Bob Dwyer has done it again. After clearly upsetting referee’s boss, Paddy O’Brien with his views that the All Blacks are unfairly favoured by referees Dwyer has no re-inforced the point on his website which includes some statistics.
Peter Bills – IOL Sport
It’s official! New Zealand are treated differently by referees to either of their Tri-Nations opponents.
The statistics from the first five games of this year’s competition show a staggering difference in the ratio of penalties per yellow card. Suspicions are rife at the highest levels of South African rugby that the All Blacks get a special deal, and are favoured whether sub-consciously or consciously by referees.
Now, the official figures seem to prove the point. South Africa are the most regularly penalised, conceding six penalties per yellow card. The Australians’ figure is remarkably similar – just seven per card.
But by the same calculations, the New Zealand tally is incredible. Official figures show they incur 43 penalties per yellow card, more than seven times the figure of the Springboks. This appears to reveal at best an extraordinary imbalance in the way the three countries are refereed and at worst, a complete lack of consistency by the match officials in the way they deal with the individual southern hemisphere nations. Some might suggest, on the evidence of these figures, that referees’ tolerance of New Zealand indiscretions appear to know no bounds.
It also seems to bear out the view of certain Bok officials that there is one law for the All Blacks, quite another for their southern hemisphere rivals.
As Australia’s former World Cup-winning coach Bob Dwyer said: “It is difficult to argue with the facts.”
Just days ahead of the crucial Springbok versus All Blacks Tri-Nations Test at FNB Stadium in Soweto, Dwyer wrote a revealing analysis on the New Zealanders’ play so far in this Tri-Nations competition.
He calls their form “scintillating” yet his analysis offers an insight of much value to Peter de Villiers’ men as they prepare to try and halt the All Blacks juggernaut on Saturday: “Just as the All Blacks value the necessity of quick ball for their own attack, they clearly recognise the threat that opposition quick ball poses to their defence. In fact, I thought the NZ defence was unusually vulnerable to attack from quick ball, as evidenced by two quite simple Springbok tries in their second Test in Wellington. They strive therefore to limit such recycles from their opponents.
“There is nothing wrong with that so long as they do so within the laws of the game. It is here that I, and many others, question their tactics. Black-jerseyed tacklers finish on the ground, on the wrong side of the ball so often that I can’t believe that it’s by accident. This prevents their opponents from arriving quickly to support their teammate, and allows other All Black support to attack opposition ball on the ground. Further, opposition scrumhalves are having difficulty getting in close to clear the ball and are forced to ‘lift’ the ball for their pass to clear All Black bodies. This slows down the clearing pass and gives valuable time to the defence. And it’s illegal.”
The Australian also highlighted what he called New Zealand’s “outrageously offside” positions when they enter the breakdown on their own ball.
“Sometimes they are clearing out opponents from positions a metre or two BEYOND the ruck/maul,” he says. “This has the beneficial effect of limiting opposition hands to the tackle ball and allowing their ‘early, long place’ ball for instant recycle to their excellent support players. If any one doubts this, they should Google ‘All Blacks at the Breakdown’ and view an excellently compiled video from the Wellington Test against the Boks. It is even on the increase.
“All players play their part, and while McCaw, Franks and Smith have been serial offenders, Kieran Read has perfected his technique also. It is dramatically effective, it frequently brings tries – and it’s illegal.”
Another former World Cup winner, 1999 Wallabies hooker Michael Foley said: “Referees will lean in favour of the dominant team so that the border line decisions tend to fall their way. Conversely, those tight decisions often go against the team that is not playing well. But I don’t believe it is a conspiracy.”
Read more of Dwyer’s views at: www.bobdwyerrugby.com
August 17th, 2010 at 10:50 am
liewe fok?
August 17th, 2010 at 11:22 am
Bob has clearly watched the recent youtube footage done by an ‘amateur’ analyst…
In saying that… no doubt some on this site will now started rating him after his Bok bashing…
August 17th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
bryce forget about dwyer, this is the stat:
boks 6
ozzies 7
ab’s 43?
August 17th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Reply to Brendon Shields @ 12:41 pm:
I remember seeing those somewhere earlier… what were they for again?
Minutes per yellow?
August 17th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Reply to bryce_in_oz @ 12:54 pm:
Clearly not per yellow…
August 17th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Penalties per yellow. In other words the refs allow more penalties from AB’s before showing yellow cards, than SA and Oz
August 17th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Reply to bryce_in_oz @ 12:56 pm:
Ja, it is unclear to me
what that stat means.
Does it say they are awarded 43
penalties for every YC they get?
August 17th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
Reply to Bokhoring T @ 1:12 pm:
Yep that’s the one…
August 17th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
What would be interesting is the stats of what the penalties were for:
- dangerous play
- offside
- scrum
- breakdown offensive
- breakdown defensive (red zone)
- breakdown defensive (rest of the field)
August 17th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
That stat is how many penalties were awarded AGAINST them before a yellow card was issued.
pretty damning stat no matter what way you look at it.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
South African press should be pumping out articles like this – put psychological pressure on the refs to make the weekend contest more even at the breakdown
August 17th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Reply to Bokhoring T @ 1:33 pm:
Please, that means that they actually have to do some work to come up with the stats.
Far easier to misquote and feed rumours to push up sales.
August 17th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
The stats used are for this 3N only. 5 Games.
Statistical analysis is only meaningful with big enough samples. In this case stats from the last 5 years rather than the last 5 games would make a better case.
August 17th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
The cards are mostly – not always – for dangerous play – probably what the refs have been told to crack down on. Because they’ve changed the breakdown law they seem to be more lenient on those penalties, turning penalties into yellows anyway. The AB’s aren’t being picked up for too much dangerous play, so less cards.
http://fromthebottomoftheruck.blogspot.com/
August 17th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Reply to Fromthebottomoftheruck @ 2:57 pm:
Two of the Boks cards were for first time ruck infringements (Bakkes and BJ)
August 17th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
FTB
Yellows are surprisingly not mostly awarded for dangerous play but primarily for repeat infringments and cynical play.
as a matter of interest the only Top 10 team that has never had a player red carded is New Zealand. 15 years after the card system was introduced they are the only one of the major ten not have had a player red carded.
Now I know our friend Donner believes this fanatsy but the truth is NOBODY is going to tell me they’re angels who never play dirty.
As examples. In 2003 Tana Umaga spear tackled Brian O’ Driscoll so badly the latter was out for a season whilst Umaga was not even cautioned on the field.
In 2006 Ali Williams, in front of the referee openly punched Albert VD Bergh and was later let off at a hearing because amongst others “it was a soft punch”
August 17th, 2010 at 5:25 pm
Reply to fyndraai @ 2:21 pm:
How’s this one
New Zealand is the only team that has never had a player red carded
From the top 10
SA
Aus
Arg
Eng
Fra
Ire
It
Sco
Wal
All have had players red carded with us and France leading but New Zealand
15 years of card system
Has NEVER had a player red carded…
How’s that for a skewed statistic
August 17th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Going back a little further, I found data for the 3N since 2008.
23 Games- Penalties/Cards – Ratio
NZ : 191/4 – 48
Aus : 147/7 – 21
SA : 179/7 – 25
The statistic hold. Question is why? Does referees favor NZ? Does NZ just infringe differently?
My guess is as I’ve said before. NZ players are being coached to infringe selectively. The result is control over where, when and how many and fewer cards per penalty.
SA’s numbers are bumped up by dirty play.
Aus is a mystery.
August 17th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Reply to DavidS @ 5:19 pm:
En wie was dit wat Fatty Smit
‘n paar weke uit aksie gehaal
het?
Hulle het darem al – soos die
OZmob – ‘n paar rooikaarte vir
openbare geweld, dronkbestuur,
alkoholisme en ander vorms van
misdaad gekry.
August 18th, 2010 at 12:33 am
Reply to fyndraai @ 6:15 pm: Spot on. If the Boks concede 6 penalties and the 7th penalisable offence is a head butt by Bakkies of course the penalty to yellow card ratio is going to be lower than other sides. Dwyer is just playing with stats and then Peter Bills proclaims that it is therefore “official”.
What Dwyer needs to say is that his Aussies and the Boks are less disciplined than other sides and give away brainless penalties at times. As has been said before, look in the mirror for the solution to the problem and stop trying to blame others.
August 18th, 2010 at 12:39 am
I don’t think the yellow:penalty stats tell that much. Some of our cards have been for really dumb stuff.
What is an eye opener is the sheer number of penalties the AB’s have accumulated…………………….and this is without the refs penalising them for all the offside pay at the rucks, taking out players 1 metre in front of the rucks, etc. that Dwyer refers to. This has given them a distinct advantage at the breakdown and thus the ability to recycle and score.
Paddy O’Brien has quite clearly shown his true colours in this 3N. He is biased toward NZ (and particularly against SA) and as such should not be in his position in the IRB ….especially with the RWC being in NZ next year. I hope the Oregin makes a big fuss about it.
August 18th, 2010 at 2:51 am
The numbers for the S14 this year are:
Penalties/Cards – Ratio
NZ : 661/17 – 39
Au : 521/12 – 43
SA : 661/14 – 47
So in that case SA had the most penalties per card and NZ the fewest. SA referees, perhaps?
The other thing is that Graham Henry probably did not “slack off” in his preparations.
August 18th, 2010 at 3:12 am
@ fyndraai – The SA S14 teams were particularly disciplined this year and by the end of the competition I was beginning to think that the NZ teams had taken over from SA as the dirtiest players……then Bakkies had a brain fart.
There is no excuse for wilful foul play. Tip tackles and high tackles happen, but head-butting and eye-gouging are deliberate and should be heavily penalised. The players are professionals and, with the cameras all around the field of play, should realise that they cannot get away with it.
August 18th, 2010 at 3:25 am
Reply to fyndraai @ 2:51 am:
Better coached more disciplined than the frustrated no game-plan B Bok side…
The fact that on the tour the Boks were permitted to sleep in every day, only had practice in the afternoons and were permitted like Ricky January to go out and eat Cheeseburgers from Macca’s late night before the the game gives an inkling into the change in mind-set in the camp…