RUGBY: Barney Spender
HOW many eyes does a kiwi bird have? It is a popular question doing the rounds among the South African media, supporters and probably the players as well. The answer is usually deemed to be one at most and, in the case of some referees, officials and home supporters, none at all.
That is perhaps not entirely just to the many fair-minded, clear-sighted Kiwis but too often over the last week the New Zealanders have been guilty of looking for trouble only from the South Africans while blissfully ignoring the failings and misdemeanours of their own players. It is an issue which is threatening to undermine the spirit of South Africa’s first tour of New Zealand since 1981.
Two instances have stood out over the last seven days. The first was the unnecessary citing of wing James Small for his challenge on Waikato lock Steve Gordon last Saturday and the second was the sending-off of lock Adri Geldenhuys in the game against Manawatu on Tuesday.
In Small’s case the hearing should never have taken place. His leap for the ball was perhaps not the best-timed but it was done at great pace and it was unfortunate for Gordon that the collision forced him out of the game; it could easily have been Small. To suggest that it was a deliberate foul on the man was the utterance of an official, in this case the Waikato chairman Stan Hickford, with distinctly dodgy vision.
The manner of the citing was as badly timed as Small’s leap coming just five minutes before the team bus was due to leave for Hamilton airport and only half an hour within the permitted 24 hours from the incident.
Why leave it so late? If Hickford had thought there was foul play why did he not mention it beforehand, or at least give some indication of his actions? In both cases the answer is probably that Hickford had no intention of citing until he woke up on Sunday morning and saw sensational headlines splashed across the back pages of both the major Sunday papers. Cue kneejerk emergency action.
Small had to spend five hours at a hearing on Monday wondering what he had done wrong except for playing the game, hardly the best preparation for a test later in the week.
He got off because there was insufficient evidence of deliberate foul play and, fortunately, referee Colin Hawke’s testimony was given the weight it deserved which at least qualifies the committee and referee for a “Two-eyed Kiwi” award.
There is an irony in the fact that on the same Saturday Auckland lock Robin Brooke engaged in a minute-long slugging match with his Canterbury opposite. He was also involved in certain other off-the-ball incidents during the game. His reward was not a citing but a call-up to the All Black side for the Wellington test.
If Hawke showed why he is the best referee in New Zealand, Tuesday’s man in charge, Steve Walsh, gave a fair indication of why he has yet to be entrusted with a test match.
It was not simply the sending-off of Geldenhuys which, if taken as an isolated incident, was perfectly justified, but rather his overall handling of the game which, according to those privileged to have field ears, included an inordinate amount of swearing. South African captain Francois Pienaar said afterwards that he had never before been spoken to in such a manner on a rugby field.
Geldenhuys was unlucky in that he was the one singled out but there were others before him who should have walked. Just moments before he got his marching orders Geldenhuys watched as the Manawatu prop Gary Nesdale kicked out at the head of Jannie Claassens who was trapped at the bottom of a ruck.
The poor vision, and in this case it is sportsmanship as well, has extended to the home supporters. Often in the past the travelling South African supporter has been labelled as an obnoxious japie but he becomes a veritable angel when set beside the New Zealanders.
In the game against Wellington earlier in the tour a man dressed up as a lion, the local mascot, actually started jumping up and down and waving his arms in front of Theo van Rensburg who was trying to line up a kick at goal.
It is irritaing for everyone to see the veneer of welcome tarnished by people who are only interested in seeing one side win.