QED – quod erat demonstrandum. Reflections of days at school remind me of how satisfying it was to write those initials, having negotiated successfully Pythagoras’ Theorem, or some other fiendish geometrical concept.
The admirable ‘Rusty’ Keane, my Latin teacher in those long-ago days, explained that the translation was “that which was to be demonstrated,” but “done and dusted” would also be acceptable in our more modern times. Nobody thought for a moment both European finals would be so thoroughly QED’d by half-time. Leinster and Ulster left for the break in their respective finals, no doubt to do some deep breathing and wonder what the heck had just happened.
The two English referees, Matthew Carley (Friday) and Karl Dickson (Saturday), would have done a huge amount of planning and preparation in the time-honoured way of hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst. Every conceivable occurrence would have been rehearsed and thoroughly considered.
Where do Leinster and Ulster go from here?
These two are very experienced and deserved the appointments. In common with every elite referee worth his salt, they will have left no stone unturned in getting ready for these vital assignments. Both officials will have also been astonished at the first-half events. They will have known they were getting a completely unexpected armchair ride. I’ll bet that wasn’t in their planning.
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As things worked out, no decision, or lack of decision, made a jot of difference. Both Irish teams were hammered. Nevertheless, there were a couple of things worth looking at. Carley was definitely the more accurate of the two and is a significantly better referee when he restrains from non-stop chat.
In the main event, Bordeaux were magnificent although Dickson has a few issues to review. He was kind to Leinster on breakdown entry, where they went beyond flirting with legality several times. And prior to Tommy O’Brien’s try, Maxime Lucu, nowhere near the ball, was unceremoniously dumped on to his backside. It was a clear penalty offence.
There were huge question marks over Leinster’s defence – the Jacques Nienaber system had a poor day, it was shredded. One particularly bad moment saw the barn door left wide open following an attacking UBB scrum, allowing Pablo Uberti an unopposed run-in. The onslaught was non-stop and an acrobatic dive by Cameron Woki would have added yet another try, but for the intervention of TMO, Marius van der Westhuizen. Conceding five tries in the opening half was quite enough.
Louis Bielle-Biarrey notched up a handsome brace of them. At only 22 he will haunt any opposition for some time to come. Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose formed the centre partnership eight years ago when Leinster did lift the cup. Bielle-Biarrey was just 14 at the time. Even then, he would have found it incomprehensible that all the points on that day were penalty kicks, not a try in sight. How different things were on Saturday.
Bielle-Biarrey’s second try might have had a TMO check. But evidence Damian Penaud had nudged Jamison Gibson-Park was hardly conclusive, just before the Bordeaux centre snatched the loose ball and sent the flying winger on his way.
[ Why Leinster’s defence unravelled in Champions Cup final defeat Opens in new window ]
Thankfully, the weekend saw little foul play, but Lucu fully deserved his yellow for a stupid hair-pull on Joe McCarthy. The incident was reminiscent of the epic Wales v New Zealand encounter in 2004, very well handled by referee Tony Spreadbury, who now heads up the match official function in Europe. Wales flanker Colin Charvis complained to him that his hair had been pulled. ‘Spreaders’, with absolutely no evidence to go on, pleasantly suggested that a haircut might be the best solution. Wise advice, worth considering today.
Dickson, though, did have evidence of Ugo Boniface’s foul on James Ryan. The UBB prop (all of 125 kg) flew off his feet into the breakdown, leading with a hard shoulder but managing to avoid Ryan’s head. It cannot be considered as a normal clearout which just went slightly awry. It was bloody dangerous. If that offence is only yellow, player safety is once again compromised. With the match fading into its dying embers, it was mindless by Boniface.
At least a 20-minute red card was merited, but Dickson didn’t agree. It wasn’t sent to the bunker because there isn’t one at European level – the tournament organisers have not bought into it. So, the TMO shows relevant footage and the referee decides the sanction from five options – no sanction; penalty only; penalty plus yellow; 20-minute red; permanent red. The idea that the main man makes the call is certainly not the worst idea in the world.
There remains a concerning difference between hemispheres around the whole yellow and red card business. Discussions on the hot topic, which hopefully won’t become divisive arguments, are not over. Not by a long chalk.
