1
'They got away with it' - Ackerman makes accusation of 'illegal' scrummaging
By Online Editors
Gloucester head coach Johan Ackerman accused Montpellier of illegal scrummaging after his team were beaten 30-27 in a thrilling European Champions Cup clash at Altrad Stadium.
The Cherry and Whites played the last 24 minutes with a man advantage after Montpellier lock Jacques du Plessis was sent off for a swinging arm on Gerbrandt Grobler.
It allowed Gloucester to come right back into the equation with second-half tries from Matt Banahan and Joe Simpson – but it was not enough for victory.
Ackermann felt Montpellier’s scrum – which was dominant throughout – was based around illegal technique used by tighthead prop Levan Chilachava.
“In the scrums there was a grey area and I felt there was a lot of illegal stuff from Montpellier which was obviously missed. They got away with it,” he said.
“I felt their tighthead was angling in. From where we sat he was never straight. If he’s always angling in, then obviously the scrum is going to look dominant there and it’s a pity it wasn’t taken in by the officials.
“We tried to fix it and it got better in the second half, but the reality is they got away with things in the first half. It’s not going to change the result.”
Montpellier won 10 of their 11 scrums and their giant pack ultimately laid the platform for a narrow win.
First-half tries from Jan Serfontein, Caleb Timu and Nemani Nadolo put the hosts 24-10 up at the break with Callum Braley responsible for Gloucester’s effort.
Du Plessis’ red card gave Gloucester priceless momentum and Banahan and Simpson crossed as Billy Twelvetrees kicked two conversions and two penalties.
Ultimately it was still not enough for a win and Ackermann said he had no regrets about fielding a weakened side despite his team coming so close to victory.
“The changes were thoroughly thought through. We selected a team we thought would be enough to win,” Ackermann said.
“We let ourselves down on execution, but it definitely wasn’t down to a lack of effort. The players are disappointed, but the one thing I saw was unity on the field.”
Back-to-back defeats mean Gloucester are bottom of Pool Five and Ackermann said: “It will be tough to qualify.
“We’ll probably have to win all four games now and that’s without looking at the other results. The club is proud to be part of this world-class competition and we’re not happy we’ve lost.”
Du Plessis’ dismissal almost cost Montpellier the game but 15 points from the boot of Benoit Paillaugue ultimately proved crucial.
Wing Nadolo said: “It was a tough game. Gloucester bring that English style of play and they’re a very structured side.
“They ran us off our feet at the end and I was fortunate to get a try and probably a bit unlucky not to get another one. We stuck in there and came away with the win.
“The red card could have been a turning point had we not worked a bit harder. It was disappointing obviously, but I thought we held our own. It was pretty tough out there.”
Trending on RugbyPass
2
South Africa vs England player ratings | 2024 Autumn Nations Series
3
Ireland player ratings vs Argentina | 2024 Autumn Nations Series
4
Jake White: As England coach, I’d have been livid
5
Latest Comments
We beat Wales. Oh wow.
Go to commentsAs has been the way all year, and for all England's play I can remember. I missed a lot of the better years under Eddie though.
Lets have a look at the LQB for the last few games... 41% under 3 sec compared to 56% last week, 47% in the game you felt England best in against NZ, and 56 against Ireland.
That was my impression as well. Dunno if that is a lack of good counterattack ball from the D, forward dominance (Post Contact Meters stats reversed yesterday compared to that fast Ireland game), or some Borthwick scheme, but I think that has been highlighted as Englands best point of difference this year with their attack, more particularly how they target using it in certain areas. So depending on how you look at it, not necessarily the individual players.
You seem to be falling into the same trap as NZs supporters when it comes to Damien McKenzie. That play you highlight Slade in wasn't one of those LQB situations from memory, that was all on the brilliance of Smith. Sure, Slade did his job in that situation, but Smith far exceeded his (though I understand it was a move Sleightholme was calling for). But yeah, it's not always going to be on a platter from your 10 and NZ have been missing that Slade line, in your example, more often than not too. When you go back to Furbank and Feyi-Waboso returns you'll have that threat again. Just need to generate that ball, wait for some of these next Gen forwards to come through etc, the props and injured 6 coming back to the bench. I don't think you can put Earl back to 7, unless he spends the next two years speeding up (which might be good for him because he's getting beat by speed like he's not used to not having his own speed to react anymore).
Go to comments