Owen Doyle: Leaving an arguable try scoring decision totally in the Television Match Official's hands does not stack up
Munster
left it late, again. At half-time against
Benetton
at Musgrave Park, fans were fearing the worst with anxious and worried faces everywhere.
But what seemed a different team emerged after the break and a
performance full of energy and effort dug out the most vital of victories
. So, could these guys win the trophy again? Well, I wouldn't put anything past them.
In truth, though, the match against Benetton was Munster's cup final. The winning of it saved next year's season. Dropping out of the
Champions Cup
would have been cataclysmic for them and awful for Irish rugby as a whole. The organisers, EPCR, will also have been relieved. Munster, with their wonderful supporters, have massive appeal, home or away.
Ever since 2014, when the newly formed EPCR upped sticks, leaving Dublin for Switzerland, they have become pretty anonymous. Hands up if you know who the CEO or chairman is?
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When in Dublin, they had opportunities for plenty of water-cooler moments with World Rugby, who were just around the corner. No longer being able to drop in for informal chats seems quite a loss. If you find yourself on Boulevard de Grancy in Lausanne, do drop in. I'm sure they'll be pleased to see you. I doubt they get many visitors.
Switzerland's national rugby team is known as the White Flowers (Edelweiss), but the country is probably better known for yodelling competitions.
In days of yore, European rugby under the leadership of Derek McGrath had a clear identity. McGrath oversaw the format of home and away pool matches. It was all so much more appealing, more engaging, more thrilling, more understandable. Is it beyond the men in Lausanne to bring it back?
When Scotland's Mike Adamson was appointed referee for Friday's match, I was concerned. But, having criticised him before, I have no problem saying that, on this occasion, he was better.
Nonetheless, Benetton will have several gripes, including that Adamson himself didn't check if there was an obstructive block, or pull, by John Hodnett on Benetton's Nacho Brex prior to Jack Crowley scoring. It was a critical moment, worth seven points.
Any player so animatedly earnest in his appeal, as Brex was, often has a point and this try needed a complete examination. We often hear referees telling the opposition that an obstruction has been checked, and that the television match official (TMO) has okayed it. But, when a try is at stake, it's a mystery to me why all referees do not insist on seeing the replays.
These 'scoring' decisions, often altering results, need the head man's input. It should be compulsory. Leaving an arguable try scoring decision totally in the hands of the TMO doesn't stack up for me – he is not the referee.
In fairness to Benetton, Adamson should have taken ownership of the decision. Surely the visitors were entitled to due process, rather than a judgment in camera.
Benetton's Jacob Umaga makes a break during Friday's game against Munster in Cork. Photograph: Ben Brady/INPHO
Later on, Adamson had good reason to admonish the otherwise excellent Tom Farrell, who threw some unnecessary verbal abuse at him. The referee told the player that a repeat would see him leave the field.
It's a common modus operandi. England's Dylan Hartley will forever wish Wayne Barnes had adopted it when he, correctly, red carded him, playing for Northampton against Leicester, in the 2013 English Premiership final.
Hartley's outburst cost him dearly, the heaviest price imaginable: his already secured place on the Lions, the last time they visited Australia.
So, instead of weak, meaningless verbal warnings about the 'next time', referees should apply an immediate sanction, the minimum being a penalty. A card is also available, the appropriate colour depending on the level of abuse. Adamson was right to be distinctly unamused. He spoke forcibly to Farrell, then confirmed things to Tadhg Beirne.
The outcome was a penalty to Munster for a high tackle. But Farrell could still have been sanctioned and was fortunate to avoid 'yellow'. The accompanying penalty could have been reversed in Munster's favour, in consideration of the non-carded high tackle. Did that option even cross the ref's mind? I've no idea, but the optics of Farrell getting off scot-free were not good.
Referee Hollie Davidson is seen at Connacht's away game against Zebre in Parma, Italy, on Saturday. Photograph: Roberto Bregani/INPHO
Recently, I suggested that Hollie Davidson deserves a URC quarter-final. While she might well get one, her performances have earned something far bigger.
She will referee the
European Challenge Cup
final between Bath and Lyon on Friday. Davidson is the first Scot to handle a final since 1998 when Jim Fleming oversaw the then Heineken Cup decider. Heck, that's a long time ago. It confirms Scotland's consistent failure to develop established top-class elite referees.
But who is doing so? Ireland's stellar period, for example, started to peter out around 2017. Before that, the Irish count was six Heineken Cup finals and about the same number of Challenge finals. There is a fault-line in many unions, it's not just Scotland any more. Urgent attention is imperative.
Congratulations are also due to Georgia's Nika Amashukeli, appointed to officiate at the Champions Cup final between Northampton Saints and Bordeaux-Bègles on Saturday. It's bound to be an absolute cracker, both teams playing a dynamic, adventurous style.
The progress in recent times of Davidson and Amashukeli has seen them on a very fast track. Nonetheless, if anybody had suggested a few years ago that a Georgian man and a Scottish woman would referee the two European finals in 2025, they would have been scoffed at.
These two have actually gone and done it. It's a terrific achievement, brilliant. May it all go well. That has always been the tricky bit.
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Extra.ie
an hour ago
- Extra.ie
Another Aviva ambush on cards as Glasgow look to inflict more knockout misery on Leinster
A lot has changed in the past eight weeks. Rewind back to April 11 and Leinster were cruising to a 52-0 win against Glasgow at Aviva Stadium in another utterly and almost farcically one-sided Champions Cup knockout game. A week after a cricket score had been inflicted on Harlequins, the Blues made light work of another foe on their home turf. Leo Cullen's stellar squad were on an unstoppable charge to European glory. Then Northampton rocked up in Dublin and derailed the province's title ambitions in the most dramatic of fashions. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile The vibe, optics and noise around this Leinster squad has altered spectacularly since the Saints stormed the capital. All the energy and enthusiasm has seemingly drained out of this playing group since that ill-fated Champions Cup semi-final. They have not looked like themselves of late. Leinster look flat at the moment. The URC is still there to win but, so far, it hasn't exactly stoked the fires in Camp Leinster. This hunt for a first league title since 2021 has felt a bit like the third day of a stag. Everyone involved seems to be going through the motions – making all the right noises – until the event reaches its conclusion, they can go their separate ways and focus on the hangover recovery. The fanbase certainly seem to feel that way. There were less than 13,000 spectators through the turnstiles for last weekend's nervy and error-strewn quarter-final win against Scarlets and another sparse crowd is expected this afternoon. There is no bank holiday weekend to blame this time around. A lot of the supporters have tuned out. Once the quest for the fifth star crashed and burned, many fans voted with their feet. The worry for Cullen and his coaching team is if a lot of the players – even subconsciously – have checked out, too. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile Leinster find themselves in a weird, end-of-season limbo at the moment. They are trying to fire themselves up emotionally to win a trophy which has been an afterthought for a long, long time. And even if they succeed, they won't get much kudos. Thing is, if they slip up today against an in-form Glasgow outfit, the fallout will be brutal. Leinster will face fresh taunts about their inability to win big knockout games, while staring down the barrel at a fourth consecutive campaign without silverware. The only way the home side can silence all those doubters and exorcise a few European demons is by laying down a marker against the visitors. The big question is whether Leinster have the ability to deliver a big display at this point in time. There hasn't been a lot of compelling evidence recently. Much has been said and written about the psychological state of the players at the moment but Cullen's squad is also beginning to show signs of wear and tear. The hosts were already without captain Caelan Doris and Robbie Henshaw for this playoff charge. Tadhg Furlong and Garry Ringrose joined that international pair on the sidelines recently. And now Hugo Keenan and Josh van der Flier have been sidelined. That's a lot of quality to lose in a short space of time. Yes, Cullen has depth which is the envy of coaches across the globe. Jimmy O'Brien – another Ireland international – has filled the void left by Keenan while Scott Penny, a talented openside who would arguably start for any of the other provinces, steps in for Van der Flier. Cullen was able to swap Ronan Kelleher for Dan Sheehan, he can still field a backline featuring Jamison Gibson-Park, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe, Jamie Osborne and Tommy O'Brien. He has a pack featuring Andrew Porter, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird and Jack Conan. Heck, he has Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman and Max Deegan in reserve as well three Test-calibre outside backs. When it comes to injuries, Leinster can't really play the Béal Bocht. On paper, this team looks as fierce as ever. Glasgow themselves felt the full wrath of this Leinster side in full flow barely two months ago. But things have changed. Leinster have been suffering an existential crisis while Glasgow have gone from strength to strength. Franco Smith's troops – who are defending their title – have timed their end-of-season run perfectly. They put a strong Stormers outfit to the sword at Scotstoun seven days ago, the Scots cruising to a 36-18 win to book their place in today's semi-final. They are the polar opposite of Leinster at the moment. Glasgow look tight, united and hungry to land a brace of URC titles. The home side look like a group who are still trying to make sense of what happened against Northampton. This squad – for all its talent and resources – is in danger of becoming rugby's equivalent of the Buffalo Bills, the NFL side which infamously lost four straight Super Bowls in the 1990s. There is a lot of emotional scar tissue in the Blues ranks and a URC title isn't going to flush out all the recent disappointment. Has it left them vulnerable? Glasgow will be sensing a glorious opportunity. They have long forgotten about the 50-point shellacking they suffered at this venue not along ago. They will be taking heart from their most recent visit last month when Leinster ground out a hard-fought 13-5 win. The visitors will look at a Leinster pack without Furlong, Van der Flier and Doris and sense opportunity. They will look at Sam Prendergast's defensive issues and believe they can exploit that avenue, especially with Sione Tuipulotu, their outstanding Scotland and Lions centre, back on the beat and ready to lay down an early marker to Andy Farrell ahead of the series Down Under. In Scotland openside Rory Darge and South African No8 Henco Venter, they have a pair of tough customers who will look to disrupt Leinster's supply lines and make this a real dogfight. Rain is forecast and if this descends into a bit of a slugfest, then an out-of-sorts Leinster could really struggle. Consider that Leinster have failed at this stage of the competition for three consecutive seasons and you get a sense of the challenge ahead. 'Whatever it takes' is the mantra of this Glasgow team. That's what Leinster are facing today. Another Aviva ambush might be on the cards.
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
The countdown is on for the Club World Cup, but does anyone care?
The countdown is on. It's now just seven days until the start of the competition that will answer the question on everyone's lips; who is the best football club in the world? Is it the Chelsea side that limped to a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League this season? Or perhaps Porto, who triumphantly battled to third in this year's Liga Portugal? If stylish catenaccio football is more your thing then look to Juventus, who finished fourth in Serie A. Not convinced by those European giants? Why not cast your gaze further afield to Auckland City FC, the team that currently sit behind Birkenhead United in the New Zealand Regional Leagues Northern League. Over 29 days, 32 teams will play out 64 games before the best team in the world is crowned and while we can't know who that will be yet, we know who it won't be. It won't be Premier League champions Liverpool, nor the winners of La Liga, Barcelona. Not even the Serie A champions Napoli, none of whom have been invited. But hey, there's Inter Miami who will play because, well, they have Lionel Messi. FIFA's efforts to expand the Club World Cup from a small mid-season distraction to a fully-fledged summer tournament has left many people unconvinced by the need for it and FIFA's motivation behind it all. Fundamentally, taking the Club World Cup from an annual six team kickabout between the winners of the six continental confederation tournaments to the bloated unwieldy structure facing us this summer is about money and influence. FIFA have long looked enviously at UEFA and the Champions League, wondering how they could claim a slice of that pie. With the World Cup only being held every four years, there's a long-standing desire within the organisation to come up with another huge money-spinning event and for them to exert a measure of influence on some of the biggest clubs in the world. But how do you create a major tournament from scratch? Well throwing a lot of money at it certainly helps. FIFA have put a pot of $1billion to be shared about the 32 teams with the winners taking home a pay cheque for $125million, while $525million of that billion will be shared out between the clubs just for turning up. That kind of money rivals the Champions League payouts and with this year's winners Paris Saint-Germain netting roughly $165million, FIFA have ensured that the Club World Cup is too rich for the invited clubs to ignore. Throwing this kind of cash around in an attempt to grow interest and legitimacy within the tournament is the only real move FIFA could have made but there's questions over their long-term ability to offer such a prize fund. The tournament looks likely to run at a loss for the organisers, who struggled to drum up interest among broadcasters when it came to the rights sales. With reports claiming that FIFA had initially set a target of broadcast revenue of $4billion, they were unable to attract bids anywhere near that mark and eventually agreed a deal with online streaming platform DAZN for the rights. Ticket sales have hardly been encouraging either, with The Athletic reporting on Wednesday that FIFA has been forced to slash prices for the tournament's opening fixture between Messi's Inter Miami and Egyptian team Al-Ahly. Soccer remains very much down the pecking order of sports in the US and with local fans shrugging their shoulders and a dynamic ticket price structure in place, the cost of admission to the tournament opener has slumped from $349 in December to just $55.75. Meanwhile a ticket for newly crowned European champions Paris Saint-Germain and Brazilian outfit Botafogo at the 90,000-seater Rose Bowl can be had for $33.45. Even that ticketing firesale may not be enough to spare organisers the sights of thousands of empty seats throughout the tournament. While major international soccer tournaments usually attract huge numbers of supporters from abroad, the Club World Cup looks likely to struggle, thanks in no small part to the policies of Donald Trump's government. FIFA's top brass would have had their collective heads in their hands on Wednesday when Trump announced a new travel ban on 12 nations, further deepening the sense of hostility felt at the border for travellers into the US. With teams from Mexico, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Morocco among those involved in the Club World Cup, travelling numbers are going to take a hit with supporters not wanting to risk disappearing into a private detention facility. Even fans currently residing in the US, particularly those of Mexican teams who would usually fill stadiums, may think twice before turning up en masse, given the seemingly never-ending footage of Trump's masked ICE agents snatching people off the street. We're left with the very real prospect of games being played in mostly empty stadiums by players frustrated about being there, concerned by burnout and fatigue related injuries that will come from going straight into a 32-team club tournament after a gruelling season. The footballer's union FIFPRO has been against the expanded Club World Cup since its announcement, launching a legal claim against FIFA over the unilateral creation of the tournament, citing concerns over player welfare. With players like Real Madrid star Kylian Mpappe speaking out about the lack of a meaningful break between the end of the season and the start of the tournament, there's the prospect of some players featuring in more than 80 games over the course of the season. Separately MLS team Seattle Sounders have been protesting their involvement in the tournament over what they say is a lack of fairness on player payments, wearing "Club World Ca$h Grab" t-shirts during their warm-up in a recent league game. Under the standing MLS collective bargaining agreement between the league, their bonus for the Club World Cup is capped at $1m for the entire team, meaning that players are likely to only receive 10% of the money their club get for their participation in the tournament. Indeed it seems that the only people truly happy with the event are club accountants and moneymen, adding to the sense of grubbiness surrounding the entire project. Football at the highest level has always been beholden to big money, but FIFA's newest innovation really lays that avarice bare. It's no coincidence that Real Madrid were willing to spend €10million on bringing Trent Alexander-Arnold to the club a month earlier than they had originally planned, given the financial incentives on offer. We have fans that won't be there, players that don't want to be there and clubs that are only there for the money. Despite all that there's still the chance that the Club World Cup could capture the public imagination. With no other major male international sporting event this summer, FIFA have timed the tournament to give them a captive audience. The early stages of the competition may struggle to attract eyeballs but as it progresses there is the prospect of some enticing fixtures. The clash between PSG and Atletico Madrid on 15 June is one of the earlier highlights while Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors meet a few days later in Miami. Manchester City and Real Madrid could easily meet in the first knockout round as could Bayern Munich and Chelsea. As the tournament gets into the higher stake games, we'll see just how serious the European teams are taking it. Gianni Infantino and his crew will be eager for the big stars to line out but with the tournament kicking off just two weeks after the end of the European season, they may have to wait sometime to see the household names start. FIFA are desperate for the Club World Cup to be a success and given everything they've invested in it, they need this tournament to start strongly and shake off the negative sentiment surrounding it. Whether that's a realistic prospect remains to be seen.
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
The story of Leinster's URC semi-final frustrations
When Leinster won the Pro14 title for the fourth year in a row in 2021, it seemed inevitable that their dominance of the league would continue, even with the arrival of four South African big-hitters to the new and improved BKT United Rugby Championship. They have remained the pace-setters in the regular season, finishing top of the table in three of the last four seasons, but the URC has proven a tough nut to frack for Leo Cullen's side. While their Champions Cup disappointment has been the dominant storyline of recent seasons, it might have been a bit more palatable had they been able to secure some domestic silverware along the way. Four years on from out-muscling Munster in the Pro14 final in 2021, the province haven't even made it back to the decider since, with three semi-final defeats in consecutive seasons putting even more pressure on them ahead of welcoming the Glasgow Warriors to the Aviva Stadium this afternoon. Ahead of that game, we look back on how their URC title bids have fallen short in recent seasons. Having finished top of the URC table in the regular season, and handsomely defeated the Bulls 31-3 at the Aviva on the opening weekend of the season, it was expected that Leinster would have too much for the Bulls in their semi-final at the RDS in June 2022. Two weeks earlier, the province saw their Champions Cup hopes dashed by a late Arthur Retiere try, as La Rochelle edged them out in the final, but when they bounced back a week later by trouncing the Glasgow Warriors 76-14, it looked like they had shaken off some of that disappointment and were ready to take out their frustrations in the URC play-offs. Like all of the South African sides, the Bulls had started slowly in their debut season before going on a run later in the season as they adapted to northern hemisphere rugby, and while they were seen as a better team than the one that had been in Dublin nine months earlier, an away semi-final win, against the five-in-a row chasing Leinster, seemed like a tall order. With James Lowe injured, and Johnny Sexton on the bench, the game looked like it was going according to script when Dan Sheehan scored an early try to put Leinster 7-0 in front, but as the first half progressed it was clear the Bulls had come to Dublin ready to cause a shock. They should have scored a try on 19 minutes when a 19-year-old Canan Moodie spilled the ball as he dived over in the corner, but although they try was chalked off by the TMO, the Bulls scored with their second attempt, as Johan Grobbelaar finished off a brilliant move from a five-metre penalty. A few minutes later, the Bulls' power was again too much for Leinster, Marcell Coetzee getting his side's second try, as they moved 17-7 in front. Robbie Henshaw's converted try got Leinster back to 17-14 before half time, but it was as close as they would get to turning it around. On 53 minutes, a penalty try and a James Ryan yellow card left Leinster trailing 24-14, and while they had plenty of chances to get back into the game, it took then until 69 minutes to make one stick, Jordan Larmour scoring in the corner to make it a five-point game. Morne Steyn's penalty with four minutes left the Bulls on the verge of a great upset, and they saw it out impressively, with Cian Healy's try in the final minute just a consolation score. Having endured a trophyless season in 2021/22, Leinster were on course for a double ahead of their URC semi-final against Munster in May 2023. Just as they had the previous season, Leinster came into the play-offs with the top seed, winning 16 of their 18 games, and although Munster had been on a late-season run, including an away quarter-final win at Glasgow the week before, this derby had been emphatically one-sided in the previous years. Leinster had won 10 of the previous 11 games between the sides, and Munster's only win in that time had been in the Rainbow Cup two years earlier. Graham Rowntree's side were also counting the cost of a taxing quarter-final win at Glasgow, which saw RG Snyman, Malakai Fekitoa, Calvin Nash and Conor Murray all ruled out with injury. With another Champions Cup final coming up against La Rochelle seven days later, Leo Cullen took a major risk with his selection, naming a largely second string team. Only Jack Conan and Robbie Henshaw would continue in the starting side the following week at the Aviva. The gamble looked like it was paying off when Leinster carried a 10-6 lead into the half-time break. Ryan Baird had previously seen a try disallowed for a knock-on, but right on half time Jason Jenkins crashed over against his former side, to give Leinster a lead into the second half. Munster came out flying after the break, Tadhg Beirne's converted try giving them a 13-10 lead on 45 minutes, and Rowntree's side were utterly dominant in that third quarter, but wasted a series of opportunities which could have put the game out of reach. It was looking like a familiar tale when Joe McCarthy's try on 62 minutes put Leinster back in front, although Harry Byrne's missed conversion means they were just two points ahead, 15-13. With four minutes left, Leinster even had Munster pinned back into their own 22 as they looked to close out the win, but Rory Scannell and John Hodnett combined to get Munster free, before they advanced upfield and Jack Crowley drilled a dropgoal on 78 minutes to secure a famous Munster win. From a Leinster point of view, the result would have been easily digested had they done the job a week later against La Rochelle, but another late defeat at the Aviva saw them end the season without a trophy yet again. Two years on from ending Leinster's season at the RDS, the Bulls were again celebrating a URC semi-final win against Leo Cullen's side. Unlike previous seasons, where Leinster cantered their way through the regular season, the damage in this campaign had been done in the weeks leading up to the URC play-offs. Through 13 rounds, the province were top of the table and five clear of Glasgow in second, and had just hammered the Bulls at the RDS, but as they put their chips in on winning the Champions Cup, their URC form hit a wall. Heavy defeats on their tour of South Africa against the Lions and Stormers put them under pressure, before a defeat to Ulster the week before the Champions Cup final left them third in the table at the end of the regular season, and facing an away semi-final, at altitude, against the Bulls. Big favourites when they hosted the Bulls in the semi-final two years previous, this game was billed much more evenly. With the Champions Cup final defeat behind them, there was no question of Leinster resting bodies, and they travelled to Pretoria with a fully-loaded side. After an evenly matched opening quarter, a yellow card for Sergeal Peterson gave Leinster the advantage and they took the lead with a James Lowe try, but that was cancelled out by Johan Goosen's converted try just before the end of the sin-bin period. The game flipped in the minutes either side of half time. Goosen nudged the Bulls 10-7 ahead with a penalty right on the half, before Peterson's try 90 seconds after the restart extended that advantage to 17-7. With their season on the line, Leinster hit back, a Caelan Doris try and a Ross Byrne penalty levelling the game at 17-17, and heading into the final quarter, it was Leinster who looked primed to kick on. Goosen and Byrne traded penalties, but with 14 minutes left Peterson grabbed a high ball from under the nose of Ciarán Frawley to score his second try, and it proved to be the difference as the Bulls once again ended Leinster's season, a third URC semi-final defeat in a row for thee province.
