Other games this weekend

[Scozzie]

Fox muppets raving on and on about how well Dick Graham has done this week - FFS! After all the chances he's had & still has the job is unbelievable! And can't tell me Fox don't have any financial investment in Tahs & Reds at the ARU.

I picked up those comments from Tim Horan as well.......what a clown...!

[valzc]

Well I hope the Force have the blueprint gameplan for beating the Reds.

[Alison]

At the risk of asking a stupid question, why does everyone call him Knuckles????

[shasta]

At some stage he was working as a bouncer at a pub. Comes from there IIRC.

[travelling_gerry]

At some stage he was working as a bouncer at a pub. Comes from there IIRC.

Yup, he was part of the Casuarina Cougars club in Darwin that looked after the door at the Mararra Pub on Saturday nights. Unruly drunks often got the knuckles.

[valzc]

So how the hell did the Tahs manage to get that one? Seems like Hoff is on the payroll well and truly. What a disgraceful reffing example that was. Bet the Sharks are filthy about a lot of that, but then their line outs didn't help their case. At the same time, there's a taste of how the Force got treated in SA. Think I read somewhere that the Tahs have never lost a game riffed by the Hoff - is that true?

[maelkann]

Think I read somewhere that the Tahs have never lost a game riffed by the Hoff - is that true?

Who was our ref last week?

[brokendown gunfighter]

shhhh

[valzc]

Who was our ref last week?

Aaahhh yes that's right- and I also recall him desperately trying to find a way for the Tahs to get that one too! Face massaging on Hodgo off the ball is apparently ok if the ref is blind! What a bummer he couldn't find a way to swing that one. And I'm not biased in any way whatsoever-just a Force fan.

[Scozzie]

So how the hell did the Tahs manage to get that one? Seems like Hoff is on the payroll well and truly. What a disgraceful reffing example that was. Bet the Sharks are filthy about a lot of that, but then their line outs didn't help their case. At the same time, there's a taste of how the Force got treated in SA. Think I read somewhere that the Tahs have never lost a game riffed by the Hoff - is that true?

Some really dubious decisions from the Reffing team. Like the big Fijian winger's dodgy touch down being given a try for the Tahs, but the one in the corner from the Sharks being ruled out. Hoffman telling the Sharks it was the last kick of the half when awarding them a penalty, and then saying the lineout should be played. Going back to check with the TMO on Folua's clearance kick from the 22 where Hoffman had originally ruled the ball had been carried back. The Sharks will be very p****d off with that game, but as you say maybe that's a bit of karma for the SA teams. Pity it wasn't the Force benefiting from the karma though...!

[travelling_gerry]

[Alison]

Definitely time to have neutral refs back again.

And I personally think there needs to be a pull back on the role of the TMO. Maybe they should limit the number of referrals permitted per game? It just feels like the 'main' ref is becoming less decisive/attentive because he knows there is a back up via the TMO. It also sometimes seems to be used to desperately find reasons for/against awarding a try by going back several phases. If the TMO is here to stay, there should be more limitations on how it can be used. IMO.

[SNOB]

The way the reffing is now a days we might as well go back to the days when each team supplied a touchie and we can just pick the ref out of the crowd!

[shasta]

Definitely time to have neutral refs back again.

And I personally think there needs to be a pull back on the role of the TMO. It just feels like the 'main' ref is becoming less decisive/attentive because he knows there is a back up via the TMO. IMO.

Hard not to agree with that. I thought Bismarck was remarkably restrained after some of the incomprehensible scrum calls yesterday. He often looked about to explode.

The Chiefs were on the wrong end of a video ref call in the last minute of their game yesterday when a try was disallowed them due to a "knock on". As their player laid the ball back from a ruck just short of the goal line a Canes player (on the ground) played at the it and knocked the ball loose. The chiefs regathered and scored a try next to the posts only to see it turned down. Cost the the match. Unbelieveable!

In another match in the past couple of weeks (can't recall which - bloody alzhiemers!) the referee wanted to check a player interfered with while in the air retrieving from a kick. After seeing it a number of times on the big screen, he said something like "doesn't look deliberate I'm thinking just a penalty". TMO replies "I think it's more deliberate than that. Red card". And that's what was given. FFS! Who's controlling the game there???

[GIGS20]

the referee wanted to check a player interfered with while in the air retrieving from a kick. After seeing it a number of times on the big screen, he said something like "doesn't look deliberate I'm thinking just a penalty". TMO replies "I think it's more deliberate than that. Red card". And that's what was given. FFS! Who's controlling the game there???

Wasn't that the Nick Briant one against the Force, where he sent it to the TMO for foul play taking out the catcher under the high ball and the TMO said he had his eyes on the ball the whole time, it was careless but not intentional penalty and Briant said he thought it was more deliberate than that and carded him?

I'm not sure which is worse, us speaking about the same incident, or there being two incidents in the same season where the video was used to unreasonably convict a player of an offense greater than that which was committed.

Re the Rohan Hoffman incident ripping the linout inside the 22 off the Sharks, I didn't think the video or the TMO could be used in that situation anyway. My understanding was only foul play and the couple of phases in leadup to a try. I guess Rohan was looking for the Tahs to score a try in the next phase to allow it!