KEY POINTS:
There was only one thing to say when Hurricanes halfback Alby Mathewson kicked the ball out to end the game against the Crusaders with the match still poised at 20-13.
People sitting around me asked: "What did he do that for?" As keeping the ball alive was the
Hurricanes' only hope of salvaging a draw.
But I said he probably kicked the ball out to preserve the bonus point (for finishing within seven points) as, on the respective merits of the two sides, they might well have ended up with no points at all if they'd tried to run it against the Crusaders from deep in their own goal area.
I am not trying to be dismissive about the Hurricanes but this game was much more clear-cut than the score suggests.
The Crusaders had the wood on them at scrum time, and in the loose, and in the lineout, and their defence was almost uncrackable.
In the scrum, Neemia Tialata was outpointed by young Ben Franks, I thought, and John Schwalger was given a hard time by Greg Somerville.
You have to tip your hat to Andrew Hore of the Hurricanes though, as he had some big boys on either side of him, but I didn't think all that beef did much for him. However, he was always involved in the rucks and mauls and the loose stuff and he is always dangerous near the line, and deserved his try.
Corey Flynn is also playing well at hooker, although I think he benefits from the fewer lineouts in the game under the new rules. He is probably helped by having two very experienced exponents in Ali Williams and Brad Thorn to help him minimise his mistakes there - and the rest of his game is very strong indeed.
Casey Laulala would be the number one centre in New Zealand at present - although I have to say the support he is getting from his insides and outsides is far better than that of Conrad Smith, whose support blows hot and cold.
Jimmy Gopperth does some things brilliantly but you can see why coaches pull their hair out over him as he does some things awfully as well.
But the thing I noticed most about this match was the Hurricanes' physical approach. I have no problem with aggression but their aggression seemed to go beyond mere niggle and physical domination - it drifted into the unnecessarily aggro.
If Jerry Collins had aimed his tackle of Kieran Read any higher, he would have missed him and it'll be a surprise if he doesn't end up being cited.
But then again, that seems to be a feature of the refereeing and the judicial system these days. Collins has been up a time or two already and has been hit on the hand with a wet lettuce leaf. So he and others know they can get away with it without being overly punished.
The old refereeing principle of using the whistle to establish control seems largely to have been forgotten these days.
I don't want the whistle to ruin a match but what gets my goat is heaing the referee say: "Number eight, you are standing offside."
So the No 8 retreats, the game goes on, then the No 8 and the referee have a little chat about it.
Look, you are either offside or you are not. Why not just signal and play advantage for the offside? You have to use the law as a deterrent and establish control - and if referees want respect from the public and players, they have to have their say and enforce things.
It isn't a matter of how they think the game should be run - there are rules and they need to be enforced. If they are not, you get the situation that has already happened with the ELVs - the extra five metres for the backs at scrum time has already been eaten up by defences whosneak over the offside line. We used to see tries scored from set-piece moves at scrum time but that doesn't happen now because referees are not enforcing the offsides.
The referees are their own worst enemy and they must be more stringent in controlling the game.
