Neal Collins rugby
We can safely say South Africa’s Rugby League World Cup campaign was not a resounding triumph. Played three, lost three, 24 points for, 138 points against. They leave the tournament with only Russia (who conceded 224 points in three games, despite their seven Australian-based players) having a worse 10 days in flooded, wintry England.
Blimey, even Lebanon and the Cook Islands managed better!
But quite why the Rhinos don’t match up to the Springboks is evident in their choice of captain. Jamie Bloem went to Britain in the early 1990s billed as a top southern hemisphere forward, hard in the tackle, tough to bring down. Perfect attributes for the British game.
But amid spells with Oldham, Castleford, Doncaster and Widnes, Bloem was forced out of the 1995 World Cup when he failed a drug test – steroids were blamed.
Last year, Bloem was given a 13-week suspension for biting. He threatened to quit, then took his family over to France where he returned to union for a while.
Yet for all that, the Rhinos asked the Halifax Blue Sox man to lead their World Cup bid this year.
Little surprise then that he saw fit to have a go at Aussie referee Steven Clark after being sent off for dissent in the final humiliating loss against France on Sunday, an outburst which could see him fined and banned again.
Greg McCallum, the World Cup’s disciplinary officer, said: “I have been asked to investigate Jamie’s alleged remarks. We take a very dim view of players who criticise referees publicly. But in Jamie’s case until I have completed my investigation I cannot make any further comment.”
South Africa coach Paul Matete admitted: “Jamie’s sending off didn’t help us. But the major thing was our lack of fitness with three games in so short a period.
“We are amateurs, not super-fit professionals. We don’t recover as quickly. It was a hard one for us.”