#360Rugby: Time for north to change

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  • Craig Joubert is in the World Cup firing line, but is criticism fair?

    As the Rugby World Cup reaches its dramatic crescendo, Andrew Binner and Matt Jones take a look at four lessons learned from the quarter-finals including how to penetrate the All Blacks and  why Wales could lose Warren Gatland.

    Can anyone stop the All Blacks?
    After tearing bogey side France to shreds, New Zealand sent shockwaves throughout the Rugby World Cup.

    Though their 62-13 destruction of Les Bleus was devastating, South Africa should not – and won’t – be overawed in their semi-final clash on Saturday though.

    Though the scoreline was seismic, can they really rack up a similar scoreline on the weekend against a physically imposing Springboks?

    It’s unlikely, although it is certain that Heyneke Meyer’s team will have to play at their very best, while hoping the All Blacks are not quite as on their game as they were in Cardiff last weekend.

    After a wobble against Japan, South Africa are now playing well. Fourie du Preez is leading by example and their pack is going to really take it to the All Blacks, particularly the on song Schalk Burger, Francois Louw, Lood de Jagerand Eben Etzebeth.

    One thing the Boks can probably rule out though is complacency on the part of the men from the Land of the Long White Cloud.

    In the hour after the match, Hansen was not basking in the glow of victory but working at keeping the Kiwi feet firmly on the floor.

     “We haven’t won the thing, so we can’t get too excited,” he said. “We have played South Africa a lot of times and they are great rivals and we are good mates with them. It’s going to be a hell of a contest.”

    It really is.

    Craig Joubert: Coward or unfairly treated?
    World Rugby have punished disgraced South African referee Craig Joubert for his mistake in the quarter-finals by over-looking their most senior official for the semi-finals.

    However looking back at the facts, the question must now be asked,”Is the South African being made a scapegoat for World Rugby’s failings?”

    Joubert made the incorrect decision which had the unfortunate outcome of sending the wrong team home from the tournament. However given that Australia’s knock-on was difficult enough to see on the replay, surely he can be forgiven for the mistake given his impeccable history as a Test referee?

    An important and little known point regarding the incident is that according to World Rugby’s rules as a try was not claimed by either side Joubert was not allowed to use the TMO to review the incident.

    At this point many of the former professionals like Gavin Hastings and Matt Dawson who have called for Joubert’s head, should hang their heads in shame. If they had been dropped from the sport after making one mistake on the pitch, none of them would have had a career longer than three matches.

    The time has come to review the rules and perhaps the Twitterati should be aiming their abuse at World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper, and not the humble referee.

    What’s next for Wales and Warren Gatland?
    Wales will be hurting after their Rugby World Cup exit but one silver lining is that the Six Nations is less than four months away – and Warren Gatland’s side must go all out to re-assert their reputation domestically.

    Having won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013, Wales have been forced to sit and watch Ireland take the last two championships, and the Dragons must now focus on firing once again in the northern hemisphere’s premier international rugby competition.

    Centre Jamie Roberts, although still bruised and broken following Wales disappointing World Cup exit at the weekend, is already looking forward to the tournament.

    “It is less than four months until the Six Nations kicks off and in a few weeks we will start looking forward to that,” he said. “It is something we desperately want to win again.”

    One more key aim for Wales is keeping hold of Gatland and his back-room staff.

    Reports emerging following their World Cup exit surround the futures of Gatland, defensive coach Shaun Edwards and attack coach Rob Howley, the latter two will be out of contract next summer.

    Gatland is contracted until 2019 but stories have surfaced that England could be interested in his services should they decide to pull the trigger on Stuart Lancaster.

    Apart from the fact that losing Gatland to the old enemy would irk Welsh fans and certainly leave the WRU red-faced, Wales’ improvement under the Kiwi since he took charge in 2008 cannot be underestimated.

    The Six Nations playing-style must now be revolutionised
    The reputation of northern hemisphere rugby is lying in tatters and once again, the Six Nations has become the butt of all southern hemisphere jokes. And rightly so.

    Steve Hansen this week labeled European rugby ‘fractured’ while Argentina defence coach Pablo Bouza went as far as to predict that the Pumas would not be in the semi-finals if they had been allowed entry into the Six Nations in 2007.

    As England 2015 prepares to host its four southern hemisphere semi-finalists it is difficult to disagree with either man.

    However in February the Six Nations sides have a chance to remedy their misfortunes by unleashing the plethora of attacking talent that exists in the north.

    France’s Top-14 must find away to let their home-grown players prosper in first teams alongside foreign imports, while England must become more Bath than Saracens.

    Ireland and Wales can count themselves as slightly unlucky with injuries but must look to develop a style of attacking rugby that their supporters can be proud to get behind and the results will come.

    Extra time
    As England’s disgraced World Cup flops integrate themselves back into Premiership life it is great to see that not all players have lost their sense of humour. During Harlequins 26-21 victory over Wasps last weekend, notoriously humorous prop Joe Marler had an entertaining conversation with referee Luke Pearce.

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