Ricky Stuart may go unpunished over his World Cup meltdown

RICKY Stuart could be spared the sack over his World Cup meltdown after the Australian Rugby League distanced itself from the affair, leaving it in the hands of an independent investigator acting under the World Cup's code of conduct.
ARL chairman Colin Love, acting in his role as head of the international body and World Cup tournament director, appointed Sydney lawyer Rob Webber SC to conduct the investigation into the damning claims made against Stuart.
The investigation and subsequent sanctions will be carried out under the World Cup Organising Committee's code of conduct, heightening the chances Stuart's heated clash with English whistleblower Ashley Klein and head of referees Stuart Cummings will result in only a fine.
Under rule 7.5 of the code of conduct, coaches are forbidden from approaching, questioning or harassing match officials before, during or after matches. The penalties for breaches include reprimands, fines or expulsion from the tournament. Given the tournament is over, a fine shapes as the only realistic punishment.
However, the rules also state the fine would be paid by the country of the official involved, raising the possibility Stuart will not face any sanction and the fine would be levied against the ARL.
Thus Stuart could walk away without being punished in the latest twist in a bizarre postscript to the World Cup.
Stuart, who was ropable after his side's defeat, is alleged to have called Klein a cheat and clashed physically with Cummings after bumping into the pair in the lobby of the Holiday Inn hotel in Brisbane on Sunday morning.
Should the Kangaroos be fined by the organising committee, ARL chief executive Geoff Carr said his organisation had the option to take further action against Stuart.
"There will be a decision made on penalty, guilt or innocence by the World Cup organising committee," Carr said.
"If after that there is something strange that has happened, the ARL has the opportunity to look at it."
Privately, some board members are uncomfortable with the notion of Stuart retaining his position if the allegations against him are confirmed. The next ARL board meeting is scheduled for early December, by which time the investigation into Stuart should be complete and his tenure will be discussed.
The other concern for the ARL is that it would leave itself open to accusations of double standards if Stuart were retained. His predecessor, Wayne Bennett, was ushered out the door after losing the Tri-Nations final and avoiding the waiting media at Brisbane airport on his return from England three years ago.
Earlier this year when NSW assistant coach Steve Roach labelled referee Tony Archer a cheat following the Blues' loss in the third and deciding State of Origin game, Love made it clear similar offences from any official would be met with harsh punishment. He also said the ARL would make every effort to protect the integrity of referees.
Stuart's latest actions have done much damage to the profession. Cummings has already supplied his version of events to World Cup officials but may be called upon to provide further evidence to Webber.
World Cup referees' boss Mick Stone is also expected to provide evidence given he was a witness to the altercation.
"I was there but I was behind Ricky and I didn't hear what he said," Stone said.
Asked what he saw, Stone replied: "I can't tell you. It is subject to an investigation."
Stuart has crossed swords with referees on previous occasions during his coaching career, most notably three years ago when, as Sydney Roosters coach, he savaged former whistleblower Tim Mander in his newspaper column.
So vicious was the attack, the Australian Rugby League Referees Association sent a letter to several publications warning of the damage his comments caused.
In the letter, Stuart was told his criticism of Mander had done "inestimable" damage at grass roots level.
"They referee because they love the game and do it for the kids who play and watch at their local grounds, a concept that Mr Stuart and others obviously don't understand," the letter said.
"We suggest he leaves referees alone and gets on with it."
Stuart is yet to comment on the issue and did not take calls.

Source The Australian

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AUSTRALIA vs NEW ZEALAND 2008 RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP FINAL

KIWIS SHOCK THE WORLD

New Zealand 34 - 20 Australia
Smith, Hohaia (2), Marshall, Ropati, Blair, Goals: Marshall (2), Luke (3),
Lockyer (2), Inglis, Williams, Goals: Thurston

New Zealand lifted the World Cup for the first time after a stunning 34-20 win over reigning champions Australia in Brisbane.

The Kiwis battled back from an early 10-0 deficit to produce one of the biggest upsets in rugby league history in front of a 50,550 crowd at Suncorp Stadium.
The victory ends an eight-match losing run at the hands of their trans-Tasman rivals which stretched back to their famous 24-0 Tri-Nations Series triumph back in 2005.

While New Zealand celebrated at the final hooter, Australia were left to wonder just where things had gone wrong.

Overthrown

Red-hot favourites to retain the trophy, they were overthrown as world champions for the first time since 1972, falling at the last in their bid to be crowned winners for a magnificent seven times in a row.
Their cause was not helped by the controversial award of a penalty try by English referee Steve Ganson in the second half which put the Kiwis 28-22 up.

However, the decision mattered little in the final reckoning as Adam Blair's late score sealed a deserved result for the New Zealanders, their fourth try of a one-sided second half that ended up 22-4 in their favour.
Such an outcome seemed no more than pie in the sky before kick-off with Australia expected to continue their dominance of the rest that had begun with a 30-6 victory over their final opponents in the pool stages.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan for coach Ricky Stuart and his troops when the deadlock was broken by their skipper, Darren Lockyer.
The try was created by a Billy Slater break and the recently crowned international player of the year then set up David Williams for a second with a perfect pass that sent the winger scampering down the right wing untouched.
At that stage Australia were in command and the failure of Lockyer to ground the ball as he dived onto a grubber kick seemed to be of little consequence.
The tide began to turn, though, when on a third successive set of six Jeremy Smith burst through the defensive line to get New Zealand's opening try.
Jerome Ropati followed suit three minutes later following a fortunate bounce in the Kiwis' favour, although when Lockyer finished off a flowing move to score the try of the tournament, normal service seemed to have been resumed.
Dominated
New Zealand, though, refused to stick to the script. Down 16-12 at the interval, they dominated the opening minutes after the re-start and were rewarded when Lance Hohaia somehow burrowed his way over from close range.
Their next score came courtesy of a gift from Slater, who having been the hero in the first half suddenly turned into the pantomime villain.
Desperate to keep the ball alive before he went into touch, the full-back lobbed the ball backwards hoping a team-mate would be there. Instead it was Benji Marshall, who accepted the early Xmas present and trotted over.

Greg Inglis raised hopes of an Aussie comeback when he crossed in the left corner but once Ganson decided Joel Monaghan's clothesline that ended Hohaia's pursuit of a grubber kick should be punished with a four-pointer, the Kiwis' name seemed to be on the cup.
Blair put the icing on the cake when he pounced on a loose ball, sealing New Zealand's first success in Brisbane since 1987 and perhaps forcing the engraver to scratch off the name of 'Australia' off the trophy that so many believed had been on it from day one of the competition.