Italian opportunity lost in translation

OPINION: Nothing has illustrated more vividly the huge problems confronting rugby than the amazing admission from IRB referees boss Paddy O'Brien that Australian Stuart Dickinson blundered badly in last weekend's All Blacks-Italy international.

O'Brien said Italy used illegal tactics when its tight-head prop repeatedly bored in on the All Blacks loose-head side to gain what became an embarrassing scrum advantage.

O'Brien may be a New Zealander but it must be assumed in rebuking Dickinson he has cast any patriotic loyalty aside.

He is, after all, the same man who has staunchly defended another of his referees, England's Wayne Barnes, for his control of the All Blacks' World Cup quarterfinal disaster against France two years ago.

Dickinson isn't the only one, of course, with an imperfect knowledge of the game's laws.

Those who have played at the highest level, even All Blacks, will confess they, too, are bewildered by what you can or can't do in scrums and in tackle-ball situations.

But when a man in charge of an international match, supposedly an expert, is confused surely the time for remedial action to be taken is long overdue.

Instead, on its past record, whenever the IRB tries to introduce much-needed improvements, it only makes an already bad situation worse.

The saddest aspect about last weekend's fiasco in Milan was that it took place before a huge crowd of 80,000, many of whom presumably had only a skimpy knowledge of rugby.

What they thought of the exercise can be only surmised. But they could not have been entertained and so a prime opportunity to sell the game to a more global market was squandered.

Just a few hours before, and perhaps an event not registering with those who control the IRB, was a marvellous sporting occasion, one which underlined the huge challenges ahead for rugby in one of its few international strongholds.

This was the All Whites achievement in making the World Cup finals next year, with a win over Bahrain in a qualifier which captivated both the capacity Wellington crowd and the rest of the country on television.

The contrast between the two events was stark.

In the soccer, there was passion, commitment and above all a contest that even those with just a passing interest in the game could understand and find enthralling.

The All Whites and their code deserve all of the praise they have received, and probably should win the 2009 Halberg Award for best team effort, even acknowledging the worthy efforts of other sports like hockey.

For rugby, the biggest of many lessons should have come with the way last weekend's World Cup qualifier was marketed.

Ticket prices for many stand seats were around $40, well within the budgets of most ordinary fans.

If, as was the case for cricket's 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, European prices are applied to rugby's World Cup 2011 pool games then they will undoubtedly be played before half full stadia.

- © Fairfax NZ News