rossie wrote: .
I've highlighted this issue before. the appointment of officials for this league seriously damages the competitions integrity. There simply must be neutral officials appointed for all games. At the very least the ref, tmo and stand in ref/ touch judge must be from a neutral union. This and the Italian problem are the biggest threat to this leagues future.

The nub of the matter, the setup is a complete jokeshop for a professional league!

Must say usually the morning after a bad result you put it behind you and move on but this is the most sickened I've been after a match in a long time, partially due to the officials but mainly due to our own stupidity.

Few small points:

Hodges is hopeless but was giving us a comical try in the first half where O'Halloran clearly impeded the Cardiff player in the air before dotting down about 5 yards away from him until the ref went upstairs.

We should have had a minimum 14 point lead at half time. If we'd taken the scrum from the free kick we'd have scored of that I'm sure.
On another occasion we were stretching them and Ronaldson kicked through poorly.

I honestly think any of the Top 5 would have a bonus point secured by half time against that Cardiff side. There sounded like no atmosphere there. Usually its hostile there and they get behind their team but they know their rugby and they know its a poor Cardiff side.

After any big score I have ever seen Connacht get we balls up the restart. 3 soft points in the first half and the cock up from the restart in the 2nd half gave Cardiff the field position. Really think one of the backs should have fielded that and cleared the lines up to half way.

Kicking the ball away at the end was unforgivable unless there was open country to put it into which their clearly wasn't. This was before the officials had a chance to intervene. We should have ran the clock down from there. Still I don't think there was any threat if a number of our players didn't needlessly shoot up in the line allowing them in behind us. If you come up that far you have to win it. I was screaming for us to hold our line across the pitch and they were going nowhere but lads bolting out of the line let them into the 22 and from there minus a man and with the officials doing all they could to keep the move alive a try was inevitable.

Even after that, it was careless to let him in as close to the posts as we did. Another 4 or 5 yards out could have been the difference.

Bealham coming on didn't help the scrum. I'd have left Buckley on and brought on Ronan Loughney at tight head to get a bit of stability back.

I don't know did John Muldoon ask the ref to go upstairs after the final try but there is no way someone like Leo Cullen would have let the ref away without going upstairs. We had a try against Toulouse last year disallowed going back 3/4 of the pitch

Referee was a disgrace. His touch judges worse. Made the point on another forum if you listen to the commentary throughout he keeps calling tackler release when the tackler has rolled away 3 seconds previously. Completely out of his depth as a referee and Hodges is a calamity as an official. He absolutely done us out of that game.

However it can't be allowed hide the errors. Why Craig decided to kick the ball down the pitch with the clock at 78 mins 35 seconds is beyond me. Silly knock ons when in the red zone. Scrummaging yet again not good enough. Muldoon running into Bealham was Beadle's About material.

Thought Muldowney and Healy were outstanding. Poolman not far behind. Heenan and George really stepped up as well.

We are our own worst enemies. I've no hair left and I'm developing a penchant for Johnny Walker's from watching Connacht. I'm literally heartbroken after that. A win last night and if Leinster won today we'd be in a hell of a position.

But now we've to do it against the odds. Robbie is near enough a world class rugby player and I'd be hoping he brings some of that when he comes back. Because we're going to need it. We'll have to turn over Glasgow at home. Cant see it myself but I suppose we'll have to dream

I think every reasonable person accepts that the comment made before edinburgh was a very inappropriate attempt at humour by hodges.
We can only speculate as to what impact connachts stewards and then connacht rugby's complaints against him have had on his attitude to the team.
I missed the incident that lam refers to as it was bedtime in my house but he did award connacht a try early in the game which the ref gave only to have his mind changed, presumably by tmo. If that had stood, and tmo was correct, connacht would have won and hodges could be clearly heard saying that it was okay and it's a try.
The ref clearly lost the plot in the closing minutes and it cost the game. He has to trust his own judgement and he didn't. If he does hodges can call what he wants and it makes no difference.
I've highlighted this issue before. the appointment of officials for this league seriously damages the competitions integrity. There simply must be neutral officials appointed for all games. At the very least the ref, tmo and stand in ref/ touch judge must be from a neutral union. This and the Italian problem are the biggest threat to this leagues future.

First off all, we should never have been in the scenario where we were defending only a 6 point lead.. Dominated their scrum and the possession in first half. The score? 3-10 at half time.. Was always going to cost us. So many unforced knock ons.
Also, as Mary said, Muldoon running into Finlay after Aly's try was criminal.. He had a cracking game but he is going to be having nightmares about Cardiff after this season.. When looking at all these, we have ourselves to blame..

However, we need to talk about Mr. Hodges..
Lam's two examples in his interview with Rob Murphy were spot on - twice that game should have been called up. There was also a forward pass and a knock on in that passage of play. Have a look on twitter, even the Cardiff fans are saying there was..
There was another incident before aswell that where Bealham won the ball- play was stopped and went up to TMO to see a hit on Masterson at a ruck. Arguable we should have got a penalty for that, but not given, could live with that, but then play went back and a scrum was given to Cardiff?

Funny, cause around midway through second half we were talking in the Dail how the ref was having a good game..

I was in the south terrace right near the play at the end. Celebrated the win twice just for the ref & Hodges to ruin my party. Longest trip home in a long time. Complete silence almost all the way. Still sick this morning.

Someone mentioned Heenan above - he looked pretty depressed when he came off. Pretty worried about that one.

Complain about the ref all we want though. We should have scored more in the first half when we were dominating. That very well might have cost us 6th spot

So Hodges has deliberately cost us the game through bias. This is the second time this has happened this season according to Pat. And now he's due to ref our Munster game. We should refuse him as Ref. Simple as. Having said all that, we were authors of our own demise last night. Failure to build up an adequate lead against a woeful Cardiff team in the first half, and Muldoon'e schoolboy error from the kick off following Muldowney's try cost us.

Accidentally Onside wrote:

AJ6000 wrote: We've been absolutely done in by the ref here. Muldoon comes straight through the middle of the ruck and picks it up yet it's a penalty. Worst decision I've ever seen in a rugby match.

And the reason it was loose was that Cuthbert had knocked it on....I hate blaming refs but it's very hard not to this time

Indeed double whammy Cardiff prop clearing out knocked the ball out of Cuthberts grasp, it went forwards and to side of ruck so McCartney was free to play it or Connacht should have got scrum. what did Hodges see to insist on Penalty....

Strong stuff in post match press conference from Pat Lam - Craggy Island Rugby

The morning after and I still don't believe what I saw happening. Disaster of a performance from Hodges. Should not be allowed near an u12s game never mind a senior one.

Leighton Hodges should not be allowed within 100 yards of a rugby pitch. He is a disgrace. And don't even start me on the ref tonight. He only reffed one team in the second half. Despite them we could and should have been out of sight at half time. So many unforced errors....

From Irish Times updated at 23.19 : 'Connacht to make complaint about calls of touch judge Leighton Hodges'.

I'm as sick as a parrot. I knew we weren't getting enough scores when we had the chance in the first half.
A penalty drop goal anything would have helped. We had knock on advantage in the first half instead of taking a scrum we tried to play out of our 22. Stupid really with dominant scrum .
They could have scored earlier and we were defending too long but should have closed it out . Craig kicked the ball away on 78 minutes why ?
The ref wouldn't let us compete for the last 15.
Even at the end why didn't Carty push out the try scorer instead of letting him under the post .
Sorry , totally sick

absolutley sickened but in a perverse way i enjoyed every moment of it, such a journey this season has been so far. way better than any other year since i started following connacht 17 years ago. i let other people judge the performances as i just don't have the heart to criticise the players. i gave up the cigs 6 months ago and i nearly succumbed this evening. i hope to christ heenan has'nt suffered a recurrence of the same injury

A total heartbreaker. I need a stiff drink.

Want to rant about so many things....... But just can't find the words !!!!! Arrrrrgggghhhhh (I know that's not a word)