RWC 2011: THE FINAL!!! France vs. New Zealand

[UilamOsa]

Wow. Ok then.

But why would you guys want to have anything to do with a sport that is literally full of cheats?

I sincerely think that "cheat" is totally the wrong word to use. I play poker to a fairly serious level and there is nothing worse you could call another player than a cheat. I suspect this is the case in almost all competitive sports/games. In poker, if someone becomes known as a cheat they are shunned, banned from playing in games, their reputations are ruined and no one wants to be involved with them.

Maybe my enmity towards the word "cheat" is just from my poker background, I don't know. But even knowing that I don't think it is going to stop me getting annoyed when high quality, clean, honourable rugby players (yes, from any country) are routinely described as cheats. That, to me, is disgusting.

It's true - he does "cheat". For me though, it's all about whether or not the Referee's perceive it to be cheating. If they don't call it then he's not "cheating" but technically he's liable to be penalised into the record books. Poker and Rugby have big differences, but the major thing is that there is a Referee in Rugby and not soo much in Poker. Players in Rugby not only have to defer to the Rules of the Game but the Refereeing interpretations of it.

Poker is reliant on the players being at the very least honest with their hands in order to play.

Ultimately Richie is a cheat in the sense that he consistently breaks the rules (or as said frequently said: pushing the boundaries to the letter of the law) but that will always depends on the Refereeing, and if anything - that's become his most gifted ability being able to play the Referee. Perception is the big thing tho.

He's not cheating for me when he's playing for the AB's BUT when he's playing for the Crusaders/Canterbury I can't stand the bugger and hope he gets a good ole rucking.

 

[nickdnz]

I can't see him as a cheat. There isn't a player on the field who doesn't cheat to a certain extent, whether it is a backline that pushes the offline mark with a rush defense, or a prop whom intentionally bores in or collapses when losing. Every single player cheats to an extent, inentionally or otherwise. It's just a shame that Richie McCaw gets targeted so much for it. As an openside flanker, of course he slows down opposition ball, every openside who does his job well will. It's up to the referee to decide whether what he is doing is with in the rules of the game and what isn't, and Richie McCaw has a very good understanding of the rules of the game and a quick grasp of what the referee interprets as offside. Sooner or later Pocock and Brussow will be labeled cheats, simply because their teams will be successful and they'll be the easiest person to complain about (already has happened with Pocock in the QF).

 

[Mr.cyclopede]

A bit of a good work of analysis:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXCQnL421WM