Conflicting views surround‘ warning’ to All Black lock

Press, 23 October 1980, Page 30

Conflicting views surround‘ warning’ to All Black lock

From

KEVIN McMENAMIN

Was Graeme Higginson ordered off or wasn't he? Fifteen hours after the sensational end to the All Blacks match against Llanelli at Stradey Park early yesterday morning this question still begs a satisfactory answer, and very likely always will. The first word, and possibly the last, belongs to the Scottish referee, Mr Alan Hosie, who was adamant that he no more than warned the tall Canterbury lock that if he offended again — and trampling was the offence in question — then he would be sent off. But few spectators among the 22,000 at the ground, plus the majority of the players, were in much doubt that Mr Hosie’s extended arm towards the dressing rooms was coupled with a firm dismissal notice.

There were other reasons for thinking this way, most notably the reactions of the two captains, Graham Mourie (New Zealand) and Ray Gravell, who along with two of Llanelli’s senior □layers, Phil Bennett and Derek Quinnell, were clearly convinced of Mr Hosie’s intent and argued forcibly with him to let Higginson stay. Later, this remarkable discussion, Higginson being the only one contributing nothing, was put down to a “misunderstanding”. The public was asked to believe that five grown men, all speaking English (if in varying accents) could not in the course of a debate lasting nearly two minutes (although it seemed longer) sort out what just one of them was saying. Finally Mr Hosie took a step which was no less astonishing. With a strange

twirl of his right arm he ended the game which, while into injury’ time, had at least two or three minutes to run on most watches, even allowing for debating time which Mr Hosie later said he counted as playing time. When interviewed after the match Mr Hosie said that time was up on his watch though it is questionable whether in the confusion of the last few minutes he actually looked at it.

In respect to the supposed ordering off Mr Hosie said that if he ordered someone off then he would do it straight away and would not engage in long discussions. He added that pointed to the dressing rooms was part of his warning style. In explaining how he got into conversation with Mourie, Mr Hosie said he had called the All Black captain over as a courtesy to let him know that he had given Higginson a warning, the first warning, so he said, of the match. “The only mistake I made was in not giving Llanelli a penalty,” said Mr Hosie, a penalty which if it had been awarded would have required that the game be restarted.

There are a number of other grey areas. The warning- of “one more time and you’re off* carried little weight with only minutes left on the dock and furthermore it is doubtful if Mr Hosie' actually saw the incident, which was, in truth, a very minor offence. He only seemed to be put in an ordering-off frame of mind after consulting with one of the touch judges, Mr lan Ingils, who raised his flag after seeing, from a much better vantage point, Higginson’s stomp with one foot on a tangle of legs. In all probability the

only leg Higginson might have come in contact with was one belonging to his fellow All Black forward, John Spiers. The penalty would have far outweighed the crime if Higginson had in fact been sent Off. Back in New Zealand his action would probably have passed for nicking, especially if he had the ball in sight.

But the matter seems certain to hold interest for some time and the affair may come to be ranking ; as the almost inevitable incident that occurs on All Black visits to Wales. However, the only real point of issue is whether Mr Hosie wtis persuaded to change his mind and then end the game prematurely to coyer his tracks. Neither Mourie nor Gravell is able, or willing, to shed much further light. Mourie simply says he misunderstood Mr Hosie and Gravell takes the same view, adding that there was so much -noise from the crowd that •, “you could hardly hear yourself think.” Gravell certainly harbours no ill feelings. “It was a marvellous game and as far as I’m concerned there was a happy ending. Our boys have no complaints at all,” he said.

So there the matter rests. Could it be that rugby now has a “Stradeygate”? Yet if there was some sort of conspiracy it has done no great harm and may even have served the interests of justice.

Some good may well come out of the whole affair. Stomping on players — and there have been cases far worse than Higginson’s — is something that the All Blacks could well eradicate from their play and the team’s manager, Mr Ray Harper, made a promise after the match that he would take steps to see that it was.