mudrockshark)-9:
Loser.
As if NZ would fix the match so we can play the Wallabies.
As i have said all along i would rather play the Boks in the Semis, as personally i think we will beat the Boks.
I think the Wallabies are a better team than the Boks and the QF just proved it.
Boks have no brains, no plan B. We could go on but dont think fot one minute NZ rigged this cos if we did, it has backfired as now we have to play against the 3 nations champs than play the 3 nations chumps.
16 Oct 2011, 01:08 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-43: Hurri, youre supposed to feed the paranoia, not quell it..
of course we rigged this WC, its why we have Paddy Obrien as head of refs, why we have 3 coaches of the final four teams… its why we even won the hosting rights in the first place… its why the farm that was supposed to be haymans has now be handed over to brycie (on the quiet of course)
its always easier to destroy your opposition from the inside out..
Deans is another bladdy agent that knows what is required today, heck even Mitchell and Plumtree have fulfilled their subterfuge roles wonderfully.. Joubert has been to the jewellers and has picked out his brand spaking new gold watch..
its cost the NZRFU more than than the 2007 campaign, but it appears to be money well spent
16 Oct 2011, 01:13 am
@mudrockshark(mudrockshark)-9:
clean up in page (aisle) one.. there is dribble all over the place…
lucky we have in stock the new SA bib, with matching pacifier..
16 Oct 2011, 01:17 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-44:
I dont understand why half these chumps are crying corruption.
Honestly, i think they should look internally for being corrupt, look at Hansie Cronje,inside job.
I think Brussow never was injured, i reckon Morne didnt forget to take a drop kick in the closing minutes.
Maybe these players took a bribe, corruption could be in there own team.
16 Oct 2011, 01:38 am
“Samoa centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu has responded to the outcome of his disciplinary hearing by saying that he doesn’t want to play rugby any longer.”
– This is not rugby’s loss.
16 Oct 2011, 01:52 am
Anybody who says the Blacks would rather play the easy boks is crazy. OZ showed last week they were the weaker team in every way but the score. This WC is not over. The chokers must face their regular foe and then the team which is their voodoo team in an atmosphere where the officials cant be trusted. Tighten your seat belts here comes lots more controversy.
16 Oct 2011, 01:57 am
This WC is marked by the public not trusting the ref. many teams not just SA have that doubt and it will take a long time and some changes to how the game is officiated to restore trust. In the mean time teams will analyse the style of their opponent and the style of the ref. what hog wash that the ref can have a style. Sad but true.
16 Oct 2011, 02:09 am
man what kind of idiot do you have to be to think this tournament is rigged… refs have terrible games sometimes, it’s just how it goes.
16 Oct 2011, 02:32 am
@fantasticbarnsmell(fantasticbarnsmell)-50: man what kind of idiot do you have to be to think that corruption doesn’t exist.
16 Oct 2011, 02:46 am
@svs(svs)-51: what a ridiculous argument… what makes you think that i don’t think corruption exists? because i don’t believe Bryce Lawrence’s performance last weekend was a part of an elaborate IRB conspiracy? all i’ve seen are poor refereeing performances, what would have happened if the Boks gained a few metres and Morné had knocked over a long rang drop goal in the dying moments of the game? would their entire nefarious plot unravel?
16 Oct 2011, 02:56 am
@XV(XV)-32: Yeah right … that’s nwhy the next one is in Japan.
16 Oct 2011, 03:00 am
your cute when you’re naive. Incompetence is the usual defense to corruption, mups.
An aussie friend and I had this conversation in perhaps June. he said – who will beat the AB’s in RWC 2011? I said – well there’s this little team from the tip of Africa, who should meet them in the Semis (this was before Ireland beat Wallabies, of course)… He says to me, and I quote “Dude, your team usually has to win by more because they are disliked, now factor in the quality of the AB’s, home ground advatage, NZ desire to finally win RWC – the boks have no chance! And, furthermore, if they get a Aussie ref, then its truly over.” His words not mine. Of course it played out slightly different.
16 Oct 2011, 03:04 am
On a different point – anyone see Ferguson (Liverp vs. ManU) in yesterday’s game – he left his best players (Rooney, Nani, Hernandes) on the bench till the 70 minute and brought them all on for impact, in the last 20 minutes. Sheesh that PDV was an idiot, ne
16 Oct 2011, 03:11 am
The whinge continues. Day 8.
7th/8th place playoff.
16 Oct 2011, 03:17 am
@svs(svs)-54: suck it up… your team had ample opportunity to score, why didnt they kick a drop goal? like the ABs in 07, simply werent good enough, end of…
16 Oct 2011, 03:24 am
oh my
Britain’s Daily Mail noted that a Facebook page emphasising the referee’s dual nationality was set up and within minutes of the semifinal ending, the page was inundated with criticism of Rolland. One post said: ’16 Frenchmen on the pitch including you, who should have been a neutral. You robbed the Welsh.’
Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones was also moved to join the debate after watching the game in horror with 60,000 fans on giant TV screens at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
“It was the wrong decision and it wrecked the game. I thought Sam was unlucky. It was a clumsy tackle and a yellow card, not a red card,” Jones said.
“The game was destroyed from that point on. It’s not easy being a referee but I thought Rolland got it wrong.”
BBC news anchorman Huw Edwards believed Rolland was “incompetent”.
“I am that rare Welshman, the type who can’t sing. Not until yesterday, that is. When the final whistle sounded at Eden Park, I produced a booming baritone voice never heard before. Even in defeat – thanks purely to one of the most incompetent displays of refereeing in the history of rugby – our performance had been magnificent,” Edwards wrote.
Writing in The Independent James Lawton brought Biblical proportions to the decision: “We had the red card that changed and, yes, ruined the balance and competitive integrity of this World Cup – we had another example of what happens when a referee plays too carelessly the role of God.”
James Corrigan, also in The Independent, brought a personal note to the controversy: “With all the abuse heading in his direction, I wouldn’t be Alain Rolland for all the croissants in Ireland. However unfair, however unjust, the taunts concerning his French ancestry will carry on throughout my lifetime and, undoubtedly, that of my four-year-old son as well.
“We in Wales are experts at turning the negative into the positive and toasting the brave vanquished. This has to be more than that. A building block, a stepping stone. And excuse us while we use Rolland’s head as leverage. Bitter? You bet. In fact, that doesn’t even begin to approximate to the scale of our gripe. Maybe ‘dwyn’ does. Robbed, as we say in Wales.”
seems suddenly every one is in uproar over refereeing, having FINALLY found their voices when they were so obviously missing in 2007… shame then that so many who chastised the ABs as sore losers and mocked the internal report are now so high and mighty about it all..
wonderful to see… some justification for kiwi fans no doubt..
16 Oct 2011, 03:32 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-58: @poppa69(poppa69)-58: You must be very naive thinking someone may be sympathetic to the four year old events. Not a chance mate, forget it.
16 Oct 2011, 03:42 am
@Nils(Nils)-59: oh no, wasnt being naive, just somewhat smug that the wheel has turned 180 degrees and now some nations will cop 4 years of being told to “get over it, move on, werent good enough, should have taken a drop goal….etc”
just hoping I wont be saying exactly the same after tonights game
16 Oct 2011, 03:48 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-60: Wheel has turned and karma in full force just do not expect any acknowledgment here. That’s it. They’ll whinge about Lawrence till second coming and never ever say Barnes did the same. So rather forget it.
16 Oct 2011, 03:53 am
@Nils(Nils)-61: a gentle reminder now and then is good for the soul… cant let our Saffa brothers off that lightly, Im sure theyd be reminding us if it was our team, and I can envision a barrage of choker calls if the ABs lose tonight…
16 Oct 2011, 03:55 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-62: Sure, expect no mercy. But if they succeed we’ll damn sure make ourselves heard.
16 Oct 2011, 04:05 am
@Nils(Nils)-63: nope. I’ll only really make a noise IF the ABs take the whole thing, hence have only been gently ribbing those who have been somewhat ummmmm despondant shall we say..
16 Oct 2011, 04:19 am
@svs(svs)-54:
well there we have it. A member of the public in Ozzie has pointed out that this is corrupt.
If thats all you have then its pathetic.
16 Oct 2011, 04:24 am
@mcclanbwkrau(mcclanbwkrau)-48:
So wrong.
The Ozzies are the better team and have proven this over the last couple of years.
They are better than the Boks.
I was told over the last 4 years that if you lose in a RWC then you were not good enough.
You cant lose to a team consistently over the last couple of years and claim to be better than them.
16 Oct 2011, 04:27 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-66: I think Aussie have won something like 6 out of the last 7 games versus the Boks, so yeah, it must have been fixed that match..
gotta love it, sort of downgrades food poisoning to second spot… why even the most venerable professor Noakes took the conspiracy bait..
long may it prosper..
16 Oct 2011, 04:32 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-62:
Well if we lose tonight then be prepared for the rest to come out of the woodwork and give us heaps.
It would be just like a South African victory, which proves the jealousy they have of the ABs.
Look at Keo posts, their can be threads about the Ozzies, french, Engand but what threads get the most hits, Kiwi ones. Dont you find that strange?
16 Oct 2011, 04:43 am
Hurri
already prepared for that onslaught.
not strange at all really. people tend to hate that which is better than them.
16 Oct 2011, 04:50 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-68: @poppa69(poppa69)-69: you girls need tissues?
when we lost all sort of ‘black’ nics suddenly appeared here eg black magic, black power even a nzmaori made a come back just to put the boot in & you ladies are acting like it’s a uniquely saffa thing…
gotta love the inherent duplicity
16 Oct 2011, 04:54 am
Trans. not at all.
when you guys play Eng next, will that be an unofficial 7th/8th place playoff? you know, like we heard the bledisloe was for four years.
surely what’s good for the Saffa is good for the kiwi fan too??
16 Oct 2011, 05:12 am
A4Y, yarpies.
16 Oct 2011, 05:17 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-71: yeah that’s what it will be epic
16 Oct 2011, 05:19 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-72: when was the 1st ’4 years’ tickles?
16 Oct 2011, 05:28 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-71: No England and Argentina will be competing for 5th and 6th place, just so Tindall can have another stag do down in Buenus Aireis!
16 Oct 2011, 05:37 am
@HongKongSlong(HongKongSlong)-75:
16 Oct 2011, 05:39 am
I think we should all accept that when one’s team loses when the stakes are so high, each country will come up with fantastical notions to create the conspiracy and give it colour. The boks lost, they played stupid rugby. Warburton should never as a player and certainly as a captain tip tackled an opponent at a semifinal clash. AB fans had to swallow the molestation of Wayne barnes in 2007, we cried, whinged, and screamed bloody murder but to no avail, we realized that you have to play the circumstance in a WC.
16 Oct 2011, 06:16 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-71: @mpundulu(mpundulu)-77: I watched Wales pick and go and throw everything at France yesterday. And guess what? Not a single penalty then either. Or there was a dubious one for coming in from the side of a solitary man lying on the ground, holding on for dear life with another Freench player right over the top of him.
Left me wondering where l saw that before…
16 Oct 2011, 06:33 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-58:
Hahahaha, you did not need any help in 2007, the roar was defening with just 4 mil dude!
16 Oct 2011, 06:46 am
Arrogance comes in many forms.
Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face.
The fellah is in dire need of a slap aginst the pip and a crash course in maturity.
He obviously could not man up so he’s running….poor doodums.
16 Oct 2011, 06:48 am
Goodbye to bad rubbish.
Think he can actually make demands?! He’s a nobody.
Enjoy the dole. Nobody going to employ such a farking idiot.
16 Oct 2011, 06:52 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-71:
If South Africa winning in 2007 was a hollow victory because they didn’t have to face New Zealand, then surely this one will be a VERY hollow victory for New Zealand, who were able to avoid both Wales & South Africa due to poor refereeing decisions.
16 Oct 2011, 07:01 am
@hendrikp(hendrikp)-82:
I think you have missed the point here.
This RWC has alrady been written of as corrupt and match fixing by alot on here.
AT least when we lost in 2007, we blamed ourselves and Barnes. What has happened here is South African fans are blaming Bryce, NZ, IRB and Paddy and then say SA was the best team in the tournament in the same breathe.
16 Oct 2011, 07:05 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-83: Baaawhaaa!!! Where did you blame yourselves? I remember a 400 page dossier blaiming Wayne Barnes, among other trivial side issues. That was funny!
16 Oct 2011, 07:06 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-83:
I wouldn’t go that far… but the tournament has been ruined by incompetent referees.
Nothing worse for the game then driving fans away by denying their teams a fair go through poor refereeing. (Samoa vs SA game does not fall into that category. If anything they were lenient to the Samoans who should’ve seen yellows).
I’ll admit that in 2007 I could care less about NZ losing due to poor refereeing (which it was. Yes NZ weren’t at their best but still good enough to win if the right calls had been made). But now I know the feeling.
I’m happy to put NZ as the best team despite the World Cup, because it seems winning a World Cup means sweet f-all, as one poor decision by a referee can end it.
16 Oct 2011, 07:08 am
@svs(svs)-55: How interesting SVS that you should refer to the Premier League. Not sure if you saw the Everton-Liverpool derby two weeks ago but there the referee issued an extremely dubious red card against an Everton player and ruined the spectacle. However the red card was subsequently cancelled on appeal a few days later and the player’s automatic three-game suspension rescinded. I know yesterday’s decision by Rolland was in a different sport, the rules are different etc. but there seems a clear parallel here involving two referees too quick to flash the red card. Had Rolland first consulted with his touch judges, both experienced Test referees, I think he would have given Warburton a yellow card and left any further punishment to the citing commissioner. Instead we have Rolland pilloried around the world, much as Martin Atkinson was at Goodison Park after his appalling decision in the Everton derby. And no, I’m not a Toffees fan. Come on you Spurs.
16 Oct 2011, 07:33 am
I hope the IRB learnt some leason about NZ hosting a kak world cup :
This is want went wrong :
1. Empty stadiums (Semi & opening games wasn’t a sell out)
2. Possible match fixing to let NZ win this RWC (in all the newspapers)
3. Bryce & bleskop Paddy
4. TV Cameraman being murdered (WTF!!!!)
5. Some tourists dissapeared – Fjijian/Samoan/Maori cannibals suspected!
6. Everyone complaining how bad the weather, food & entertainment is!
Yip, last time that the RWC will be hosted in NZ!
16 Oct 2011, 07:40 am
All you NZ supporters must enjoy rubbing our loss in our faces as we enjoyed doing it to you 4 years ago.
No problem, you win some you lose some.
Regarding Sapolu………
Cheers Bru, no use trying to fight the IRB.
16 Oct 2011, 07:58 am
Just watched an NZ travelogue on CNN.
No Lower Hutt!!!!!!
16 Oct 2011, 07:58 am
Sapolu — biggest ever stiff middle finger to the nobs of the IRB. Legend! Mag and movie deals for sure!
16 Oct 2011, 08:00 am
Is richie playing through pain today?
16 Oct 2011, 08:02 am
I reckon we cease fire now
We on even keel
16 Oct 2011, 08:32 am
@Mills_is_kak(p0ppa69)-87: Every venue was as near as dammit a total sell-out. Not a skerrick of match-fixing (seeing that any such activity is a private arrangement with crooked players in teams anyway and not IRB or NZRU). Bryce called it like he saw it — can’t ask for more than that. Weather is great — after all, it’s late winter/early temperate spring and it’s the rainy season — ideal for rugby! Best lamb and seafood and flat white coffee on earth — and NO “food poisoning”! Mike Miller, IRB boss, says its the “best RWC ever” — eclipsing the 1995 SA show.
16 Oct 2011, 08:42 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-93: Every world cup is said to be the best ever. This world cup should have gone to Japan. 95 was comfortably the best world cup ever.
16 Oct 2011, 09:24 am
Bryce Lawrence is said to be coming to South Africa to head up a “The Rules of Rugby” conference. Few people on this site should attend
16 Oct 2011, 09:25 am
This fellow’s a qualified lawyer? Where did he get his degree, Cuba?
Surely he should know that making allegations like this opens himself up to a defamation suit?
At least if Owens sues, our Samoan centre will have free legal representation – a fool for a client.
16 Oct 2011, 09:29 am
@Richie_7(Richie_7)-95:
Bryce Lawrence had a shocking game. The boks still should’ve won. There is no international conspiracy.
Pound for pound the All Blacks are the best sports team in the world. They should win the RWC and deserve to.
All the whining is emotional venting. We’re all guilty of it.
The IRB needs to look at the whole red car system – it ruins games as a spectacle.
The end.
16 Oct 2011, 09:35 am
@Hooker22(Hooker22)-97: Agreed. Was looking forward to the Boks giving the Aussies a snotklap and the Welsh sending the French packing – was not to be. This morning’s game would have been far more interesting if SA were playing the AB’s
16 Oct 2011, 09:35 am
No one cares. F-uck off back to Auckland.
16 Oct 2011, 11:59 am
@out wide(out wide)-53: if you follow the thread correctly you will see that I used the word ‘IF’………..
16 Oct 2011, 14:27 pm
Good riddance to this self-pitying bad sportsman – rugby does not need his type.
16 Oct 2011, 15:50 pm
@J.B. Cowper(J.B. Cowper)-101: I found it funny how the Samoans complained of bias when they in fact had countless infringements not called. They had the ref in their pocket as well. A knockon in the air by them led up a few phases later to that try. But no. Whinge. Good riddance indeed. They need to sort out their act.
16 Oct 2011, 22:34 pm
The rest of the rugby world share the view that Samoa were treated very badly by the ref in their encounter with the Boks.
17 Oct 2011, 06:34 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-103:
New Zealand ain’t the ‘rest of the rugby world’…
17 Oct 2011, 08:02 am
Bye bye cry baby. It’s a shame, I thought samoa matured in their rugby thinking, guess I was wrong.
17 Oct 2011, 08:03 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-103: Good joke.
17 Oct 2011, 09:54 am
@bryce_in_oz(bryce_in_oz)-104: Tackles thinks HE is the rest of the world.
17 Oct 2011, 13:15 pm
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-103: Tackles, just for the record and with a pure rugby mindset, are you saying that the Ref in that game favoured the Boks…ie) his actual on field calls assisted the Boks?
18 Oct 2011, 00:31 am
103.TheTackler
The rest of the world? You dont really mean that do you? Or are you still stumbling around in your mad hatter guise?
18 Oct 2011, 00:35 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-103: Contrary to the player’s submissions, the Judicial Officer determined that there was ‘absolutely no evidence that the referee was biased in the sense that he deliberately favoured one side or the other. To suggest that Nigel Owens is racist against Samoans is also completely inappropriate.’
18 Oct 2011, 02:57 am
According to Supersport the IRB privately apologised to the Boks for Owens performance in the Samoa game.
18 Oct 2011, 03:01 am
He had very valid points and with his childish rants ruined everything. Lawyer my foot.
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.