Auckland vs Otago

[Tim]

@kiwimurph Ruru can cover 10, but that would leave Plummer covering 15? Or perhaps Rayasi? He has a decent boot.

[KiwiMurph]

Clarke is going to have his defence tested by Nareki - one of the form wingers in the comp.

[KiwiMurph]

Telea clearly not fit if he gets injured that early.

[Dice]

I think Telea missed an overlap there.

Hope he's OK.

[Stargazer]

That weird yellow card again. Deliberately knocking a ball back into touch. Very similar to "that" SBW card. I don't agree with it.

[KiwiMurph]

@stargazer I do. Fuck off Collins.

[Stargazer]

@kiwimurph Would you have agreed with it, if it had happened at the other side of the field?

[Higgins]

Well that's a new rule to me. He certainly did not throw it into touch so how can it possibly be a yellow card?

[Dice]

Rayasi could've scored if he went for the corner, but he tried to go inside.

[Anonymous]

@higgins You cannot deliberately throw, knock or place the ball into touch. If anything he's lucky it wasn't a penalty try.

[KiwiMurph]

@stargazer to be honest a large part of it is my hatred of Collins.

[Higgins]

Anonymous said:

@higgins You cannot deliberately throw, knock or place the ball into touch. If anything he's lucky it wasn't a penalty try.

A matter of opinion then. To me it did not look like a deliberate throw into touch.

[Stargazer]

@anonymous It's a stupid rule. Kicking a ball out deliberately is okay, but not knocking it out with your hand. It went backward too. Ughh.

[Higgins]

The ref did not mention knock on during the delivery of his decision. I thought he simply said something like "deliberately knocking it back" which is not a penalisable offence much less a yellow card one/ You might recall TBW got dealt to for a deliberate knock back in a HB v Otago game in Dunedin a few years back. Might even have been the game we relieved them of the Shield.

[KiwiMurph]

An underrated skill of halfbacks is being able to organise a maul.

[Anonymous]

@higgins It's the knocking it into touch that was the issue.

A player must not:

    b. Intentionally knock, place, push or throw the ball with arm or hand from the playing area. 

[Dice]

Hopefully Whetton is good for next week, but I doubt it. That looks like at least a two week injury.

[Anonymous]

Stargazer said:

@anonymous It's a stupid rule. Kicking a ball out deliberately is okay, but not knocking it out with your hand. It went backward too. Ughh.

It's only stupid if you also think deliberate knock forwards are stupid. It's to prevent the defending team from easily stopping attacking moves. Just look how easy it is to rugby league for teams to knock the ball dead instead of grounding it.

[KiwiMurph]

Umaga has some ability.

[Higgins]

Anonymous said:

@higgins It's the knocking it into touch that was the issue.

A player must not:

    b. Intentionally knock, place, push or throw the ball with arm or hand from the playing area. 

OK, thanks for that. Wonder when referees will start issuing cards for deliberate knock ons when players intentionally drop the ball forward when in possession of the ball playing under penalty advantage then.