NZ v England

[Simon Thomas]

Clinical and slick, exploiting the England 14 men - well worked.

 

[crossref]

Can't help feeling the balance of the refereeing decisions made the difference here. Not Nigel best game.

 

[Ian_Cook]

We were very, very lucky to get away with this match

 

[Toby Warren]

NZ's experience and knowledge shaded it. Well played NZ.

Some calls to pick over.

I thought England 'held on' a lot and we're given a lot of time
Lots of contact in the air
The lack of YC for NZ was very odd

 

[crossref]

NZ were lucky to avoid 2 YC, ma nonu holding haskell back at the start and certainly the PK for tackler not releasing just a metre from own line.

2 very odd knock on decisions against England as well.

Small margins

 

[Simon Thomas]

Don't blame Nigel. To beat NZ you have to be totally on your game and England made too many errors and in the second half seemed one-dimensional except for Morgan, Cipriani and Eastmond breaks.
England will have a lot of confidence for the next two tests with the Sarries and Northampton players now available.
Lancaster, Rowntree and Farrell will have seen a number of AB potential weaknesses they can look to exploit in the next two weeks.

My man of the match was Kiwi #9 - outstanding.

Just watched the try again - Robshaw and Mahler should have been the other way round as guards, or even Robshaw stood off totally as he was a double guard. That could have shut down the space Smith and Smith had to work in.

 

[The Fat]

NZ's experience and knowledge shaded it. Well played NZ.

Some calls to pick over.

I thought England 'held on' a lot and we're given a lot of time
Lots of contact in the air
The lack of YC for NZ was very odd

Was thinking the same thing.
Will watch the replay after the Wallabies v France test.

 

[Dickie E]

I've haven't seen so many handling errors since I watched the U9 blind school playing in a gale, at night, in pissing rain, with a bar of Lifebuoy for a ball. Both teams quite poor. Hopefully a harbinger for Sept 2015.

 

[Ian_Cook]

Watch the slow mo replay. It looks like Yarde actually strips the ball as they are going down.
Game changer.

Not really. I thought the Black BC had knee on the ground so Yarde to he has to release the tackler

As for the no YC call near the England line, NO explained that to Fekitoa himself as they approached the restart.

 

[dave_clark]

missed that explanation - what did NO say?

 

[Toby Warren]

missed that explanation - what did NO say?

You're an All Black - breakdown laws don't apply!

 

[Simon Thomas]

Great shot on Sky with Stuart Barnes giving his analysis and Freddie Burns sitting in t shirt on the pitch boots off chatting on his i-Phone

 

[winchesterref]

missed that explanation - what did NO say?

Told him that it was a timing issue. For an international player? He knew exactly what he was doing, I don't buy that it was timing, it was cynical in my view!

 

[Ian_Cook]

Fekitoa thought (incorrectly) that the ball was over the goal-line, so he didn't have to release. It was about a foot short

 

[winchesterref]

That's rubbish and you know it. On or above the line, or centimetres, but not knowing where he is by a foot?

 

[damo]

Fekitoa thought (incorrectly) that the ball was over the goal-line, so he didn't have to release. It was about a foot short

Hmmm. I thought Owens was saying that he understood that Fekitoa had thought a maul had been formed so he didn't have to release. That certainly makes more sense.

 

[Browner]

It doesn't matter what Fekitoa claimed to have thought, what matters is the neither the player on his back nor the player on his feet released the BC as so delayed Quick ball for England.

TBH I was expecting better from NO today, if he's usually 9/10 , today he was 6/10 regardless of the final try...... Which incidentally came from Mealamu's ( far to late arriving after the ruck was formed, to claim a jackling attempt) penalty con.

Today was useful for
A) crossing off Wilson who was awful with ball in hands
B) establishing Burns as a contender that a season at LTigers might fine tune
C) crossing off Young's ( box kicking aside)
D) giving the series a lift
E) removing current 'unbeatable tag' from nz, clearly they are.
F) giving NO a ego readjustment , his post match debrief will be uncomfortable for him


Most of the marginal stuff went against england IMO,
PS.... did he call England for no#s in the LO when AB won the throw unchallenged, or did I imagine that?

 

[The Fat]

Hmmm. I thought Owens was saying that he understood that Fekitoa had thought a maul had been formed so he didn't have to release. That certainly makes more sense.

The maul theory is the one I think Fekitoa was working under. He was holding the BC's upper body and ball up but the BC's legs and arse were on the ground.
FWIW, it doesn't matter what Fekitoa thought, if it was a tackle he had to release. Doesn't matter if he thought it was a maul or an elephant, if it slowed the attack that close to the line, then a card should have been considered.

 

[Browner]

Hmmm. I thought Owens was saying that he understood that Fekitoa had thought a maul had been formed so he didn't have to release. That certainly makes more sense.

Its what I would have been saying to avoid a YC if I was that player!

 

[SimonSmith]

There's nothing quite as illuminating as England fans in defeat.

It wasn't the referee's fault.