It will surely have been the loneliest, longest few minutes in the young outhalf’s life.
As Sam Prendergast sat in the sinbin, correctly sent there by referee Hollie Davidson, he will have feared the very worst – that his very first start was about to come to a shuddering, calamitous halt. And, if it had, he couldn’t have complained one jot. I, for one, was expecting the upgrade to red. His action bore a striking resemblance to a certain English outhalf’s previous technique.
Some people consider that staying at yellow was correct, a sentiment possibly born of relief more than anything. Let’s look at the incident the other way around – if it had been the felled Fijian, Kitione Salawa, who had downed Prendergast in similar fashion, it’s easy to imagine that the red would have been produced.
Before the match there was concern that the outhalf would be the subject of some special attention, but nobody thought for a moment that he would be the one doling it out. At a time when Ireland are tackling hard but legally, Andy Farrell is bound to have a word. That apart, Prendergast demonstrated the elusive near-total composure that is a necessity in all top-class 10s. With a careful selection policy Ireland are now in danger of having two very capable outhalfs when, not so long ago, it looked like there were none.
I would have hoped that Davidson had a stronger team of officials to support her, with experienced Englishman Matt Carley being there in case of injury to the ref. The rest were Scottish colleagues, none of whom have had elite officiating careers. Andrew McMenemy was manning the bunker, with Mike Adamson as TMO. The latter has recently been omitted from Tier 1 international refereeing selections, maybe he’ll be better suited to this role. Time will tell, good TMOs are sorely needed.
I was optimistic that this match could be a stepping stone to a Six Nations appointment for Davidson, but now I’m not so sure that it’s such a good, immediate idea. She is only 32, and another year, including some tough European matches, can only stand her in good stead. More experience at the sharp end can only be positive.
Fiji conceded all of 17 penalties and two yellows, and, in my view, the referee didn’t achieve a change in player behaviour, or establish a working relationship with the Fijian captain, Waisea Nayacalevu. Davidson did many things well, and does not seek to be centre stage, which is very positive. But a cutting edge to her approach is needed, particularly in terms of communication.
As expected, the Fijian tackling was bone-crunching, several being either early or late. Both props, in particular, put themselves about. When Ciarán Frawley was tackled late by Eroni Mawi, the Fijian had already received a yellow, albeit a harsh one. Mysteriously, this one was not formally reviewed, a second yellow would have been justified, resulting in red. Then Luke Tagi escaped with only a penalty when he was also late into Craig Casey.
Closing time was fast approaching when Rónan Kelleher plunged over for Ireland’s eighth try, and an in-goal brawl followed, kicked off by Fijian frustration, with Ireland very quick to respond. Just before the touchdown Joe McCarthy had risked being penalised for a needless, meaningless jersey-tug on a defender. The second week in a row that Ireland foolishly obstructed just as they scored.
There have been reports of unacceptable social media posts aimed at Davidson after the match. It is of the utmost importance that these are unequivocally condemned, which I now do here. I am sure we will hear a strongly worded statement from World Rugby in due course.
Ireland’s Chris Busby was in charge of Scotland against Australia at a raucous Murrayfield, a very important day at the office for him. He came through it well, a deserved first Six Nations match must now surely beckon. There was quite a bit of niggle early on, accompanied by some unacceptable sledging. It would have been good to see the referee stamp it out immediately, with appropriate words to the captains.
Busby is not alone in allowing the backs to advance too early after a lineout. They must hold their position 10m back until the lineout maul has moved through the line of touch, a small movement is not enough. Space is a premium rugby commodity, so this law must be applied properly to protect it.
Players are allowed to advance in anticipation of a long throw, but they must start from 10m back; Scotland’s first try probably just about complied with the law. It was scored against the land of his fathers by the Australian-born Scottish captain, Sione Tuipulotu.
Of course, Joe Schmidt will run a slide rule over Busby’s performance, but no blame whatsoever attaches to the referee. The coach is a realist and will be annoyed at his team’s porous defence, coupled with some poor options in attack. After a long month, Schmidt must lift his team again before Saturday. Some of the squad may well be, in their heads, already on the plane home.
The match will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the IRFU, and a definitely achievable win for the home team will be a priority. Schmidt was hugely popular during his very successful time in Ireland, but we can be certain that, right now, he has only two things on his mind. To avoid another Murrayfield, and to spoil the party.
