McCaw Tired of Cheating

[Darren]

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw has asked people come up with something a little more original, as once again the script labelling his team and the mercurial openside cheats has been unearthed.

Last week an English journalist unloaded on McCaw and the world’s number one ranked team, accusing them of all manner of offences, while during the All Blacks 18-5 loss to the Wallabies in Brisbane, Fox Sports commentators consistently suggested that the visitors were flaunting the offside line.

McCaw, widely regarded as potentially the greatest exponent of openside play in rugby, has often been the target of opposition coaches, players, media and ‘experts’ in his art of playing his role to maximum effect.

Like any class number seven, McCaw’s role among others is to push the boundaries, and he has found allies with like minds – with former and current Wallabies George Smith, Phil Waugh and David Pocock all stating it is part and parcel of the fine line that a fetcher must walk in establishing himself on the field.

Pass It On

68
Last year Waugh told the Sun-Herald McCaw was smart and very quick to pick up on what he could and couldn't do.

"The quicker you get the interpretations right for the game the better you're going to perform in the game," the former Waratahs captain said.

"Richie's a very astute and smart rugby player who picks that up very early in the game, which allows him to push the limits. And that's what he's out there to do."

McCaw in the past has admitted you have to test the boundaries.

"I have to work out what I think is right and what he thinks is right might be different, and you have to figure it out pretty quick," he said.

"I always think what I am doing is the right thing to do, and if he penalises me you think, 'Jesus, I am not going to get away with that today with this ref'.

"So you have to change things a bit, and each of them is a little bit different. The knack is being able to do that. You have to weigh it up.”

"As long as I am not putting the team under heaps of pressure, you have to still be at the point of knowing what you can get away and what you can't. And the odd time, you might get it wrong."

McCaw was in Rangiora yesterday in the All Blacks nationwide visit to 11 towns, and he and Crusaders team mate Kieran Read entertained over 200 people at the band rotunda in Victoria Park.

When asked by the Press what he thought of the latest accusations, the All Blacks captain replied with his typical nonchalance.

“It is just the usual isn't it?” he said.

“You would think there would be a bit more bloody thought go into it than to dig up the old stuff. Look, as a team you don't get carried away with that stuff at all. We go about what we do.”

“That is always the way. You have got to know what you are allowed and not allowed to do. It would be silly to start giving away penalties or do anything stupid. It is a bit of gamesmanship to people, they like to stir things up.”

http://www.allblacks.com/index.cfm?l...sarticle=17356

[zed]

McCaw in the past has admitted you have to test the boundaries.

A euphemism for cheating?

In the final Bledisloe cup, there were at almost a metre offside at virtually every ruck. They knew they were getting away with it and carried on doing it. I call that cheating.

[DinkyDi]

playing to the whistle is not cheating - its all about interpretation now

[shasta]

Agree 100% with McCaw and the rest of those loosies. The area I think the AB's, and others, often get a way with offside play is the "behind last feet" interpretation. If the referees all interpreted it as meaning both feet of defenders need to be completely behind not just one foot. Especilly where a ruck is over the goal line - which then becomes the offside line. Assistant refs are nearly always delinquent in assisting with it. It's not rocket science.

[Happy]

A euphemism for cheating?

In the final Bledisloe cup, there were at almost a metre offside at virtually every ruck. They knew they were getting away with it and carried on doing it. I call that cheating.

you do need to add it was poor ref'ing in fairness to McCaw - if he isn't getting pulled up on it then there is no expectation he should ref himself ?

[zed]

you do need to add it was poor ref'ing in fairness to McCaw - if he isn't getting pulled up on it then there is no expectation he should ref himself ?

Yeah it was shithouse reffing and I understand players may be offside unintentionally or pushing the boundaries, but when they're a good metre offside and it's blatantly offside to all & sundry (apart from the ref!) then it crosses the line from pushing boundaries to cheating. I don't have a problem with players pushing the rules slightly, I do have a problem with players trying to get away with as much as they can. That's the the kind of crap prevalent in sports like soccer, with players diving to win penalties. That's not sport.

[The InnFORCEr]

soccer. That's not sport.

I agree

[Ecky]

If I might be permitted to observe, as a referee:

I have said before in this forum that it is expected that players (well, the good players, anyway) will test the match official to see what they can and cannot do.

Those players who keep doing what they were penalised for and keep getting penalised are morons.

Those players who learn that they will get penalised if they do whatever it was they just did and then stop doing it are those that will go a long way in the game.

I have absolutely no problem with Richie in the way he plays the game as he soon learns what his boundaries are and plays that game within those boundaries.

That the two Assistant Referees did not assist the referee is an issue for the officials in that game. Perhaps #1 issued instructions for them not to assist him with those things. Some refs have this habit. One I know will issue the instruction along the lines of "if it's blatant/obvious and I missed it then let me know. I will manage the straight throws in the lineout". So the AR tends not to do much talking on the comms gear to this individual because he's got it covered.

The review post-game by the assessor of the match officials will highlight both the referee and AR's failure to detect and penalise the (apparently) blatant offsides.

You might like, dear reader, to watch a bit of any match just to see what the ref is doing and where he is choosing to position himself. At a ruck/maul you will often observe the ref standing to one side of it, usually on the attacking offside line, and occasionally monitor what the backs and other non-participants (posts/pillars) from the defending team are doing. Some also point with either or both hands to give some indication to the non-participants that he's watching them. If you look closely, however, you will see that the ref is pointing to the offside line but looking at the action where the ball is. Thus he is not monitoring what the (potential) fringers are doing, unless they are close to the ruck/maul.

This is a piece of inside information for you and I will thank you for not passing it on to any current players as they may then try to test the tolerance/boundaries themselves. And then where would we be?

As far as those football (soccer) players are concerned, diving for a free kick is not the same thing. That's just stupid. imho