There’s always room for debate over the decisions, or lack thereof, made by referees during games. During Ireland’s recent defeat, twenty-three minutes in, Ellise Genge stormed into a ruck at an exceptional pace, effectively clearing out Tadhg Furlong from Ireland’s team. The Act itself was viewed with raised eyebrows, some wondering if Elise’s entry could be considered legal – was it from the side? The aftermath left Furlong catapulted backward, his hand on his face.
The incident went unnoticed in the live coverage of the match, however online, it has sparked several queries given the possible contact to the head and potential unsportsmanlike conduct. It was challenging to piece together an accurate analysis from the initial footage as the mob of players obstructed the view to fully determine if Genge hit Furlong’s head. All that’s known for certain is Furlong’s clear reaction. Yet, it wasn’t substantial enough evidence.
Moments later, Genge found himself at the mercy of a double tackle by Joe McCarthy and Caelan Doris. Lying on the ground, he yelled at referee Nika Amashukeli claiming he had received a hit to his head.
What remains uncertain is whether the TMO, busy in the background, registered either of the collisions. Shortly after, the TMO was engaged, ruling out a try by Ollie Lawrence because of a forward pass. During the check, an English voice, believed to be that of Jamie George, was heard on the ref mic, requesting if the high tackle on Genge could be reviewed. The reply given by Amashukeli was indecipherable.
Even if the TMO absolved all involved of any wrongdoing following the clearout and tackle, and it was indeed noted and angles shown to the TMO, it proved challenging to picture given Ben Whitehouse’s potential try and two questions of foul play to handle within a minute. Both incidents could have resulted in penalties that favoured either team, casting a shadow over the confidence of fans and players alike in the handling of potential dangerous plays.
The game suffers from such uninformed gaps, especially a sport that is increasingly cracking down on head contacts, and can ill afford to overlook such events merely because the TMO is engrossed in evaluating a potential try.
Shifting the focus to other Irish players, Kildare-born Cormac Daly created quite the stir online on Saturday morning when his team, the Queensland Reds, as they snatched victory from the Chiefs in the Super Rugby Pacific.
Under the management of Les Kiss, former defensive mastermind for Ireland, the Reds triumphed over popular predictions for this year’s Super Rugby championship by securing a 25-19 victory at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. This venue is among the selected locations for the forthcoming Lions tour happening next year.
In reaction to the victory, a thrilled Daly expressed his eagerness to join his fellow teammates for drinks, telling the broadcasting team that landmark victories like these are rare and should be savored. Daly’s delight reflects his unexpected career trajectory in Australia; once an under-20 international for Ireland, he relocated to Sydney to join the Coogee club, unaware that it would lead to a professional rugby career.
Daly had a stint of training with Connacht but missed a contract due to financial difficulties brought on by the Covid pandemic. In 2022, he got the opportunity to partake in Leinster’s preseason while being a player for Clontarf in the AIL; he even scooped the player of the match award in the final match of the same year, when Clontarf defeated Terenure.
Daly was granted an opportunity to play for Leinster once, alongside several other club players when Leinster faced Chile in 2022.
Furthermore, Conor Murray came under severe criticism after deciding to hoof the ball away with barely over a minute left in the game on Saturday. The ensuing lineout led to England making considerable advancement and they eventually netted the winning drop goal.
Though people tend to overlook Ireland’s poor first phase defence following that kick, it is crucial to assess how much Ireland’s frequent kicking impacted their performance. Their stats stood at 28 kicks versus England’s 23, and they also kicked for more distance (948.2 metres to England’s 605.9m). However, a team that kicks for more metres only loses about 20% of the time in international matches.
Despite dominating 60 per cent of the territory and 37 per cent of the game occurring in Ireland’s 22, England had the game at a disadvantage. Ireland, rather than using short and contestable tactics, opted for longer kicks 61 per cent of the time. This strategic choice benefited England’s back three as their chase was less than outstanding, with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, George Furbank and Tommy Freeman responsible for nearly 40 per cent of England’s total carried metres.
Evidence of unsuccessful execution was seen before England’s initial two attempts. Ollie Lawrence’s first score was as a result of a clearance by James Lowe that didn’t find its mark. Similarly, Furbank’s effort in the second half took advantage of a kick from Jamison Gibson-Park that also missed the mark, leading to England charging a disorganised Irish defence.
On both of these occasions, it was obvious that the intention was to find touch but they failed, indicating a broader issue as 12 points originated from badly executed kicks. Ireland’s kicking strategy produced large numbers yet fell short in terms of quality, marking an unusual weak moment for them.
Andy Farrell, during half-time, shared light-hearted small talk with Steve Borthwick, which was captured by the TV cameras. Their conversation was a casual “doing fine, Steve? Good to see you after such a long while. Cheers,” moments which brought a touch of the regular, everyday life to the game.
Statistically, UL Bohs has been unstoppable in the women’s AIL, thanks to a 13-game unbeaten record. Aoife Corey’s last-minute score clinched a thrilling victory over Blackrock College, maintaining their impressive run with a close 17-15 triumph.