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Calls for law change after Golden Point 'kissing your sister' let-down
By AAP
The Western Force and Hurricanes both agree: being part of a golden-point draw is like kissing your sister, as calls grow for Super Rugby Pacific to give players more time to grind out a win.
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Saturday night’s match between the Force and Hurricanes ended in a 17-17 draw after neither side could land the winning blow in the 10-minute super-point period.
Under current rules, whichever team scores first during that 10-minute golden-point period wins the game.
If scores are still tied, the match is deemed a draw.
Saturday night’s match marked the first time in Super Rugby Pacific history that a match finished in a draw after golden point.
Such is the current confusion, Force skipper Jeremy Williams assumed there was another 10-minute period to come after the teams couldn’t be split.
Hurricanes co-captain Brad Shields thought the match would be decided by a penalty shootout, much like what happens in soccer, and occasionally in rugby.
“It’s a bit of a frustrating one,” Shields said of a golden-point draw.
“Like it’s obviously not losing, but drawing is like kissing your sister I suppose.”
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Force coach Simon Cron didn’t know what Shields had said when he himself made an eerily similar comment.
“I don’t have a sister, but I feel like I kissed her tonight,” Cron said.
“That’s sort of where I’m sitting right now.”
Simon Cron Western Force coach Simon Cron was left frustrated by the 17-17 draw. (Richard Wainwright/AAP PHOTOS)
When told of the Hurricanes’ comments, Cron replied: “They said it too, did they? Well, that’s both of us.
“The only reason for that is we have a bunch of boys in that shed who work their arse off and want to win.
“If you didn’t care about winning, and you didn’t care about the game, then you wouldn’t be in this team.”
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Cron would like more time to be given to finding a winner.
“It’s a tough one, because there’s always so many variables – TV and all the different stuff there,” he said.
“But I’d like to kick off again after the boys defended on the line, to kick off, put them in the corner and go again.”
Second-year Force captain Williams also felt the same.
“I’d love to be out there for more and try to get the win,” he said.
“So unlimited time really, I’ll be happy with that.”
Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw was supportive of golden point being given two 10-minute periods, and captain Shields agreed.
“I suppose if you’re getting to finals rugby in the past, you get two 10-minute halves, don’t you?” Shields said.
“I’d love to have a winner. I’d love to keep going until there’s a winner.”
Both sides had a chance to win during the golden-point period.
Force flyhalf Ben Donaldson’s 51m penalty goal attempt drifted to the left, and his drop-goal attempt from 30m out a few minutes later was charged down.
Hurricanes flyhalf Ruben Love had the chance to win it after the siren, but his 25m drop goal shaved the left post and bounced away.
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That’s what overtime is for, two get more intense and suspenseful play. Like I said previously, weve missed out on a lot of golden point games so far this season, but this one delivered 10 minutes of great rugby to make up for it.
Is he proposing the second half of overtime, or a NFL type system when you get your chance (even if you score), and then they get theirs?
Hurricanes scored first so got to chose to kick off right? They had position but the Force were great at recycling and the Canes D was no longer pressuring, choosing to play it safe or to conserve energy, which I don’t know but the Force slowly ate into that territory and were at the 22 after about 5 minutes with the ball. That’s when the D started feeling the need to up the tempo. They turned it over and looked like they might make a break that would go all the way. Instead they also only got to the 22 before it became a grind again, this time getting all the way to the line only to blow it.
That is basically how a more refined system would have played out anyway. If the Force had of scored then the Canes would have had that attempt. 10 minutes is certainly enough, was in this game. It’s hard to imagine a slow stogy team, who try to play tactically and kick the ball away and benefit from two 10 halfs, actually even get that far. The team that was going for it to score the golden point would generally win. 10 minutes looks good, it means we get the rugby were after by having a golden point. Remember it’s not to finding a winner, it’s entertainment, no playing it safe and wanting 20 minutes to do it. Having a second chance, if not a pure tit for tat system, would hopefully be in for the finals.
Good lord, you’d think the sky was falling the way a simple draw has been played out. Now they want a rule change because of it? Ridiculous.
You had 80 minutes to sort out a win, it didn’t happen, take your chances better next time and move on.
If that’s what you got out of their comments, then that is in fact what’s ridiculous. The same goes for think that a game where both sides took their chances wouldn’t also end in a draw.