McKenzie pleads with Lawrence
Fri, 30 May 2008 16:59
Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie has called on South African referee Mark Lawrence to control the line-outs more strictly in Saturday's Super 14 Final against the Crusaders to avoid a repeat of his team's unsuccessful 2005 title decider.
Still carrying the scars from their 2005 Final defeat at the hands of the Crusaders, McKenzie urged experienced referee Mark Lawrence to properly police the opposition line-out - unlike fellow South African Jonathan Kaplan three years ago in Christchurch.
"We came with a pretty good line-out," McKenzie told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"One of our regrets was that there were probably six crooked throws called by the touchies. But we didn't get any action from the referee.
"To get the contest, the ball has to go down the middle. We are looking forward to having a contest. You have to get a result for your pressure there. We got the pressure [in 2005] but we didn't get the result on the crooked throws. A crooked throw is a turnover of possession. It can get you 40 metres up field.
"We know this game is about territory, and that it's about possession. The Crusaders have dominated their run in recent weeks in both those areas of the game. So if you don't get a reward for your pressure then you don't get to play the other end of the field," added McKenzie.
The Waratahs' line-out is one of their most potent weapons, although it's opportunities have been limited in attack. During last week's semifinal against the Sharks, they had only two line-outs on their own throws.
However, the Waratahs' line-out has been damaging in defence and McKenzie, in his last game as 'Tahs coach, wants his charges to be able to reap as much as they can from the set-piece at the AMI Stadium.
"The obligation is on both teams to throw straight," said McKenzie.
"We have thrown crooked lines this year ourselves. So I am not saying that that is an issue. I am just looking for a contest in the line-out," pleaded McKenzie.
McKenzie said all he wanted from Lawrence - and referees in general - is "consistency, so whatever they are doing in the first minute they are doing in the last."
"Mark [Lawrence] is a pretty experienced campaigner," he said.
"We have had him plenty of times. Not this year, but we have had him plenty of times over the years. I am pretty confident he will be doing the same thing at the start as he will be doing at the end," added the coach.
