Monday's Musings

Man/Woman-In-The -Middle

With the RWC being front and centre in the eyes and mind of every rugby fan world-wide, at the present time, so too is the man (in this case) who carries the whistle. Officiating the game of rugby has become increasingly challenging since the advent of professionalism with the outcome/s being so important. Law 6 – “The referee is the sole judge of fact and of law during the match”. This hardly seems to be the case in the modern game, with ARs having far greater input, and VMO’s intervening on their own accord, as well as being called upon during the contest to assist a decision, despite the final authority of the referee.

With this in mind, the words of the Samoan coach, espousing a position this pundit has often taken, that being, so often a debatable decision always seems to go the way of the higher seeded team, really came as no surprise. I quote:

“Samoa head coach Seilala Mapusua has said referees are guilty of “unconscious bias” against tier two nations. Mapusa was talking after his Samoa side lost 17 – 18 to England in Lille, a match where his team was penalised fourteen times to England’s nine.  Samoa also had centre Tumua Manu yellow-carded in the 66th minute of the match, a ten-minute spell which saw England clinch the match-wining score through Danny Care.” 

Some may say “sour grapes” whilst others may say ‘onya, coach! This op piece segues perfectly into an event depicted by today’s header photo, that is to encourage folk to get into refereeing. To this end the BCRU is offering clinics to “Unleash your potential and turn your passion for coaching into a reality! Coaching Courses are slated to take place at Yale Secondary School in Abbotsford on January 20-21, 2024.” Although the event is in the New Year, you can already register your interest HERE.

WORLD CUP REFLECTIONS TO DATE

The business end now begins and what a disappointment to see two quarter-final matches where any one of the four teams could eventually win Bill! Firstly, the way that world rugby is moving along, to automatically grant a berth in an event four years from now if you finished third in your pool play is wrong IMO, no ands, ifs, nor buts. Secondly to seed teams four years away from the event is also wrong.  A year out should be plenty of time to quite accurately seed teams and construct “shadow” pools.

[Opinions expressed are solely those of the blogger.]

                                                      CW AT ‘SPOOLMAK’ 7’s

                               (We note with a wry grin, the city name often referred to by those born here!)

                                                                                                

                                                               FURTHER CW NEWS

Our On-line Store has a deadline for orders on October 31st. This has recently become a far better resource than any previous attempts and the “merch” displayed is varied and very cool.  Get your orders in!


                                                      RIP Kevin (‘Lunk’) Wirachowski

CW offers our most sincere condolences to the family of Kevin who passed away vey unexpectedly last Thursday. Kevin was found, of all places – in his workshop. The Lunk was a true legend and Canadian Classic in every sense. A hard member of the FRF he was respected by all opponents, local and international. Off the field, Kevin was a masterful and creative genius of design and construction of machinery, his most notable achievement being development of the Scrum Master, a uniquely invented scrum machine. One can well imagine there would be no better setting in his mind for his final act.

Lunk was an inventive contributor for CW with our original scrum machine and an even more beneficial,  set of lights and generator that could be transported on a trailer, and taken from storage with Ron Willems to Windsor Park, twice weekly.  More recently, Kevin was the master mind of some creative lighting additions that have been vital for our club’s growth.  Lunk played eighteen times for his country over a decade of years and was a founding member of Velox Valhallians and often donned the boots for the renamed Westshore Rugby Club.  He was a true character who could always muster a mischievous grin about something. He loved the game of rugby and could offer a pov on any aspect.  Kevin will be sorely missed around rugby circles.  RIP, good man.