Are the Drua players’ to blame for their ill-discipline?
In an 80-minute rugby game where the main opposing and entire officiating teams are nitpicking every move the Drua players make and lets the home team run riot with every infringement in a game of rugby, can we blame them for their frustrations?
Can the Drua management forward a replay of the Drua vs Rebels rugby match to Super Rugby officials and point out the blatant infringements by the Rebels and why were they not called out by the three referees or video referee?
The Rebels’ forwards were continually taking out the Drua halfback, right in front of the referee, the two assistants and the video referee and yet, they waited until Lomani finally took matters into his elbow, then they showed him a red card.
A non-existent head clash against Carter Gordon got the Drua lock forward a 10-minute sinbin.
An apparent tip tackle and clear head clash by the same Carter Gordon later in the game was never called by, nor referred to by the video and game referees!
A head-butt, which brushed past its intended target, got another red card. And the video referee continually refers borderline infringements by the Drua, two to five plays after apparent initiation. And never once against the Rebels!
Are the Drua so dangerous that rugby apartheid has to be levelled against them to ensure the livelihood of the other rugby franchises in Super Rugby?
Are the Super Rugby Board and management blatantly agreeing to farcical refereeing by game day officials against the Drua?
And will we ever see a non-biased game against the Drua in Super Rugby?
For the Drua players, frustration and apparent ill-discipline will continue because at every game they are not playing against just 15 players, they are playing against 19.
A four-man advantage of the three and one video referees, will always triumph against a team playing hard clean, fast winning rugby.
No amount of coaching, nor counselling against such odds will curb the ill-discipline.
And if the game day referees will continue to officiate like we saw on Friday evening against the Rebels, then the Drua have no chance of winning, ever!
On any given game day, with the same official quartet and the same type of officiating, the Drua will definitely finish a game with 10 men or less!
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