Kaplan
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Kaplan had his usual game he has these days: missing a lot of stuff but using his experience to manage the game better than most.
Scrums
His refereeing of the scrum was a lucky dip. I started to write down a few things but had to give up.
• The 1st scrum ended with an early engage signal against Oz. He must have great eyes because I missed it.
• The 2nd scrum, called by Wales as a result of the 1st one, ended with a penalty to Oz, signalled as Wales pulling down, yet the Aussies drove through the hit before the ball was put in: something Kaplan usually pings like Ming the Merciless.
• The 3rd looked exactly the same as the second; yet this time Kaplan gave the early engage signal against Oz. They engaged at the same time, but maybe that's the signal they give also when a scrum pushes through the hit because the Wobs did it again.
• The 4th scrum was the first that ended in a result - and in the 5th the Wales THP had to turn in under pressure and Slipper went to a knee because there was nobody in front of him. But no penalty for Oz.
I gave up after that. I'd rather have Poite who refs on the vibe of the situation, yet doesn't hold that because one team was penalised one time they have to be pinged the next time.
Deliberate knock ons etc
• Kaplan missed as much for Wales as he did for Oz, (after oranges, not before), but there were two deliberately knock ons (by Hook and Priestland) that you know were noticed, because the scrums were set. But they weren't penalised, and one wondered why not, when neither player had their palms up and could never have gathered the ball.
• But not noticing that a poor Wales box kick from the lineout, that didn't go very far, was fielded by Warburton, a player who was in the lineout and 5 metres offside? That was a more obvious howler because everything was close to touch and Kaplan and the touchie had a good view.
No penalty try
• The decision not to award a penalty try was ineffectual because Horwill declined a kick at goal and Oz scored anyway, but the matter is of interest.
Poor old Halfpenny was between a rock and a hard place: tackle JOC (James O'Connor) and he doesn't try to take the ball and it's a penalty; wait until he takes it and he's got a couple of steps and he will probably score in the tackle. Halfpenny was not entitled to natural justice so “What else could he do?” does not apply.
Unlike some, I thought it was a definite penalty, and like the Pom commentator Brian Moore (who is also a solicitor and an ex-international), I thought it was a penalty try also.
Halfpenny touched JOC (James O'Connor) a frame before the ball did IIRR, but it should have been a penalty anyway had the ball touched JOC (James O'Connor) first.
When a fellow chests or bellies the ball through you can't tackle him. But when he tries to take a bouncing ball and knocks it up, it is fair play to make the tackle because if he regathers it he can play on. He is therefore deemed to be in control of the situation after the knock and before the regather. This doesn't apply to chesting the ball.
I'm sure you won't find it in the law book and it's probably not in a ruling on, or clarification of, the laws either. It may be just a convention that referees use, like allowing scrummies to put their hands into the ruck to fish the ball out. Whatever – it has always been deemed a penalty in games I have seen.
• But a penalty try? If you take Halfpenny out of the equation, which I believe is the thought process used, JOC (James O'Connor) scores, albeit in the tackle of North – probably - and “probably” is all you need. Because North was behind JOC (James O'Connor), “certainly”was closer to the mark.
Probably.
