SA Rugby have thought up an excuse to cite another Sharks player. They failed to get Rory Kockott last week, but this week they think they have a better case.
To quote the SA Rugby press release, “Citing officer Andrew Prior cited Kockott for an offence of grinding/ rubbing/ applying his knees to the face of the Vodacom Blue Bulls lock Wilhelm Steenkamp in the 50th minute of the Absa Currie Cup match.” Thing aren’t looking good for the combative scrummie, I guess. His hearing will take place tomorrow, unless they need to delay it because the cleaning lady loses the keys to the office, or something.
At least with Charl McLeod and Ross Cronjé in the squad, we have some reasonable depth at scrumhalf.
More on this as it develops.
What the hell???
Rory is NOT doing himself any favours is he??
Rory is a doos, no other way to describe him, its almost as if he is shooting himself in the foot, he will never get a look in at the Boks with this sort of attitude!!
i thought he was being cited for play un-sporting by a scrumhalf:non-distribution of the rugby ball to make the game more exciting. he should get a three month ban if such a law existed.
@try time (superrugby’s kryptonite is SANZAR) (Comment 3) : januarie would get a lifetime ban.
@Whindy (Comment 2) : assuming he actually did it.
@Whindy (Comment 2) : Could’nt agree more – RK is a little thug and it’s about time he starts paying for his dirty (and sneaky) habits on the rugby pitch.
@diablo (Comment 6) : let’s wait to see if he’s actually guilty before crucifying him… I certainly didn’t see the incident on TV…
I think this is BS, look Rockets is a over zellous player but I think they are trying to make an example of him. He is going to have to learn that he cant carry on like this
@robdylan (Comment 7) : Rob, I am not just judging him on this episode he needs to be pulled aside and said hey stop behaving like a pr#ick and channel your energies elsewhere, where they will have more productive outcomes. He is still going to cost the sharks a match the way he is going, it will take only one red card, and his reputation won’t help!!
@Whindy (Comment 9) : fair point. i tried to crucify him without any evidence last week. This time I’m trying the opposite tactic!
@robdylan (Comment 7) : @robdylan (Comment 7) : Rob, I do not base my dislike of him on one incident. He has a nasty habit of being “geniepsig” and it has been a trade-mark of his play for a long time now. As I said before, he is a talented player and I believe that he does not have to be a dirty player in order to prove himself.
@diablo (Comment 11) :“geniepsig” Okay this is a new word please explain??
@diablo (Comment 11) : fair comment, fair comment
@Whindy (Comment 12) : spiteful
@robdylan (Comment 14) : Thanks Rob, thought my Afrikaans was quite good but never heard that one before, but I agree with the interpretation.
@robdylan (Comment 14) : Quite correct Rob, but in the Afr vernacular it has a somewhat broader interpretaion – means doing something mean in a sly way and underhanded way. One of those “lekker” Afr words that is not easy to translate directly.
Interestingly enough, Albert did not get cited for elbowing a player.. apparently…
Nor Botes apparently doing what Bakkies did to earn a 2 week suspension.
And not a single Bulls player did anything wrong?
This is actually starting to get ridiculous now.
@Baldrick (Comment 17) :
There was some incidences on Friday – that I said that surely we can have them cited for this and this if we get carded, – but I just cannot think of them right now – thats how trivial this sheit is…
I’ve tried finding the incident they’re referring to (PVR’ed the game) and it’s nowhere to be found. At one stage Rory had his leg near some dudes face because he was tangled in a ruck. If that’s what he’s getting cited for then I dunno ….. this citing and yellow cards debacle (Albert’s indiscretion is also nowhere to be found) is getting a bit much now
@robdylan (Comment 5) :
Citing officers rarely cite after the match without proper video evidence.
@Prof. Ice (Comment 18) : they are ruining the game…
@Prof. Ice (Comment 18) :
Ahhh – the one high tackle / strangle on Swannie from behind – for ONE!
@Morné (Comment 20) : “RARELY”????? It should be NEVER!!!! Sorry Morne not shouting at you, but why would a citing officer ever cite someone without proper video evidence?
@Dancing Bear (Comment 23) :
Interpretation DB…
That horrible word the referees always use to defend themselves…
@Morné (Comment 24) : Speaking of which, I read your response to my comment about the ref in the Sharks WP game. I agree with you that the ref called the game to the letter of the law, I just feel that the referee has a responsibility at this level, like the players, to provide some level of entertainment for the supporters. I felt the ref was pedantic, called the advantage terribly and just generally killed the game. Not biased, and didn’t make calls contrary to the laws, but he was still a very poor referee. Personally I think he hurt WP as much or even more than he hurt the Sharks.
I was watching with a friend who had never watched a rugby game, and he kept asking why the referee was so involved and seemed to not let them play.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 25) :
never watched a rugby game???
were you watching with a mermaid on your yacht?? 
What the hell is happening! I hate hearing all this citing nonsense, yellow cards, etc. Is this the end of the collision sport we love?…dammit.
@Prof. Ice (Comment 26) : Hey, leave me to my fantasies would you!
Nah, remember, I live in the US, lots of people here that have never seen any rugby. It was interesting with this guy though, he had not seen a game before, but recognized that the flow was being killed and it was because of the referee.
@JJR (Comment 27) : As a great former All Black, Tana Umaga said: “We’re not playing tiddlywinks mate!”
Who was it that said “Rugby is not a contact sport. Ballroom dancing is a contact sport, Rugby is a collision sport!”
Didn’t see any incident from Kockett. Normally these kind of citing offences are so obvious you think “how did the ref miss that?” e.g: Schalk digging for eye dust.
But i can’t seem to recall this particular charge. And other thing: how come the charge is so broad as grinding/rubbing/applying knee etc, when in instances of punching they get as technical and specific as open/closed palm???
@Dancing Bear (Comment 30) :
Div??
@Prof. Ice (Comment 32) : I don’t think so…..
@Dancing Bear (Comment 30) : Eddie van der Jones?
@Dancing Bear (Comment 29) : or doing ballet!
Or was it The Mayor of Loftus?
I like Kockott – Why cant we have have someone who stirs the pot. It isn’t a bad thing. And doesn’t step up to the line anymore than anyone else. It’s just because he isn’t afraid to take on guys twice his height that he gets more attention for it. I do think this is a witch hunt – just like the did with Butch James.
@McLovin (Comment 36) : It was.
“Ballroom dancing is a contact sport. Rugby is a collision sport.” – Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer
Adolf??
Imagine Beast in a Tutu…
@Prof. Ice (Comment 39) :
@Salmonoid (Comment 40) :
Yes, Sir??
me thinks there be some other unions behind this sudden citings of cockott , i too have gone back to watch the game and nowhere can i find anything that they are charging him with
i am afraid soon rugby will be a girls game only
@sharks_lover (Comment 42) : It’s all a conspiracy.
Wonder if it’s the same people as behind the Bakkies saga.
@robdylan (Comment 35) : Hey rob, hav u seen the footage for rory? What is ur take? Will he get more than one?
@Dancing Bear (Comment 25) :
Given the inconsistencies with regards to referees I tend to prefer a letter of the law type of ref to be honest.
I think players are geniunly confused because every referee has a different interpretations.
The only common denominator we can therfore hope for, is if every game is blown the same way, no interpretation necessary, and the only way to do that is to blow to the law, players will adapt.
@Prof. Ice (Comment 41) : Sharksworld keeps on bombing out on me. I was going to post something about Beast in a tutu…..and then I blanked out.
@Salmonoid (Comment 46) :
Because of the vision / image in your mind??
@Mephisto_Shark (Comment 19) : Is there a way to get a clip off a PVR machine of the alleged offence? I guess if people knew how to do that, it would be the end of DVD stores!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGSWz8PYHro
Speaking of the Beast, check out this tribute of him on youtube!!!
You fella’s sound hard done by – anyone on here capable of an honest and objective view on the new thug of SA Rugby
indiscretion ?
@Morné (Comment 45) : I’m afraid that will make for some bloody boring rugby Morne. Perhaps consistent, but will resemble gridiron in the stop start nature.
@JJR (Comment 44) : I have seen NOTHING
just watched the whole game and cant find it either so it might have come from the cuts the director chose not to you or independent view
Maybe no better not say that
not to show not to you sorry
Rory must be suspended if he is guilty of something, he does need to learn some kind of lesson
@Whindy (Comment 12) :
Cannot think of a good English word but it normally describes a person that hurts others in a deliberate and sneaky way.
In terms of rugby it would be dirty and sneaky.
A child that likes to bite, scratch or punch is “geniepsig”.
A biting (icy) cold wind is also “geniepsig”.
@fyndraai (Comment 56) : malicious?
Rory is a thug! End of.
@Whindy (Comment 2) : my first thought was – look we have a new schalk burger.
@robdylan (Comment 7) : i missed that too. couldn’t be so bad.
@robdylan (Comment 10) : the last week worked – he got out scott free – why do you want to change the tactics.
I have not seen this “offence” either. maybe it was not too bad.
good evening everybody, i watched this game later on friday night, and again on saturday, i must say this citing is a bit of a surprise, and as for the jacques botes yellow card, if you get to watch that incident in real time, after the maul that the tv producer must have thought was the incident, jb brushes shoulders with a bulls player and that guy (no sure who he was) goes down like an italian striker, i am convinced that was what he was carded for, not the ruck, the producer was not focused
@war1 (Comment 62) : I am no ruck specialists but I felt that Lawrence was a bit harsh on sharks with this not rolling away. this cards was a bit much. and then kockott’s citing out of the blue.
hope that sharks are not developing some kind of ill fame.
@rekinek (Comment 63) : i dont know what got into mr lawrence, i read that some of the decisions lawrence made had him “furious” maybe he was just trying to stamp his authority on the game, although it did seem very one-sided though
@rekinek (Comment 63) : @war1 (Comment 64) : I have to agree with both of you, I watched the game again today, and here is the progression of penalties leading up to Badenhorst’s yellow card for not rolling away:
Penalty against Bulls – offside
Penalty against Bulls – playing the ball in the ruck while on the ground
Penalty against Bulls – not rolling away (5 metres from Bulls goal line)
Penalty against Sharks – not rolling away (yellow card)
Penalty against Bulls – not rolling away
Now you tell me if that is balanced?
Also, the Bulls should never have won that tighthead at the end of the game. Twice the Bulls drove early, it was clear they were going for an 8 man drive to overcome the short handed Sharks scrum, but they were driving early. Twice the Sharks should have been awarded a free kick for an early drive, and twice Lawrence reset the scrum. Then the last try by the Bulls, if Lawrence did not see the grounding, how could he ask for a reason not to award the try. Just seemed like he had it in for the Sharks in this one. Not sure why.
@fyndraai (Comment 56) : Thanks, I do love afrikaans for words just like these as well as some of my corporals beauts in the army, which are not reprintable as Prof Ice will have me for breakfast
Unsportsman like conduct really pisses me off. I’m not refering to Rory unless he is guilty. Earlier he conceded a penalty for knocking the ball out of Heinie Adams hand – 3 points.
Alberts apparent elbow which dissallowed the try.- 7 points. And it was a great Monty finish.
Jean De Villiers deliberatly running into AB player – 3 points.
Late tackles by Bismark – almost every game.
I’m talking about an offense where a player knowingly and deliberatly commits bad sportmanlike behaviour, biting, eye gouging, blatent late tackle to hurt a player, etc etc.
There are TV cameras at a match – why does this happen
@Whindy (Comment 66) :
Banggat!!
@Dancing Bear (Comment 65) :
Dan Retief, SuperRugby
The Sharks coach was understandably peeved, in spite of a win over his team’s old nemesis the Bulls that three of his players (Albert van der Berg, Jacques Botes and Skipper Badenhorst) were sin-binned during Friday night’s Currie Cup match at the Absa Stadium but I was surprised there weren’t more yellow cards.
The Sharks, for me, set the tenor of a match by simply ignoring the laws at the breakdown and challenging the referee, in this case Mark Lawrence, and his assistants to either make a farce of the contest or letting it go.
Later the Bulls started to do it to – making no effort to stay on their feet or not fall over the ball – and an exasperated Lawrence had his hands full trying to inject some continuity.
And hokaai Sharks fans, hold on awhile before you fire off those irate e-mails about my being against your team.
Far from it. I actually watched it all with grim satisfaction, because I had been proven right, and serious dissatisfaction, at what havoc is being foist on this game of ours, because as far back as the early rounds of the Super 14 I predicted that the way to combat the new laws which permit hands-in and the tackler to remain off-sides at a tackle was to simply ignore the rules.
So what the Sharks were doing was inevitable. The way to play now is that you get your breakaway or the first man there to get his hands on the ball and then to simply fall over to prevent it from being played – not occasionally to kill a dangerous situation but every time.
There was something similar going in the Test match with referee Alain Rolland forced to award nine penalties within the first 16 minutes to gain control. A weaker, less experienced referee might have ended up littering Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein with yellow cards.
The game is a mess
The game is a mess and it was bound to happen once hands in was allowed. Backline players are bigger and stronger and have no fear to attack the ball on the ground – in fact they’re coached to – and the forwards get there so quickly that the only outcomes are a pile-up or the kind of violent clean-out which Bakkies Botha is unfairly in trouble for.
The law-makers have created the situation and seem loath to address and rectify the mess they have made. Something has to be done about the break-down and to me the way to go is back to rucking – get the ball on the ground, get the hands out and encourage players to drive over the ball to put it behind them rather than going down on it.
Funnily enough a host of former players I have spoken to agree with me; but what do we know?!
Remember the outcry when the reality of the experimental law variations first hit home? Well, we’ve been through the Lions tour and we’re now into the Tri-Nations and I haven’t a single plaintiff voice calling for a return to the ELVs. What does that tell you?
@Prof. Ice (Comment 68) : Even from so far away