Former Test referee Nigel Owens has dissected two crucial decisions that went the Springboks’ way in their series-clinching win against the All Blacks in Baltimore.
The world champions claimed a 43-28 victory at M&T Bank Stadium, but there were two big calls in the second half that could have significantly altered the contest.
The first came with the Boks leading 29-14, when All Blacks scrumhalf Cam Roigard burst away from a ruck down the right touchline and kicked ahead, only to be tackled without the ball by Bok scrumhalf Morné van den Berg.
With flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu coming across in cover, it initially appeared New Zealand could receive a penalty, with Van den Berg yellow-carded, before the officials went back to the ruck and penalised Roigard for offside.
Chatting to former Wales centre Jamie Roberts on Whistle Watch, Owens first considered what the outcome would have been had Roigard not been offside.
“He’s never in possession of the ball. He kicks and chases,” Owens said.
“If he had possession of the ball and he lets the ball go to kick it, and then the player was already in the process of committing to tackling him, it would be play on. But here he was never in possession of the ball, so you cannot take him out.
“So you have a penalty here. Then what they would look at is, if it wasn’t for that action, would he probably have scored? The South Africa 10 is chasing inside, so there’s cover there. So it’s never a penalty try.”
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However, Owens explained why the officials were right to instead penalise Roigard for an earlier infringement.
“The New Zealand nine is in an offside position when he plays that ball [at the ruck].
“Because he’s not part of that ruck, to then play the South African player who’s picked the ball up after the counter, he has to be behind the hindmost foot.
“What’s relevant is that he is not behind the hindmost foot. He’s offside and then, in an offside position, he plays the ball.
“So the first offence is him being offside. Everything else that happens after that now becomes irrelevant.”
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The second major decision came at an even more crucial stage, with the Boks leading 29-21.
All Blacks wing Josh Moorby lost possession while being tackled by Bok replacement loose forward Cameron Hanekom, allowing winger Kurt-Lee Arendse to scoop up the loose ball and race 65m for a try that restored the Boks’ 15-point cushion.
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The officials reviewed whether Hanekom had tackled Moorby before he received the pass, but allowed the try to stand.
“When I saw this, I thought, ‘He’s just got the ball in his possession when he’s actually tackled.’ It’s really, really tight,” said Owens.
“So again, basing it on clear and obvious, if I was refereeing that game, that would not have been clear and obvious for me and I would have probably played on.
“Again, the downside of technology is when you put technology in and everybody’s looking at slowing it down, then there becomes an argument: ‘Do you know what? I think he is early.’
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“If you felt it was early, it’s a penalty. If you felt, no, it was pretty much instantaneous as it was happening, not clear and obvious, not early for me, then you play on.
“I think they’ve got it right here. I don’t think it’s certainly clear and obvious, so you can’t really argue with that decision.
“I would say, basing it on clear and obvious, you play on.”
The post Nigel rules on big Baltimore calls appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Former Test referee Nigel Owens has dissected two crucial decisions that went the Springboks’ way in their series-clinching win against the All Blacks in Baltimore.
The post Nigel rules on big Baltimore calls appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
