Liam Messam and Patrick Lambie have been scrubbed
How Sanzaar shot themselves in the foot with Liam Messam and Pat Lambie rulings
15 hours agoby CHRISTY DORANSource: FOX SPORTS
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IT’S meant to be the premier domestic rugby competition in the world.
But Super Rugby’s administrating body Sanzaar have placed that title in doubt after ruling two of the competition’s stars ineligible for the finals because of a technicality.
On Monday, Sanzaar made the surprising decision to scrub Sharks captain Pat Lambie and Chiefs great Liam Messam out of the playoffs.
It was a black and white decision by Super Rugby’s governing body.
Sanzaar’s argument was that it didn’t want to set a precedent of bending laws to allow players to waltz in at the back-end of a season and then feature during finals.
Under current laws, a player must be either included in four match-day squads (they don’t have to step foot on the field) or be registered as a player before April 30 to be automatically eligible for the finals.
Neither Lambie nor Messam met the criteria.
Only in “exceptional team circumstances” may a player who does not qualify for the above criteria be considered to feature in a final.
“It’s simply based on tournament rules,” said Greg Thomas, Sanzaar’s media and communications manager.
“Tournament rules state that a player like Patrick, who’s come into the squad after the original naming of the squad, has to have played four games.
Liam Messam of the Chiefs looks on in disappointment at Westpac Stadium.
Liam Messam of the Chiefs looks on in disappointment at Westpac Stadium.
Source: Getty Images
“At this moment in time he hasn’t played four games, so it would take exceptional circumstance for him to come into the squad.
“When it comes to the exceptional circumstances, we have ruled that Liam Messam and Patrick and a host of other players aren’t available for this weekend’s finals based on the criteria.
“Who’s to say what happens this weekend with further injuries and coaches and teams wanting to come back to us with exceptional circumstances, than Sanzaar will look at those.”
But hang on a second.
Lambie’s the captain of the Sharks — how was he not included in the Sharks’ original 40-man squad?
Well, the Sharks must fess up and take some responsibility for the end result because they didn’t include Lambie in that squad.
The Durban-based franchise naively believed that Lambie, despite missing the first half of the season because of a shoulder injury sustained in pre-season, would play at least four matches and, therefore, meet the eligibility requirements regardless of whether or not he was named.
They did this to keep as many developing players on their roster as possible.
It backfired.
Less than a month after taking the field for the Sharks, Lambie was concussed during the first Test against Ireland in June — which unlike The Rugby Championship isn’t a Sanzaar run tournament — and hasn’t been sighted since.
Pat Lambie of the Sharks lines up a kick at Jose Amalfitani Stadium.
Pat Lambie of the Sharks lines up a kick at Jose Amalfitani Stadium.
Source: Getty Images
With Garth April now starting, Sanzaar believe the Sharks have enough depth in the position to cover Lambie’s absence.
While the case of Messam is substantially different to that of Lambie, it’s equally concerning.
Messam, who took leave from the Chiefs in an unsuccessful attempt to represent New Zealand at the Rio Olympics, has been ruled out, despite playing the final two rounds, because he’s signed a two-year contract to join Toshiba in the Japanese Top League.
This follows New Zealand sevens coach Sir Gordon Tietjens’ recent decision to leave Messam out of his 12-man Olympic squad.
But Sanzaar, we’re not talking about any old bloke.
We’re talking about the Chiefs’ most capped player of all-time with 146 Super Rugby appearances under his belt.
He’s a player who until this year was the Chiefs’ skipper, a two-time
Super Rugby champion, as well as a World Cup-winning All Blacks with 43 Tests to his name.
Wake up to yourselves Sanzaar.
These two cases are exceptional.
They’re completely different to that of veteran Waratahs lock Dean Mumm, who last year returned after three seasons in England to the NSW franchise with three rounds remaining.
South Africa’s Andy Marinos is the chief executive of Sanzaar.
South Africa’s Andy Marinos is the chief executive of Sanzaar.
Source: Getty Images
Lambie was always a part of the Sharks squad, regardless of whether his name was inked on that initial piece of paper.
Likewise, Messam was either in New Zealand or travelling with the national sevens team.
It’s also understood that Messam will return to the Chiefs for another season in 2017, before heading back to Japan for his second year.
Some might say it’s poor management from the Chiefs to not have included Messam in the initial squad — as they did with Rio-bound Sonny Bill Williams and Augustine Pulu — but he was widely expected to be picked by Tietjens,
Flexibility must be shown.
Super Rugby can’t afford to have a one size fits all approach.
The spectre of rich northern hemisphere clubs lingers over Super Rugby.
Decisions like this will only push the game’s elite away.
Sanzaar says it wants the best players playing the game.
Well, with all due respect, you’re not showing the paying public that that is the case.
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