Munster a victim of pure sh*thousery in Durban - writes One F in Foley

Irish Daily Mirror

2 days ago

Munster didn't deserve to beat Sharks in normal time in Durban, nor did they show enough to win in extra-time.
But they didn't deserve to be treated to extraordinary sh*thousery in the shoot-out, specifically as Jack Crowley lined up the fourth of his side's six kicks at goal.The Tullow Tank AKA Sean O'Brien delighted in telling anyone who would listen that the advent of 28 and more TV cameras at big matches had more or less done away with players attempting anything underhand.
Sh*thousery (British slang, def: 'underhand conduct or gamesmanship, playing dirty, using questionable tactics to win, being a skilful opportunist') is a good word for the King's Park goings on and Jaden Hendrikse deserves ownership of it too.
So while the Sharks' no9 didn't do anything illegal when, following kicking his penalty he collapsed to the turf and, claiming immobilising cramp, refused to budge, interfering with Crowley's preparation and taking of his kick.This basked in a variety of individuals arriving to stretch his calf, chatting to the referee presumably to point out how helpless he was, and taking time to apparently wink knowingly at Crowley - all which ever-so blatantly caught on camera - was not against Rugby Laws.As it was Crowley kept his nerve, even if his wounded-duck kick somehow managed to reassert itself and get through posts but he was clearly raging at Hendrikse after the match had ended. You didn't have to be a lip-reader to recognise one phrase repeated over and over again.Last Saturday's referee Mike Adamson looked indecisive as the tension ramped up but, says a former World Cup, Six Nations, Rugby Championship, Heineken Cup and Celtic League referee and on who played the game at a very, very high standard too:
"There is not a lot the referee can do but if you want to stay with the values of the game, that was something that should have been avoided - could the player have fallen a bit further away, even crawled a little bit out of the picture?
"I think the authorities have to look at the attitude of the Sharks players and the management but that's an after-the-event occurrence and won't affect a result.
"The player definitely had a cramp, you can see clearly that his leg is cramping in the TV footage so that is not a lie but the referee was never going to order the ambulance-buggy to come on.
"The player hadn't broken his leg, he had cramp and if the buggy had been called on it would have added to the bullshit and drama.
"Plus, and here is a thing we don't know, what was said between those two players earlier in the game, there was a lot going on."Munster, and long suffering Munster fans with memories of Neil Back and of Lille, have few options other than being pissed off."They can make a complaint in writing to the URC, and address it to the Referees Manager.
"Can the Sharks player be cited? I don't know but I'd say 'no'. Have you ever heard of a player being cited for giving a bit of 'lip' to another guy. I've never seen it at the professional level, not for 'lip'."I'd have great sympathy with Jack Crowley and it is part of their being too much bullshit going on in the modern game, captains are getting involved too much, there are too many people calling for TMO reviews and making gestures demanding yellow cards for opposition players..."Meanwhile Leinster's South African coach Jacques Nienaber says it just an unfortunate by-product of the modern rugby world, noting generally of sh*thousery:"It's something that happens in the game from minute one to minute 80. There's banter and trying to get under a guy's skin and trying to physically impose yourself on him and try and rub his hair."I mean that happens for 80 minutes, so in this case it was for everyone to see because it's not as secluded as what will be in a game. But it happens in a game."Think of Pete (O'Mahony), what did he tell Sam Cane? I mean, that banter flys. If you listen to just the referee mic and you take the commentators away, it's crazy what you hear on that mic. They got stuck into each other. It's just normal."There were some other takeaways, Sharks looked better prepared for the shootout part of the game something, incidentally, Leinster have been giving consideration too in recent weeks.'It's something that's been living with a team since Europe when we went to the round 16, and it's the same format in the URC.
"So it's not something that's not being discussed or planned or detailed. It's something that's been living with a team for over two months, definitely something you talk through."We practice both the kicks and the scenario. Everybody understands their role, who's going to kick, that obviously changed with the team against Zebre, didn't have the same players against Glasgow, didn't have the same players last week.'It is not a question of being a fan of the shoot-out or not, it exists."That's the format that's given to you. I don't know if it's a good or a bad thing. I think fans love it and I think from a spectator view it's brilliant. I enjoyed it. I loved it. But I don't want to be the team that does it.'The first one I saw was Munster against Toulouse three years ago in Europe. That was the first time I actually saw it and both times that I've witnessed it. I think it grabs your attention but I would probably say something different if I'm in that team.'And while not suggesting here that Munster were quite Mick McCarthy who having lost a shoot-out looked incredulously at a reporter who had asked had his side practiced penalties (they hadn't!).It was that the Sharks kickers seemed very assured, had better rhythm, looked like everyday kickers at training.Nienaber agreed albeit with some 'inside' information: 'Yeah. So the guy, Bradley Davids, who kicked the last kick was my son's roommate at school. He was the kicker for the school. You might know it, because he's only a young guy, he's 22 coming through the ranks.'