Talofa lava, Malolelei’i, Bula vinaka and welcome to TEIVOVOrugby.com’s Super Rugby Pacific podcast Season 01 episode 06 – I’m Culden Kamea.

This is my weekly podcast on the Fijian Drua, Moana Pasifika and other teams in the Super Rugby Pacific 2023 competition, plus Team Fijiana of course defending their Super W title in Australia.

However, this week, I just have to get this off my chest – biased or incompetent refereeing.

Not in Super Rugby Pacific but at the Hong Kong 7s on Sunday in the play-off for Bronze in the Women’s competition between Fijiana and Great Britain.

Sadly, Fijiana were robbed of the bronze medal by biased refereeing in their game against Great Britain.

Having trailed throughout, Team Fijiana scored just before the fulltime siren with 31 seconds to play and then converted for a 19-17 win at 08 seconds after the final siren – why they should then have to re-start beats me.

Anyway, during sudden death after the re-start, the referee blew five consecutive penalties against Fijiana until Great Britain won.

Two penalties were awarded against Fijiana for the “tackler not rolling away” according to the referee, but in both cases the Fijiana tacklers were clear of the tackle ball, and in both cases, another Fijiana player was already over the ball trying to win it.

In the first penalty for this at 44 seconds into the sudden death game time, the Great Britain number 10 loses her feet and falls into the tackle ball area off her feet, which is an infringement.

She temporarily blocks the Fijiana 09 from exiting that area, but she is to one side and stands up while Naimasi is correctly over the ball trying to win it, when the referee penalizes Fijiana for not rolling away.

Another penalty was for the Fijiana front row “standing up” in the scrum, according to the referee.

Yet it was so clear that Team Fijiana dominated the Great Britain scrum throughout the game, and especially during the sudden death period.

It was so clearly the Great Britain forwards who stood up twice under immense pressure, being pushed backwards at their scrum!

Yet the referee penalized the Fijiana front row for “standing up”.

As far as I know, all front rows try to get under their opponents front row and force them up, which the Fijiana forwards did, even the TV commentator said, “Big scrum Fiji,” at one minute and 24 seconds into sudden death game time.

After re-setting the scrum for a second time at one minute 56 seconds gone, the Great Britain forwards could not take the pressure and had to stand up again so that they could get out of the scrum ASAP.

All referees know this and always penalize the scrum going backwards for standing up, not the dominant forwards driving forward – in this case Team Fijiana.

In the case of the fourth penalty against Fijiana Captain Naimasi for “not rolling away” she was behind the tackle area and not in any way interfering with Great Britain playing the ball, yet Naimasi was penalized.

From that penalty Naimasi was yellow-carded for not retiring 10M and Great Britain scored against Fijiana with a player down.

That was plain daylight robbery by biased refereeing.

New Zealand cruised to victory in both the Women’s and Men’s finals of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens to increase their leads at the top of the ladder.

New Zealand women beat Australia 17-26 and the All Blacks 7s beat Fiji 17-24 to win their first Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong 7s title since 2014.

In Super Rugby Round 6 last weekend:

• the Hurricanes 45-42 the Force
• the Brumbies 40-36 the NSW Waratahs
• the Crusaders 25-12 the Reds
• the Fijian Drua 38-28 the Rebels
• the Chiefs 20-13 the Blues
• Moana Pasifika 17-45 the Highlanders

In Super W Round 2 last weekend:

• the Fijiana Drua 39-12 the Rebels
• the Brumbies 13-24 NSW Waratahs
• the Force 14-29 the Reds

Both Fiji teams had good wins at home with the Drua on a bye this weekend and a tough game against the Blues in Lautoka in the heat of mid-April to come, while our Fijiana Drua girls play the rest of their games away in Australia.

For TEIVOVOrugby.com, I’m Culden Kamea.

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