Referees are finally cracking down on All Blacks’ negative tactics?
IT seems National Rugby Championship audiences aren’t the only ones overdosing on yellow.
Statistics back up suggestions of former leading referee Jonathan Kaplan that officials are finally cracking down on All Black negativity, with the Kiwis experiencing a 67% increase in yellow cards compared to four years ago.
Kaplan’s comments came as Steve Hansen yesterday opened himself to allegations of hypocrisy by complaining about referee Jaco Peyper, who sin-binned two All Blacks in their 12-all draw with the Wallabies in Sydney.
The yellow cards were the sixth and seventh in New Zealand’s last ten Tests, and they spawned another round of Kiwi media suggestions there was a “refereeing conspiracy against them All Blacks”.
But 68-Test refereeing veteran Kaplan indicated whistleblowers were instead finally getting the courage to call the Kiwis on long-ignored slow-down tactics.
“NZ were again guilty of marginal tactics under pressure … Are the referees finally beginning to understand what needs to be done to eliminate this constant in their game when they come under pressure in their 22m area?” Kaplan wrote on his blog.
More here: http://www.news.com.au/sport/rugby/s...-1227032965105
Apologies gang. Can a mod merge this with the other thread?
