League "World" Cup

[Mr Mwenda]

Phew! What a finish!

[rowan]

Yes, amazing comeback but too little too late. Good tournament for the Tongans. Can't see the Poms getting close to the Roos in the final.

[Mr Mwenda]

Yup. Same ol', same ol' there, i suspect.

[cashead]

England were saved by the TMO in the end. That final call was bullshit.

[Mr Mwenda]

England were saved by the TMO in the end. That final call was bullshit.

How so? I'm not sure on all league rules. I thought the tongan player knocked on. Was there something else to it?

[rowan]

England were saved by the TMO in the end. That final call was bullshit.

Bigger TV audience for the final

[cashead]

England were saved by the TMO in the end. That final call was bullshit.

How so? I'm not sure on all league rules. I thought the tongan player knocked on. Was there something else to it?

The ref should have gone upstairs to see if the ball had been stripped, which is what it looked like when an English defender clearly made contact with Fifita's arm. If that is the case, it's not a knock-on, and the Fifita would have been entitled to pounce on it, making it a legitimate try.

If it had been a strip, then they were robbed.

The fact that the referee did not even see a reason to go upstairs to begin with is scandalous.

[Mr Mwenda]

Ah ok, so it's not a knock on if the tackler is deemed to have dislodged the ball? Even if the tackler doesn't touch the ball?

[bruce]

There was no difference to that then when the English winger knocked on following the interception a moment before.

[morepork]

It was a strip.

[rowan]

Yes, ball-carrier has a responsibility to hold possession. A strip has to be a deliberate act to wrestle possession from the ball carrier. Correct ruling. Once the ref makes the decision on the field he can’t send it to the TMO.

[morepork]

Yes, ball-carrier has a responsibility to hold possession. A strip has to be a deliberate act to wrestle possession from the ball carrier. Correct ruling. Once the ref makes the decision on the field he can’t send it to the TMO.

You are not allowed to play the ball when tackling the man. That's a penalty offence all day long. The ball was stripped from Fifita in the tackle. 99 times out of 100, any ref would have at the very least referred that decision to the TMO.

[Mr Mwenda]

Ok, to clarify. Rewatching it - england 12 is making a dispairing tackle as the tongan goes by. One england player has missed him. In 12's tackle he pulls the tongan's arm. This is what dislodges the ball, which goes forward. If i understand what i've read here, this is 'stripping the ball'.

If so, two things are unclear to me - 1) it doesn't matter that the stripped ball goes forward off the attacker's hand? (This feels counterintuitive to me but admit i don't know the rules). 2) it is illegal to strip the ball in this situation? I thought one could try to take the ball in league if the tackle was one on one? (Is it a penalty because england 12 is the second player to have a go?)

[morepork]

The singing.

From the Kiwis rout, but, shyte....

[rowan]

So Australia will be seeking its 11th title in 15 finals, having contest 8 of them against Britain/England for 6 wins and 2 defeats, although the last 3 have all been against NZ for 2 wins and a loss. Britain has won the title 3 times, though not since 1972. NZ won it once, in 2008. France is the only other team to have made the final, doing so twice, though not since 1968. Fiji has dipped out in the semis for the third time in a row. Wales and now Tonga are the only other teams to have made the semis. The tournament format only began in 1995, a one-off final having been organized prior to that on a points system intermittently since 1954. NB: That inaugural final in 54, between Britain and France, was the only one that did not involve the Kangaroos

[rowan]

So if we compare that to the All Blacks at the RWC, NZ have won 3 titles in 4 finals - 2 against France, 1 against Australia and 1 against SA (which they lost) from 8 tournaments - being victorious at the first and the last 2. SA & Australia have won the trophy twice apiece, though not since 2007 & 1999, respectively, and England won it once, in 2003. France is the only other team to have made the final, doing so 3 times, most recently in 2011. Wales & Argentina have made 2 semis and Scotland 1.

Kangaroos v All Blacks

World Cup titles
10 (67%) - 3 (37%)
(Australia has won 5/6 in tournament format (83%)

World Cup finals
14 (93%) - 4 (50%)
(Australia has made all 6 finals in tournament format (100%)

RLWC v RWC

Winners
3 (2 in tournament format) - 4

Finalists
4 (3 in tournament format) - 5

Semi-finalists
7 - 8

[rowan]

More than 35,000 fans have signed an online petition calling for an explanation of the no-try call Saturday that cost Tonga an historic victory over England in a semifinal of the Rugby League World Cup.

But World Cup referees boss Tony Archer stood by Australian referee Matt Ceccin, saying the last-minute call to disallow a Tonga try to Andrew Fifita was correct and defended the referee's decision not to call for a video replay.



http://sobserver.ws/en/27_11_2017/sport ... defeat.htm

[WaspInWales]

I'm a little green on RL laws, but does a strip require deliberate contact with the ball itself?

[rowan]

Looked like the right decision to me. He's a big boy. If he can't hang onto the ball, that's his problem, because it clearly popped about two meters forward out of his grasp.

So, how much are the Roos going to win the final by? I'll say 20 points (because it's league and tries are only worth 4)

[WaspInWales]

Looked like the right decision to me. He's a big boy. If he can't hang onto the ball, that's his problem, because it clearly popped about two meters forward out of his grasp.

So, how much are the Roos going to win the final by? I'll say 20 points (because it's league and tries are only worth 4)

20 points seems like a sensible suggestion.

England are some way off from being able to beat them, especially in Oz. I think we were a little strong under McNamara but that's a moot point. We're not bad, just not good enough.

Agree about the decision. From what I gather, strips involve a definite action from the defending players to dislodge the ball. I didn't see that in the tackle.

Gutting for Tonga. Had he held that ball, they were in the final.

[rowan]

No 3rd-place-playoff then?

Shame. Would a been a good match.

[morepork]

You can't take a shot at the carrying arm and try and pass it off as a tackle...

[WaspInWales]

You can't take a shot at the carrying arm and try and pass it off as a tackle...

So not a loose carry then?

I don't think it was a strip at all.

I may be bias being an England fan, but at the end of the day the Aussies are going to ruin us in the final Tonga getting there would've saved us in that respect.

[rowan]

You can't take a shot at the carrying arm and try and pass it off as a tackle...

So not a loose carry then?

I don't think it was a strip at all.

I may be bias being an England fan, but at the end of the day the Aussies are going to ruin us in the final Tonga getting there would've saved us in that respect.

Have to agree with Wasps. The player should've done a better job of securing the ball. & we all know that in sports it's more about what you can get away with than the finer points of the laws themselves. & that's the bottom line. Even if the tackler did transgress the law, he was subtle enough in doing so to get away with it - evidently. When the All Blacks do that we all gush with admiration!

[morepork]

You used to be able to wrestle with the ball in the good old days, but there are now rules that prevent it. You aren't permitted to target the ball carrying arm. You either stop the man or you don't. Not my opinion. Dems da rules.It's an ugly subjective one but it's very rare that a ref wouldn't take a closer look at that incident in this day and age.