Crusaders cleared of foul play
9 Apr 2012
Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder has demanded an apology from the Bulls after eye-gouging allegations against his team couldn’t be substantiated by the Super Rugby citing commissioner.
Bulls forwards Chiliboy Ralepelle and Flip van der Merwe complained to referee Jaco Peyper that they had been eye-gouged during their match in Pretoria, won 32-30 by the Bulls. Peyper used a white card to refer the incidents to the citing commissioner.
According to reports in New Zealand, the commissioner has reviewed the video footage of the incidents in question and found the Crusaders not guilty.
‘The citing commissioner has reviewed it and after that review there was nothing in the video footage that would point to the allegation being substantiated,’ Sanzar chief executive Greg Peters said.
‘The citing commissioner also found it interesting that the Bulls did not follow through with a complaint within the four-hour window after the game.’
After the game, Blackadder said he was ‘bemused’ at the allegations and demanded an apology if they were found to be incorrect. Following the citing commissioner’s ruling and after looking at the footage, the Crusaders coach wonders why the Bulls would have made such claims.
‘The first one with Chiliboy, you would expect that the player would come out of the breakdown holding his eye, but he certainly didn’t. I wonder whether it was a negative ploy.’
Captain Kieran Read also said that he was disappointed with the Bulls for accusing the Crusaders of such tactics.
‘Initially I was really surprised at the allegations,’ he said. ‘It has now come out that there’s no case to answer.
‘It’s a kick in the guts to us because we’re men of integrity and it’s no surprise that it’s turned out the way it has.’
692 Comments
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9 Apr 2012, 14:58 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-548:
Sounds fun on an Easter Mon!!
9 Apr 2012, 15:00 pm
from rugbyheaven
Unbeaten and unbowed: savvy Stormers blow Highlanders away to sit on top of the heap
April 9
THE Stormers have certified themselves as dangerous Super Rugby frontrunners in a dramatic round that involved brawls and accusations of eye-gouging.
The Stormers remain the only unbeaten team in the tournament after overwhelming the leading New Zealand side, the Highlanders, in Dunedin, showing that jet lag and a tough victory the previous week against the Bulls in Cape Town had not sapped their energy levels.
The victory revolved around intense defence and smart counter-attack whenever the Highlanders made mistakes. It enabled them to stay on top of the South African conference ahead of the Bulls, who beat the Crusaders in Pretoria after warding off a late comeback in a match marred by eye-gouging allegations.
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Bulls forwards Chiliboy Ralepelle and Flip van der Merwe told referee Jaco Peyper they had been gouged, and he produced the white card twice to put the incidents on report.
This surprised the Crusaders, a team not renowned for foul play. After the match, Crusaders captain Kieran Read was mystified by the Bulls players’ complaints, arguing his team did not resort to such unsavoury tactics. He said his team were ”not the type of men to do that sort of thing”.
Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder was just as vehement, stating if the allegations were incorrect, he would be ”expecting an apology”.
In other matches, off-field yellow cards were issued. Sharks prop Jannie du Plessis received one after he fought Hurricanes back-rower Karl Lowe in New Plymouth – slapping him in the face. Three separate fights broke out.
”It was a pretty hard slap, and he’s a big boy,” Lowe said ”I wouldn’t like to meet him down a dark alley.”
9 Apr 2012, 15:01 pm
@CAPECRUSADER (seven-times champions)(CAPECRUSADER)-552: surely not jannie dup
9 Apr 2012, 15:03 pm
@CAPECRUSADER (seven-times champions)(CAPECRUSADER)-550: @carol(carol)-549:
Thanks! Trying to get the girls out of the house is like almost impossible. LOL
OK they are ready so outta here…
9 Apr 2012, 15:06 pm
Karl Lowe is ‘n Slapgat!
9 Apr 2012, 15:15 pm
What was Blackadder suppose to do/say when he was confronted by these allegations?
People defending him forgot that they reacted the same way as Bulls supporters and other South Africans when PdV defended Bok players during the B & L tour in 2009 after similar allegations. (“If we want to gouge lions, we’ll go to the Bushveld and do it to real lions.”)
People who now ridicule Blackadder for defendinding his players, forget that they defended PdV back then because a coach is suppose to defend and protect his players if they are accuse of something , like this, without any proof.
Strange how people can change their views about the same kind of incident.
9 Apr 2012, 15:16 pm
@JL1(JL1)-555: he surely is one if that’s how he sees jannie’s girly slap.
9 Apr 2012, 15:19 pm
Still think this was a ploy from the Bulls all along.
I simply cannot believe that not one camera, commentator, teammate, touch judge or the ref missed not one, but TWO incidents of eye gouging.
THis whole thing reeks of a pre-meditated tactic. The worst part is most of these Bulls okes call themselves christian.
And let’s face it. Chilli and his buddy Basson get easily confused with all the banned substances they “accidentally” inhale.
9 Apr 2012, 15:25 pm
@Vetkoek(Vetkoek)-558: Flip injured his own eye as a ploy? Do you realise how stupid you sound?
9 Apr 2012, 15:27 pm
@nama1(nama1)-556: A supporter is allowed to say what he/she wants to. PdV anyways was defending against that specific allegation; he never basically said his side is clean as a whistle, never does anything wrong, side. Difference
9 Apr 2012, 15:28 pm
@nama1(nama1)-556: Not strange. More like fed up with the hollier-than-thou attitude.
9 Apr 2012, 15:34 pm
Hey,what time is Varsity cup final? Driving back from Kimberley to Pta and wondering if I’ll make it in time…
9 Apr 2012, 15:35 pm
@Michael(mikeybrass)-559:
Did I say Flip inured his own eye? So Flip had a little blood around the eye, does that mean he was gouged? Every match I see okes walking around with blood around their eyes etc.
So before you mouth off, you may want to think about how stupid you sound. I’m simply suggesting that it’s highly unusual that 2 bulls players accuse the oppo of gouging and NOT ONE SINGLE camera, official or teammate picked it up. Would you stand idly by while someone did a little eyeball surgery on one of your teammates?
My opinion, they devised the ploy to try and rattle the Saders and draw the refs attention away from other things. A bit like the Bulls player who was screaming like a big girls blouse that he ha a mortal wound, when the Saders had good front foot ball, only to get up, rub his bicep a bit and suddenly be healed.
Come to think of it, I think it was Flip as well…. hmmmmm….
9 Apr 2012, 15:36 pm
I like the Pink Bulls style. They refuse to apologise and stand by their allegations that there was eyes gouging by the cheating Crusaders.
Carter should be ashamed of himself for his unsportsmanlike behaviour of intefering with the tackler. I really thought this guy had class but I was clearly wrong.
9 Apr 2012, 15:38 pm
Vetkoek
You are a fat cake
Call this a ploy, they were getting in charge of the game, controlling it at that point.
What stupid, stupid thing to say
9 Apr 2012, 15:43 pm
@JL1(JL1)-565:
Vetkoek has eaten too many vetkoeks which has caused his eyes to close and his brain to stop functioning.
9 Apr 2012, 15:45 pm
@JL1(JL1)-565:
“You are a fat cake”
Sheesh, careful you don’t cut your tongue on that razor sharp wit of yours.
The accusation by Chilli was made shortly before halftime, when the Bulls were still behind. They only picked it up after half-time, but before half time, the Saders had the upper hand.
At that stage the Bulls were still EYE-dling.
9 Apr 2012, 15:47 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-476:
Yeah.
Bissie must be 3rd in line now, behind:
1. Straauss
2. Chilliboy
3. Bissie
4. Tiaan
Tiaan is actually challenging him quite hard for that 3rd spot at the moment.
Maybe we should keep a no. 2 Bok barometre going every week.
@Michael(mikeybrass)-560:
Supporters at least have to have some integrity also. You can’t just change your mind when it suits you. Dangerous play is dangerous play and no matter what team make them guilty of that, you should condemn it.
I don’t see much difference between the two incidents except that in one instance it was South Africans being accused and their coach defending his players’ integrity. In the 2nd instance it is NZ players being accused and their coach defending their integrity.
Where does Todd say that his team never do anything wrong? He is only defending his players against this specific allegation of eye gouging. A very, very serious allegation.
I bet you that if Chilliboy and Flip made similar allegations against the Sharks, some Shark supporters, who now side with them, would’ve rip them apart for making these allegations without any proof.
Anyway, it’s done and dusted now. Best we all just move on and concentrate on the next game.
9 Apr 2012, 15:49 pm
@White Shark(Predawn)-566:
Oooh. More rapier wit.
You okes are really schooling me.
You ever stop to think that just like I may be wrong about it being an underhanded tactic of distraction, that perhaps you guys are wrong about the Saders actually being dirty?
Or are you in fact the one who is too blind to his own mortality?
After the “please ref, stop the game, I’m one breath short of death by lammie to the bicep” debacle that preceded the accusations, who knows how low these Bulls would sink?
9 Apr 2012, 15:52 pm
@Vetkoek(Vetkoek)-563: You accused two Bulls players of lying. Flip might reportedly be out of the next match from his eye injury. You are therefore saying that he or a team-mate injured his own eye to fool the ref.
Stupidity of the highest calibre.
9 Apr 2012, 15:52 pm
@nama1(nama1)-568:
Strauss is defo the stand out thus far, but I’m not so sure about the anyone else being ahead of Bissie in the pecking order. It also needs to be remembered that he is playing in a decidedly ordinary pack and a team that is more up and down than a Bangkok ladyboy on half price night.
9 Apr 2012, 15:54 pm
@nama1(nama1)-568: An additional point: PdV never denied Burger’s fingers made contact. He only denied it was intentional. Todd on the other hand…
Poor Saders, little bunch of princesses.
9 Apr 2012, 15:55 pm
Doubt it. Why would the winning team makes these accusations? Does not make sense. The Bulls have nothing to gain from mind games after the fact unless they had in fact lost the game and therefore wanted to seek retribution.
9 Apr 2012, 15:56 pm
supersport. com/rugby/super-rugby/news/120409/No_need_for_us_to_apologise_Bulls
Good on the Bulls. Spot on.
9 Apr 2012, 15:57 pm
@Michael(mikeybrass)-570:
No- I’m accusing them of lying and saying that his eye injury could have been caused by any number of things. Punch, accidental headbutt, accidental boot to the face, collision with an elbow.
Google rugby eye injuries. You will be AMAZED at how many incidents there are of eyes that look like that….. Or is every single one of them eye gouging?
How come we haven’t seen the brutality that is Chilliboys eye? Was he not horrifically assaulted as well?
Don’t tell me what I’m saying my little nest of vipers. It may suit you to read it that way, but it’s not what I’m saying.
You’ll find putting words into someone else’s mouth would be called stupid by many.
9 Apr 2012, 15:58 pm
They should maybe take a closer look at Dean’s actions in the rucks. Maybe he mistakenly gouge his own players.
His attitude and actions against the Stormers last week showed that he is a thug.
9 Apr 2012, 16:02 pm
@White Shark(Predawn)-573:
The accusations were made when the Bulls were down on the scoreboard. Not after they had won the game, but during it.
TWICE.
And NOBODY else out of all those camera’s, officials, players etc picked it up?
Dubious. Not impossible, but to my mind improbable.
And since you ask why the winning team would bring it up (even though they brought it up when they were in fact still playing), I would ask why an allegation – NAY TWO ALLEGATIONS IN ONE GAME – of something a serious as eye-gouging was not followed up by the Bulls after the game? No report was filed. Not one dotted i or crossed t.
Now doesn’t that seem strange? I mean surely if two of your players were “victims” of one of the worst allegations in rugby, you would file the report in that allotted timeframe?
9 Apr 2012, 16:02 pm
@Vetkoek(Vetkoek)-575: “No- I’m accusing them of lying”
No? No? There is no “no” when that’s exactly what I said you are doing.
Your stupidity is beyond words. I’m done with you.
9 Apr 2012, 16:03 pm
@nama1(nama1)-576: Right, you join the list of incruably stupid too.
9 Apr 2012, 16:04 pm
@nama1(nama1)-576:
I will give him this though- he sold a better dummy than most of our backs are capable of to score a great try.
Meisiekind must be sweating that yet another player in SA has shown they are a better centre than him
9 Apr 2012, 16:07 pm
@Michael(mikeybrass)-578:
No- you accused me of saying that they gouged themselves, when I plainly did not.
I never denied that I thought they might be lying.
You really seem to struggle with the Eengleesh hey?
9 Apr 2012, 16:07 pm
@Michael(mikeybrass)-572:
So you would’ve been satisfied then if Blackadder said, “Sure, one of my players may have done that but I can assure you it was not intentional.”
9 Apr 2012, 16:10 pm
@Michael(mikeybrass)-578:
Hey Mikey- you in politics boet? You seem to be pretty adept at manipulating soundbytes to suit your little crusades.
For clarity, read the WHOLE sentence again. Here, I’ll even copy and paste for your pleasure:
“No- I’m accusing them of lying and saying that his eye injury could have been caused by any number of things.”
See that little dot after the word things? That’s a fullstop. Indicates the end of a sentence. If you can’t read further than you want in order to try and make a point, then I’d say it is you who is incruably??????? stupid.
9 Apr 2012, 16:13 pm
@carol(carol)-539:
hehehe
hi carol…
been out on this perfect cape town day… up chapman’s peak… cliffs glowing red in the late afternoon autumn sun… we sure live in paradise here…!!
accept my apologies for the tiara story… didn’t know it was yours…!!
would never have referred to you as the richbitch if i had known…!!
well not on the blog anyway…
9 Apr 2012, 16:18 pm
@Vetkoek(Vetkoek)-577:
Sounds like a bit of six of one and half a dozen of the other.
9 Apr 2012, 16:21 pm
@Michael(mikeybrass)-579:
There we go. You know that you lose points in an argument when you resort to name calling?
You could’ve at least tried to spell “incurably” correctly before accusing me of being stupid.
@Vetkoek(Vetkoek)-580:
That was a good dummy.
Don’t forget Coenie’s side step last week. WO will have his work cut out to make the team ahead of the two of them.
9 Apr 2012, 16:54 pm
Speaking of Goosen-
Watching this kid live on Saturday,many people were saying, that he hasn’t done anything to warrant the hype myself included, and that schoolboy success, doesn’t necessarily translate into senior rugby success!
To his credit, Goosen has done his talking on the field!
Top points scorer after 7 rounds, he has defended well, he gets involved in rucks (too often), and he gets that backline away smartly!
His stats belie his age, and the “kicking flyhalf” perception. His running meters, and offloads are the highest of any flyhalf in the tournament thus far, and he doesn’t even feature on the missed tackles list.
What more could one ask of a 10? That said, I don’t think he should be rushed into the bok team! But he can’t be far off, he certainly good enough!.
9 Apr 2012, 17:21 pm
@ufo(ufo)-584:
Lol, the last time she went up Chappies was during the Cape Argus cycle tour 2012. 42 degrees, zero windfactor to cool you down.
But she hung in.
Not sure about the richbitch bit, have a suspicion though
– but i can tell you for sure she is very posh and quite tough
9 Apr 2012, 17:26 pm
@Papoose(papaown)-587:
Goosen and Joe Pietersen are the outstanding SA players so far, along with Adriaan Strauss
Suddenly words such as ‘counter attack’ or ‘moving your backline’ are no longer associated exclusively with Gesie Pienaar, Joba or Honibal.
I am damn sure it won’t propagated into the Boks’ play style though
9 Apr 2012, 17:32 pm
As I said Hondo, I still feel its too early to be talking Boks for Goosen.
I would still currently prefer Steyn starting with Jantjies off bench. Lambie can focus on 15
9 Apr 2012, 18:17 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-588:
yeah rob… read both your comments about ‘team argus’… carol sounds like a tough and determined but genuine and thorough lady… the very antithesis of a richbitch…
today was far cooler and way more leisurely… just an easy hike from the noordhoek side to the peak… views from the peak on days like today are something very special…
9 Apr 2012, 18:17 pm
Vetkoek
You are a fat cake
Call this a ploy, they were getting in charge of the game, controlling it at that point.
What stupid, stupid thing to say
9 Apr 2012, 18:23 pm
goosen is a prodigious talent who ticks all the boxes… and will be a very good bok in the near future…
personally though i wouldn’t pick him to face the england side… not because he is not old enough… i’m just not sure he is physically tough enough at the moment… he again went down on saturday for what looked like a rather innocuous clash…
i sincerely hope he is up to the physical rigors of international rugby because that is the only question mark i have about him… i would still let him complete a season of super rugby before considering him for bok duty… then phase him and jantjies in…
9 Apr 2012, 18:27 pm
I’d love the Stormers to put one over the Saders. We owe them big time for last season. Would make rotating/resting players for the Aus leg of their tour easier too.
9 Apr 2012, 18:48 pm
Seeing all the ‘my dogs bigger than yours my country’s won more than yours’ on this thread… have to credit new zealand with another fantastic win…
Congratulations to the winner, Andreas Derlrth (32) of New Zealand, after being crowned Mr GayWorld 2012 at the Grand Finale in Johannesburg on April 8. Derlrth was one of 25 men from around the world taking part in the competition.
So i guess it’s official then… New Zealand are the gayworld champs too…!!
wonder if the ABs will honour Andreas as fellow world champs…? maybe make him their spokesman or something similar…?
9 Apr 2012, 19:12 pm
@Papoose(papaown)-590:
I think he will be OK as long as you won’t team him up with Hougaard or FdP
He is a far better option than Styen or Jantjies and has an edge on Lambie IMO.
My preference would be Grant and Goosen as his backup
9 Apr 2012, 21:55 pm
Goosen is by far the best 10 in the country and so should start for the Boks.
9 Apr 2012, 22:12 pm
That there was no evidence sounds to me like the Scottish verdict of “Not proven”‘ I like New Zealanders but for me to accept that they are all men of integrity?? Who are you kidding? Not since the days of the punch drunk Skinner can you expect to be believed. Something happened …..
The Crusaders captain protests almost as loudly as their coach (They protest too loudly).
To whit his tactic is to attempt to intimidate the referee – the crusaders were palpably guilty of blocking and shepherding in the match against the Bulls and the penalties were protested equally loudly … Did I hear someone in the parapets squawk INTEGRITY , INTEGRITY. Or was it something fork tongued muttering in the grass.
9 Apr 2012, 22:39 pm
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9 Apr 2012, 22:39 pm
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