All Black fan Tim Cronin from RugbyShirts.net reckons Andrew Hore will get what he deserves, but with the match result, so did Wales…
While I was contemplating how to open my article this week I stumbled across a post on Facebook from a friend, a fellow Kiwi living in the UK, which pretty much summed up what I was thinking.
Said Hayden – “OK, Hore is a moron and should be suspended, but that doesn’t change the fact that Wales were [rubbish]”.
Andrew Hore did New Zealand a huge disservice on the weekend. As is always the way when you dominate a sport, the rest of the rugby world has for some time now been throwing accusations at the Kiwis about the tactics of their captain, the attitude of officials towards the men in black, and, in general, a perceived idea that the All Blacks in some way ‘cheat’.
I accept that those barbs are just part and parcel of being the number one ranked side in the world, and it’s never bothered me personally. While some countries have a history of eye gouging, biting and testicle grabbing, the All Blacks have never been a dirty team, and I don’t think they are now. But Andrew Hore was out of line, and his timing could not have been worse.
With that said, Hore’s act of foul play didn’t cost the Welsh the game, nor did any of the refereeing decisions. The referee wasn’t the one who was incapable of tackling Julian Savea or failed to scramble on defence, and the referee wasn’t the one who couldn’t catch when try scoring opportunities presented themselves or who kicked it dead from a penalty.
The attitude from the Welsh players as they narrowed the losing margin to just 23 points was telling. The crowd who went in to raptures, the players who celebrated that last try, and the coach afterwards, who said he was proud of his players, signalled to me that the Welsh believe they are just a ‘middle-of-the-road side. None of the top 4 or 5 nations would find anything whatsoever to be happy about in a 33-10 loss. The All Blacks, along with the Australians, the South Africans, the English, and probably the French, would be disgusted at themselves for being blown off the park in such resounding fashion, but that’s because they set high standards and expectations for themselves.
Wales clearly lack any self-belief or confidence at the moment, which was in evidence early in the match. Their decision to kick for touch, instead of taking the points when they were on offer, smacked of desperation. The idea of ‘taking it to the All Blacks’ is an admirable one, but you still need to be intelligent enough to make the right decisions at the right time; to rip in to all-out attack when the opportunity presents itself, but to collect points and play with tactical nous when the time calls for a more solid approach.
That decision early in the game reminded me of a cricketer who has determined which shot they will play before the ball is bowled. It was like they had made a commitment prior to stepping out on the field that when they received their first penalty, no matter where it might be, they’d have a crack. Wales traditionally employ a good balance of relatively conservative, tactical rugby combined with an ability to attack with flair given the right opening, and I’m sure those chances would have presented themselves as the match unfolded. But such is their lack of confidence at the moment they felt it necessary to try to re-invent the wheel, an interesting option when you’re facing the world champions on rampant form, having yourselves lost your last five tests in a row!
The Welsh can make up as many excuses as they want, but they were still thumped 33-10 by a team that ‘buttoned off’ for the last quarter. As New Zealanders we all agree that Hore was out of line, but we’d have a lot more respect if Welsh fans, players and media could simply say ‘sure, the Hore incident was poor, but on the day we were outplayed’.
At the end of the day, any loss falls on the shoulders of the players. Sides that are successful recognise this, and use it as a tool to learn from and improve. Teams that fail to recognise this and constantly play the ‘victim card’ stay where they are, in the middle-of-the-road.
Tim Cronin is a Rugby fan and full time writer based in the rubble of the Canterbury Crusaders’ home town, Christchurch. Tim is a part of the Pukeko Sportsteam, where his role is watching, writing, and complaining about all things rugby.
