As the analysts continue to pour over the video footage from last weekend’s Six Nations games, Seimon Williams from Gwladrugby has been doing his own homework on Wales’ defeat to Ireland. If you thought some of those decisions by referee Glen Jackson looked a bit strange, then you were not alone.
I’ve been following rugby for nigh on 40 years. My earliest memories of being taken to Stradey Park and St. Helen’s are of the smells of wintergreen and pipe tobacco and damp wool pullovers and sheepskin coats, and of the shouts of the crowd as old men implored their team – among the inevitable spotting of the opposition going over the top, every time ref – to “play the referee”.
We’ve previously written about the complexities of the game’s law book. The role of the referee has changed. They are now required to “manage” the game, to consider the “materiality” of any possible offences, ignoring others in the name of allowing some rugby to occur.
Analysing the referee, and adapting accordingly, is now almost as important as analysing and planning for the opposition. Referees have become known for being strict in some facets, more relaxed in others. At the breakdown, French referees tend to favour teams who are very precise and clamp down severely on teams who are a bit looser. Southern Hemisphere referees in general tend to allow more of a free for all in that facet of play.
So playing the referee is vital. Provided refereeing interpretations are clear and applied consistently, it at least provides a relatively level playing field for both teams.
There’s a reasonable argument, for instance, that the selection of the Lions backrow in New Zealand last summer – whether by circumstance or design – reflected an awareness of the importance of referee interpretations. The first test was officiated by Jaco Peyper, a South African, who tends to allow what is sometimes euphemistically called “a contest” at the breakdown. The 2nd and 3rdTests were taken by Poite and Garces. Tour captain Sam Warburton is very precise in his breakdown work, Peter O’Mahony tends towards the barely controlled mayhem approach. Where a referee allows mayhem, Warburton and his Welsh colleagues often struggle against Ireland. Where a referee is stricter, the breakdown can often be a source of penalties and territory for Wales. So O’Mahony started the first test, Warburton replaced him for the remainder. Whether by circumstance or design, those selections suited refereeing interpretations.
To describe Glen Jackson’s performance on Saturday as perplexing would be kind. There was little consistency to his refereeing. Worse, there appeared to be a clear discrepancy in the way he refereed both teams.
Let’s take the breakdown. Wales conceded a number of penalties in the first half, most of which – in isolation – were reasonable calls. Aaron Shingler gave away a penalty in the opening minutes for sealing off. It was a reasonable enough decision.
So Jackson sets his stall out, right? He’s going to be pretty hot on the breakdown, right?
Now look at this.
On 27 minutes, Wales are attacking 30 yards out. Cian Healy tackles Steff Evans, with help from Leavy. Leavy is therefore involved in the tackle and must release. He doesn’t. Penalty number 1. He puts his hand on the floor to steady himself and to give himself leverage. Penalty number 2. He then clamps on to Steff Evans in such a way that Evans simply can’t release the ball. Penalty number 3.
Jackson’s decision? Penalty against Steff Evans for holding on, from which Ireland move out of their own half.
Or this.
On 33 minutes, Leavy carries deep into the Welsh 22 and is stopped by the combined efforts of 3 Welsh players. The ball is not released. It isn’t clear whether Halfpenny releases Leavy before competing, but he’s on his feet and competing for the ball. That could be a penalty to Wales. But then O’Mahony flies in with a no-arms shoulder to Halfpenny’s exposed head. That is definitely a penalty to Wales, and is a similar challenge to the one which saw Sam Underhill yellow carded later on Saturday at Murrayfield. Stander then piles in, dives in from the side and over the top to seal off the ball. A pretty identical offence to the one which saw Shingler penalised twice in the first half.
Yet Jackson gives penalty advantage Ireland, apparently for Wales defenders not releasing Leavy in the tackle. Several phases later, they are awarded another penalty close to the posts which Sexton kicks.
Or this.
On 38 minutes, Ireland have a ruck just inside their own half. Moriarty counter-rucks. Stander grabs him in a headlock and rolls him to the ground. That’s a penalty. Possibly a yellow card. Jackson ignores this and penalises Shingler for offside at the ruck. The reason Shingler is in front of the back foot is that Moriarty has just been grabbed by the neck and rolled back a couple of yards. Ireland kick to the corner and score a try on half-time to take the lead. In the lead up to which, Shingler is prevented from defending the maul by being grabbed around his neck by Toner.
Or this.
Shortly after the restart, Ireland maintain possession for a period of time. On 43 minutes, Murray lifts a high kick which Biggar takes on the Wales 10-metre line. He complains that he is tackled in the air. It isn’t conclusive, so we’ll let that one slide. He loses the ball and Ireland go right, where Earls and then Murray make inroads close to the Welsh line. Ireland set up a maul near the posts and right in front of Jackson. And drop the ball. Play on. From the next phase, in the shadow of the Welsh posts, Leavy runs into Moriarty. Next to him, Best runs straight into Biggar, grabs him – despite neither of them having the ball – and drives him sideways towards Leavy and Moriarty. That’s NFL style blocking. Penalty. Moriarty’s tackle pushes Leavy sideways into Best (who is both in front of him and still driving Biggar away from Leavy’s line). Penalty. Leavy rumbles over near the posts, Jackson – at most 5 yards away and looking straight at all of this – allows the score, Sexton converts.
All of these Ireland scores could easily have been chalked off by another referee. As it was, in 18 minutes of playing time, Jackson’s decisions directly contributed to turning a 5-10 scoreline into 27-13.
And then when, against all odds, Wales had crept back to within seven points, Jackson played his ace card. His piece de resistance. His bonnet de douche…sorry… At 27-20, with seven minutes to play, Wales attempt to run from deep. Scott Williams tries to round Chris Farrell, who tackles him.
Then this happens.
Doesn’t release. Penalty. Puts his hands on the floor then competes. Penalty. Plays the ball and knocks it on.
Jackson gives a scrum. Wales should have been able to kick deep into Irish territory as they looked for the equalising score. Instead, they had the put in to a scrum.
And then this happens.
Jack McGrath swings out his hips, drives in diagonally under Francis and goes to ground.
Jackson gives a penalty to Ireland, which Murray kicks, which makes it a 10 point game with 5 minutes to go. Even then, Wales scored a converted try to get back within 3 points.
Decision after decision after decision which changed the course of the game.
Ok, we can all point to individual bits of foul play or the odd refereeing error which, had they been properly officiated, would have benefited our team.
It is also the case that – had one or two decisions gone the other way – the game would almost certainly not have panned out in the same way. Most Wales supporters accept that England kept Wales at arms length for most of the Round 2 match because they had a sizeable cushion. They didn’t need to push to score, they just had to limit Wales’ opportunities to counter-attack. Had Gareth Anscombe’s try been awarded in the first half, they wouldn’t have been able to sit back and would have pushed on. That would have changed the dynamic of the game.
And it’s true to say – as many pundits and Irish supporters have been at pains to stress – that Ireland monopolised possession and territory. They were more physical, they dominated the breakdown, they won the battle on the gainline. They were, and they did. Wales, as ever, struggle to put together a tight 5 which can really take on the best in the world. That’s a given.
But that’s the point. It isn’t that any one of those decisions which went against Wales in Dublin changed the whole course of the game on their own. It was the relentless accumulation of pressure driven by Ireland receiving more of the referee’s decisions.
Wales conceded 6 penalties in the first half, often – as we’ve seen – for indiscretions at the breakdown. They had to stop conceding penalties. So, given Jackson’s interpretations, they had to stop competing at the breakdown. They just stood off, wary of getting involved. Ireland, despite incessant infringing, did not give up a breakdown penalty until the 79th minute.
So of course Ireland dominated possession. Of course they dominated the collisions. They soon realised that Jackson wasn’t going to allow Wales to compete at the breakdown, so they just had to rumble one up carriers into the Welsh defence over and over until they either scored, knocked it on or were awarded a penalty.
And it is this which has been so frustrating in the responses to Saturday’s game. Jackson made a lot of decisions which favoured Ireland and were worth a lot of points. But, more importantly, his refereeing of the breakdown completely skewed the game.
So play the referee. Adapt.
That only works when both teams know precisely what is permitted and can adapt. When the goalposts keep shifting, it’s virtually impossible to adapt, to play the referee.
Sour grapes? Of course. And Wales have benefitted from similar poor refereeing performances in the past. I don’t remember one as relentlessly one-sided as Saturday’s, though. Ireland may well have objectively been the better side. We weren’t allowed to find out.