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Henry whinge: ‘Bizarre’ RWC refereeing needed investigation

Matt Rowley July 29, 2012 34

No GravatarThink you’d read just about all the Kiwi sour grapes there could possibly have been following the All Blacks’ loss in the 2007 World Cup quarter? Think again.

Henry: pre-puke

Sir Graham Henry has just released a book in which he claims the stats against his hard done by All Blacks were so one-sided  that something ‘bizarre’ had taken place.

The book states:

He told them he believed, given the graphic video evidence available, that the NZRU should pressure the International Rugby Board to institute an inquiry. He also emphasised that it was incomprehensible that the IRB did not have strategies in place to investigate bizarre matches. And when it came to bizarre, this World Cup quarter-final was an absolute doozy.

As far as Graham was concerned, the major reason the All Blacks had lost was not because of conditioning or rotation policies or decisions by his captain, but purely and simply because the officials had refereed only one team, to a degree unprecedented in the history of the sport.

He knew if a comparable situation had occurred in other sports, it would be investigated. But there existed a blissful purity about rugby, or at least that’s how everyone wanted to perceive it. It wasn’t politically correct to even suggest the match officials might have favoured one team.

Apparently there are even stronger allegations coming via a radio interview.

The piece of imagery I like the best, though, is that apparently Sir Graham spontaneously chundered upon seeing the video replay of the game in question while on holiday with his wife  in Hervey Bay, Queensland. Vomited.

‘Yeah, a cuppa tea would be….aw, BLEEUUGH!’

It urns out, though, that Graham isn’t alone. According to SA Rugby Mag, South Africa’s last head coach has also cried ‘Fixed!‘  — in a typically muddled way (he admits he has no evidence) about the semi they lost to the Wallabies last year.

Does this make the two losers of last year’s Tri Nations competition officially the biggest ref-bashing moaners in world rugby?

TAGS » , ,
POSTED IN » All Blacks, Rugby World Cup 2011, South Africa
About the author: Matt Rowley View all posts by
Matt started G&GR just before the 2007 Rugby World Cup and has been enslaved ever since. Follow him on twitter: @MattRowley

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Discussion »

  • Suckerforred

    Thing that amuses me is that Aussies have been using evidence of clear poor refing calls in calling for something to be done for years. Now the NZ’s &Saffa’s are seeing it. Well, welcome to our world buddies!

    • Ooaahh

      Really? I thought we just called for McCheat to be reffed as per every other player on the paddock!

    • Da Munch

      That’s a bit rich, considering that NZ got rid of Stuart Dickinson and Saffas got rid of Bryce Lawrence and Oz hasn’t managed to get rid of Kaplan since for the last 12 years.

      • sph45

        Kaplan is South African…

        • Ian

          I think the point here is that the all blacks and boks whinge and get refs sacked, the Wallabies have reason to whinge about Kaplan, yet chose not to.

  • Bruwheresmycar

    Any claim of match fixing without clear evidence is shameful. Imagine if referees, players and the media constantly accused Sir Henry of purposely coaching badly in order to make NZ lose world cup games?

    Oh well, if a few x-coaches want to put our great game on the same level as soccer, keep it up….

  • Alan

    If this guy was in the world most punchable list a few weeks back im confident he would have topped it

    rich of henry to claim refs favoured the opposition after the ABs were clearly given preferential treatment in the WC final

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7C6bTHyC0U

    • Nabley

      Like most of us, I watched the RWC final on TV here in Oz. I had a friend there though who had the equivalent of our “rabbit ears” to listen to the ref and touch judges talk. It seems one of the touch judges kept butting in. Joubert stopped at a breakdown and told them both words to the effect that “we are going to stay out of the game as much as possible and unless an issue has a material bearing on the game, we will not deal with it.The game is to flow it is to be a spectacle that the watching world desires”. I wish a few more refs had that attitude earlier in the tournament!

      • Dally M

        Unfortunately there is letting the game flow & just penalising infringements that have would prevent the game from doing that.

        And then there is ignoring blatant infringements so you aren’t seen to be slowing it down with numerous penalties.

        Teams will always play to the refree, so if he’s letting everything go, it becomes a free for all. Just like the rucks in the Sth Africa v Oz quarter when Bryce had an anything goes policy.

        The balance needs to be found, not tipping one way or the other.

        The sin bin needs to be used more often, especially in the pool stages so that teams know they can’t continually infringe & then they just let the teams know that if it happens in the finals the yellow card will be used. It’s no good issuing all those warnings & then never following through. Sir Richie has taken advantage of that for years!

  • jezacbhs

    @Alan

    Half the allegations made by the guy on that clip are rubbish.

    The RWC 2011 final was probably reffed in New Zealand’s favour. But in comparison to the reffing in the 07 quarter – they’re not even comparable. Over 40 penalties could have been called in the last 30 and none were; and most of the play during that time was in/close to the red zone (another point of contrast to the 2011 final).

    I’m not sure I agree with Henry publishing this – but to deny that that game was a truely ‘exceptional’ case of bizarre reffing seems unfair.

  • Bobas

    Gagger, we beat South Australia in the quarters not the semi…

    • Nabley

      Bobas, I know that Australian rugby rotates round NSWs and Qld, but to think South Australia is both a seperate country and capable of getting into a RWC quarter final, is just a bit much.

  • johnny-boy

    This is just absolutely priceless. And Kiwis have the cheek to accuse Aussies of being ref whingers. Hahahahaha. I see Henry doesn’t mention the obvious ‘fix’ to help the All Blacks stumble over the line last year at the world cup. Wow, talk about ungrateful.

  • top bloke

    Henry has written an autobiography. Obviously the 2007 qtr has to be a major topic in that book. If he left it out then everyone would accuse him of not being honest or too gutless to face up to it

    • Dally M

      Sure, but to go so far as to claim there was some conspiracy that included the 3 referee’s to ensure they lost?

      That is just Henry being a whinger & sore loser. Which he is.

      There have been far worse decisions by referee’s (Kaplans video ref question in the Red’s semi etc.) & no one has claimed conspiracy or match fixing.

    • gerard flanagan

      Typical Kiwi. Laurie Mains you have an acolyte. If GH was my headmaster I know what I’d be doing – wagging.

      If he had any sense of perspective he’d realise that ABs were offside all throughout WC final, but then again NZ HAD to win. It was scripted. France by far the better side. Did you know the French played even though they suffered from food poisoning. Cathy from Invercargil is being blamed…………….

  • Dally M

    By Henry’s reckoning, Barnes missed 40 penalties in total during the 20-18 defeat, neither of the French tries should have been allowed and they were allowed to blatantly infringe without being penalised literally and figuratively.

    That’s hilarious!

    Anyone could find 40 penalties against McCaw alone in every All Blacks match!

  • Wrecker

    Cheating, poor reffing etc. aside… That’s the best pic of Kung Rutchie ever!

  • gerard flanagan

    Gordon Bennett,
    Those Kiwis are hard to please. McCaw and co lie offside all throughout WC Final against Frogs and their School Teacher coach gets on his high horse. France far superior but NZ HAD to win. Arrogance knows no bounds. GH book? Toilet paper for the outhouse.

  • gerard flanagan

    What a joke.
    France miles better in WC, but Kiwis HAD to win.

    • Andrew

      France were miles better than NZ? Bollocks they were. Did they win any line-outs against the throw? Did they win any tight heads? Push over any scrums? Did they break down NZ’s defence? Create more line breaks? Did they defend any better than NZ did? They competed well in the rucks but not any better than NZ. They missed their shots at goal AND made more errors.

      Just because they competed with NZ doesn’t mean they were better. People just have their bitter goggles on because they wanted NZ to lose and a team who previously got smashed by NZ and Tonga to win, despite not playing any better rugby at all.

      If France were truly any better they would have won regardless of the ref, just like NZ would have in 2007, but they didn’t.

  • ryano

    Well I guess Henry has got some publicity for his book now, genius , probably just sold a few hundred more. Its the old formula, write a book, release the most controversial bit to the media, watch the furore, watch the sales skyrocket. The rest of the book would be as boring as batshite

  • Robson

    I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed reading comments on this site as much as I have today. The video produces some immensely worrying stuff though. I am gobsmacked that Joubert ignored such blatantly illegal play right in front of him.

    Maybe there is a case for video audits being called for refereeing performance, so that they can be cited for “foul” play too.

  • johnny-boy

    Such is the self absorbed arrogance of kiwis that they just can’t understand how their cotton wool club stratgey could have failed (especially after the All Blacks once smirked that the Wallabies looked a little underdone after a test win in Australia after the Wallabies had rested some players in a warm up game) and they can’t understand how a rugby team couldn’t give away multiple penalties for cheating when under pressure on their own goaline. I mean, according to the kiwis, that’s just how rugby is played ! Hilarious.

  • Nabley

    Any person who knows their rugby and half a brain would have to say something was wrong during that match. I could accept the forward pass being missed as that happens most games and the fact it led to a try is neither here nor there with me. What confused during that game was Barnes the ref, over the final stages when the ABs were pressuring the French line and were looking for either a try or a penalty, repeatedly telling the French to get back on side.

    NZ can blame Paddy O’Brien as he appointed Barnes to the game and Barnes was clearly not ready for it.

    For all that in a biography I think it had to be mentioned as it would have been a great personal set back for him, regardless of what we think of him on this side of the Tasman.

  • Nabley

    Just found the following on a NZ site:

    Bob Howitt, who penned the book, said everything in the tome had been approved by Henry.

    “It is also very important that people keep this in the context it was written. It must also be remembered that he [Henry] also goes on to say another reason the All Blacks lost that day was because they didn’t play up to scratch.

    “I hope people don’t go thinking the solitary reason the All Blacks lost was because the referee gave a terrible performance that day. It was just Graham was so blown away.

    Howitt also noted Henry’s views about Barnes in the book were largely backed by the NZRU’s high-performance coach Colin Hawke.

  • Old Weary

    Gaggar – thanks for this, it has made my week seeing the Kiwi’s whinged and complain once more about that game.

  • Skyblue

    Really come on people.we didnt make the finals so we are jumping on anything to entertain ourselves.does it really matter what he said in his book.who really cares.the real issues we need to worry about is the poison with in our own ranks and what we are goin to do to fix it.

    • Alan

      Actually friend it does matter. Alot. He is a WC winning coach and someone of considerable influence who is bringing a sport (which i love) into disrepute by suggesting he believes there was some level of fixing or biased by the officials favouring the french.

      Think about the referees? How must they feel to have the integrity questioned by this miserable, sore losing piece of shit?

      I know if i was them i would be looking to take the matter further and not stand to have my name discredited simply because his team lost on the day.

      • Nabley

        Alan, how can he be bring the game into disrepute? Your bigotry knows no bounds. I think Blue Sky has the best idea both above and below. Roll with the punches and hope that the Wallabies listen to Deans while the pressure is off and they have the chance!

        • Alan

          A bigot? you dont know me mate. agree/disagree all you want but there is no need to start hurling insults. i’ll talk rugby to a door frame but the second you become presumptuous and adopt the youtube like trait with the name calling im done.

          and this has nothing to do with the wallabies.. have no idea why your bringing them up. This is just another example of henry’s lack of class

        • Nabley

          So you are one of those types are you Alan? You can hand it out but can not take it!

          To quote you “……..by this miserable, sore losing piece of shit?”

          Take Skyblues advice, you will feel much better.

      • nigel

        yeah alan you are a massive bitter hypocrite. no question.

  • Skyblue

    Really come on people.we didnt make the finals so we are jumping on anything to entertain ourselves.does it really matter what he said in his book.who really cares.the real issues we need to worry about is the poison with in our own ranks and what we are goin to do to fix it

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