Paul Thomas: Kicked out - oh, the agony

COMMENT

New Zealand rugby followers get a little queasy whenever "goal-kicking" and "World Cup final" are mentioned in the same sentence.

With Carlos Spencer at the tee, every kick is a white-knuckle ride, whereas terms like shank, duff and ****! don't seem to belong in Jonny Wilkinson's vocabulary.

Our nightmare is a final against the goons in white in which the All Blacks play all the rugby but Carlos goes shank, duff, ****! and we end up being kicked to death by a robotic Geordie whose routine includes holding hands with himself.

Perhaps, though, we should be more concerned about the referees since their decision-making determines how significant a part goal-kicking plays.

As the lineout once was, the breakdown is the referee's domain, the area of the game where he can really put his stamp on proceedings.

Too often, referees seem to adjudicate on whim like some mercurial despot.

Say what you like about George Gregan, but you had to admire his stoicism at Eden Park when Jonathon Kaplan called ruck, then let Jerry Collins wade through the pile of bodies and help himself to the ball like a man stealing a pumpkin.

The All Blacks scored, but Collins admitted afterwards he'd half-expected to be penalised.

Those of us who are lukewarm about soccer scoff at the way huge games are decided by penalty shoot-out.

How will we feel if after all the planning and sweat and expectation, after 48 games over six weeks, the World Cup final is decided by a refereeing decision that to the players and spectators and watching millions could just as easily have gone the other way?

Don't underestimate the ego factor either. Some referees strive to be the invisible man, but others clearly enjoy the spotlight and seem unnervingly aware of their power and ability to influence the course of the game.

No look at goal-kicking would be complete without a rant about conversions.

Why on Earth do we have them? Surely a try is a try. Why should goal-kicking determine that some tries are worth more than others?

The conversion devalues the classic winger's try in the corner because the extra points are harder to come by.

This has obvious implications for the All Blacks - and their goal-kicker - as Doug Howlett and Joe Rokocoko scored 18 of their 29 tries this year.

Whatever the rationale for the conversion, it no longer applies. Getting rid of it would reduce the importance of goal-kicking and increase the time the ball is in play.

So let's dump it, strike the right balance between the value of a try and a penalty and encourage Jonny Wilkinson to get out more.

* Author Paul Thomas has written books with All Black great John Kirwan and former All Black coach John Hart. His examination of the impact of professionalism on New Zealand rugby, A Whole New Ball Game, has just been published by Hodder Moa Beckett. Thomas is one of the Herald World Cup team.

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