Ravenhill, that great old ground, has hosted many famous tussles. Ireland secured the Grand Slam there in 1948, beating Wales in their final match, two tries to one.
And followers of Ulster have been treated over the years to some wonderful moments and to disappointments too. Their match on Friday against the Stormers was right up there with the best. It was worth every penny of the entry fee into what is a truly top-notch venue, now rebranded as the Affidea Stadium.
It went down to the wire, the visitors claiming a 38-38 draw courtesy of a penalty try awarded by Italian referee Andrea Piardi, who overall put in a fine performance. Just a couple of minutes remained when Leolin Zas drove for the Ulster line.
How Connacht are proving a stark contrast to reeling Munster
Coming across fast in defence was Ulster’s excellent scrumhalf Nathan Doak, with his only way of preventing the ball being grounded being to wrap up Zas in an upright tackle. Once a defender commits to that, he is at high risk of making illegal contact with his opponent’s head.
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And that’s what happened. The TMO, Matteo Lipperini, brought it to Piardi’s attention and the inevitable penalty try decision followed. Ulster supporters were infuriated, and the match officials left the arena to a chorus of disenchantment. However, in the cold light of day, perhaps those loyal supporters will pause to reconsider.
Head collisions are a serious safety issue, just read Robbie Henshaw’s balanced account about the effects of being knocked out cold in Leinster’s defeat of Toulon. We’ve also heard recently, and tellingly, from neurosurgeon Colin Doherty, so we should all be in no doubt about the dangers of sub-concussive blows to the head.
Doak’s collision did not have great force, but it was to the head and it’s impossible not to support the referee’s call. If the boot had been on the other foot, and Doak denied a try in the same manner, then I’d hazard a guess the sanction might well have found approval.
If there is one medium-sized bone to pick with Piardi, maybe it’s more of an observation. Doak threw in to an Ulster scrum – as crooked as a dog’s hind leg, par for the course – but hooker Tom Stewart failed to strike for the ball. The referee announced “no hook” and awarded the Stormers a free kick. Following a tap the visitors rumbled into a couple of rucks, ominously close to the Ulster line, before fast ball went to the irrepressible Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who crossed for a seven pointer.
The free-kick leading to the try is worth a look. The law states clearly that the throwing-in team’s hooker must strike for the ball. But it is certainly not refereed consistently and free kicks are a rare enough species.
The throw nowadays is so crooked that whether or not the hooker strikes for the ball is irrelevant to the outcome – often the ball is out just as soon as it’s in. The rationale for the law is to reduce the hooker’s ability to push, giving the opposition a chance to reduce the quality of scrum ball. But it also means that the ball can be thrown into the backrow, just as long as the hooker sticks out a token foot.
Although Iain Henderson never set out to inflict injury, he hardly played a captain’s part in earning himself a totally merited 20-minute red card for a croc roll on Deon Fourie. Ulster scored three points fewer than their opponents in his absence – it all adds up in the end.
They say never hit a man when he’s down, but Munster really have been on the canvas recently. Key first choices were unavailable for their match against an excellent Connacht, including the talismanic Tadhg Beirne and Jack Crowley. The finances, the off-field management and coaching shenanigans, together with compulsory staff redundancies must all be terribly dispiriting. In any organisation a moment can arrive when change becomes imperative, the “same old” just won’t work any more and heads must roll. Munster and the IRFU have much to consider.
It was unprecedented that not once in the opening 40 minutes did Munster threaten to score. Peter Martin was on the whistle, with Munster, to their credit, finding something better in the second half, although catching up was never going to happen. The 20-minute red to the visitors’ Diarmuid Barron was harsh – in my view his action was not a croc roll.
Martin showed more resolve than the last time I saw him, albeit this match never produced the expected blood and thunder. He dealt well with a fracas after half-time was called; restarting the second half with a penalty was a good call. A reputation for zero tolerance with foul play is a must for those aspiring to the summit.
In contrast, at the Aviva, Hollie Davidson let a good opportunity go by on Saturday during Leinster’s game against Lions. Having warned both teams, there was then a skirmish on the ground which got her undivided attention; she actually turned away from play to deal with it. It was disappointing that Davidson didn’t simply chuck a couple of players into the bin: it would have laid down an important marker.
The referee appointments for the final round of the United Rugby Championship will be out in a day or two. There are several matches where the results are vital to next season as teams strive for a place in the Champions Cup. Failure is not just disappointment, it comes with real negative financial implications. Only the best referees should now be involved, while there are others who simply must not be included – the sharp end of a long season deserves nothing less.
