the All Blacks had a crushing defeat last night. South African won 21/20 with a penalty in the dying minutes. devastating!!!
This was the All Blacks final tri nations game for the season and despite already securing the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri Nations cup it would have been nice to go through the season undefeated.
All that aside the game was fantastic, the All Blacks played well with plenty brilliant moments.
The ref was pretty good too - albeit whistle happy! He seemed to read the game pretty well (could have played advantage a little longer sometimes) and explained clearly every call. There was no sneaking anything past him - he knew every little cheat and trick.
I also admire the way he always had the safety of players in mind with several comments of "watch you heads" and he was very particular setting the scrum.
This is one area where I think rugby outshines AFL - the safety and well being of players is not only considered but paramount. Areas of the game that put players at risk are quickly identified and rules put in place to prevent injury. No one likes to see a player stretchered off the field - in contrast the crashing injuries in AFL all seem to be part of the spectacle.
What's more the ref in rugby makes sure it's a clean game - sure certain players might get targeted, but its all above board, none of the off the ball antics you see in AFL. It seems some AFL players are only on the team for their knack at giving the sly punch to the kidneys!!!
