For the average casual player, the big lesson from the 2008 Super 14 grand final might not be the final scoreline (20-12 to the Crusaders in a great match!), but the outcome of an ordinary decision by Brad Thorn. Leading 14-12 near the midpoint of the second half, the Crusaders seemed to have picked up a long try, but referee Mark Lawrence took it away and penalized Thorn for punching. Not only did the Crusaders lose the try and a lot of territory, but Thorn earned a yellow card.
Fortunately for Thorn, it didnt cost his side the match, but Thorn’s gaffe gives every coach an opportunity to remind players that a loss of discipline could cost a side dearly. If a seasoned player like Thorn, who has been an international player in both rugby union and rugby league, can cost his side a try so easily, then any player needs to remember to stay cool in a physical sport.
A few other notes from the grand final:
- Anyone else wondering how she might have gone had Kurtley Beale not left with an injury?
- Waratahs center Rob Horne had a couple of beautiful one-touch passes that should remind any coach to train players in the skill.
- Surely this match is a testament that the Experimental Law Variations have added to the excitement without wrecking the significance of the scrum and line-out nor the contest for possession at the breakdown.
- Dan Carter’s drop goal with about ten minutes to go must have had the Kiwi fans thinking about what might have been had Carter made it through the All Blacks’ 2007 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal.
- In hindsight, given that the Crusaders’ home ground features both fireworks and horses for the mascot knights to ride, it seems that the loose horse running wild on the ground after the match was an accident waiting to happen. Fortunately, no one appears to have been hurt.
- Australians and New South Welshmen must be wrestling with mixed feelings as the Crusaders hoist Robbie Deans up onto their shoulders. NSW, representing Australia in the final, has lost the match, but the mastermind of the victory is headed across the Tasman to Australia as the first foreign Wallabies coach. Interesting to say the least. Hopefully Deans is more optimistic about the Wallabies now than he was before the knockout rounds of the World Cup last year!
