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Tuitavake: I definitely scored that try
By MARC HINTON - RugbyHeaven | Tuesday, 29 April 2008
Tuitavake: I definitely scored that try - Rugby news & coverage - Stuff.co.nz
Blues centre Anthony Tuitavake says he scored the stunning length-of-the-field try that was denied him last Friday night against the Crusaders – a contentious decision that may have cost his side any chance of a late run at the semifinals.
The Tuitavake no-try denied by the TMO with just a dozen minutes remaining was just one of a number of close calls that went against the Blues as they were pipped 26-22. Immediately prior skipper Troy Flavell had also gone agonisingly close but was also denied by the video replay official, while the Crusaders' final touchdown should never have been with Sean Maitland clearly putting a foot in touch before unloading.
It can't be said for certain whether Tuitavake's "score" – a contender for try of the season had it been given the green light – would have been enough to get the Blues up on the night, with the end result leaving them needing a miracle to make the playoffs.
The Blues' sole bonus point out of the match, their fifth defeat in the last seven outings, left David Nucifora's side perched precariously on 26 points, all but eliminated from the playoff race. To have any chance of an unlikely charge home over the last three weeks they now have to gain 15 points from their remaining three matches and pray for other results to fall their way.
The Anzac Day result in Christchurch left the Blues rueing their poor fortune and some average officiating, with players and coaches still fuming when they assembled to start preparations for Friday night's game against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane.
Tuitavake told RugbyHeaven he definitely scored the try and was bemused when the call went against him. To be fair to the TMO there were no clear replays that showed the Blues centre scoring, though it does raise the question: whatever happened to benefit of the doubt for the attacking team?
"Oh man, I know that I scored it," said Tuitavake, who produced an outstanding display to further underline his All Black credentials. "Everyone else said I went so close, but I scored it. I got it on the line but by that time other guys came and took the ball off me. The video didn't pick that up."
Just to be sure, we repeated the question. Was he certain he scored?
"I got that down on the line. I thought I was going to get it at one stage, but then they said it was disallowed."
It was a big moment in a match where the Blues were guilty of letting too many of them slip through their grasp. Coach Nucifora revealed that his side made just under twice as many line-breaks as the competition leaders (15 to 8) but could manage just three tries to their four.
Added Tuitavake: "We had a couple of opportunities we just missed out on and that's what it is – a game of inches."
Though there were more than inches in it when Nick Evans kicked the ball dead near the end when going for a touchfinder off a penalty. That was an unforgiveable error on a night when the stakes called for cool heads and cool execution.
Nucifora, though, was adamant his side was still alive and very much kicking in this competition. For now, at least.
"Our part of it's pretty straightforward – we have to win our three games and bonus points are important as well. We know what we've got do. There are quite a number of likely outcomes from other matches over the next three weeks, but by the time we get to that last round if we've done the job over the next two weeks it'll be an interesting last round."
Asked if the need for the maximum haul from here on in changed the mindset starting Friday in Brisbane, Nucifora said it was important to be careful about becoming too bonus point focused.
"You don't want to get carried away or misled by that," he said. "Yes we've got an outcome but we've gt a process we've got to go througth to get it. We'll be quite balanced about how we organise the way we play these games and if we do it well enough those outcomes, or bonus points, will come."
Nucifora remained largely upbeat as he spoke to media at Blues training headquarters on Monday, despite the rock and a hard place he finds himself wedged between. The nature of the performance in Christchurch helped on that front, he reckoned.
"The performance was our best in a long time, against the best team in the competition, certainly the best defensive team. I thought we put them under a hell of a lot of pressure ... we just didn't finish those opportunities as well as we should have.
"A couple were our own doing, a couple we had intervention from others but we're back into the mould of being able to create and put pressure on attack. We've got to build on that over the next three weeks.
"As I always say they're very small margins we deal with in this business. We can't afford little things going against us, especially when you're playing against the best side in the competition. The touch-judge ruling was pretty annoying with that (Ti'i Paulo) try. That gave them a bonus point as well as the winning try, but there were also issues around Anthony Tuitavake's try.
"You need little things like that to go your way and you need prople to get things right."
In terms of the changes to the Blues, with Tuitavake at centre and David Smith on the wing, and possibly even Evans and Isa Nacewa playing switcharoo again, Nucifora indicated it would be more of the same this week.
"The proof was probably in the attacking performance. That's what we've been looking to improve on. Three tries against them, 15 line-breaks put them under pressure, and we should have scored more than three tries if we'd executed properly. I thought the boys played very well so, yes, we're happy with the changes."
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