Former Test referee Nigel Owens believes the Springboks should have been penalised in the run-up to Evan Roos’ try against Scotland at Loftus.
The incident in question, which has gone viral on social media, came moments after Embrose Papier’s opening try had given the Boks a 7-0 lead.
From the restart, Cobus Wiese cleanly claimed the ball after being lifted by Boan Venter. Instead of immediately bringing him back to ground, Venter carried Wiese forward while he remained in the air.
With World Rugby laws preventing players from tackling either the airborne player or those supporting him, Scotland’s defenders backed off.
Once Wiese returned to ground, he broke through the defensive line before offloading to Paul de Villiers. The Springboks built through several phases before Roos crossed to extend the lead to 14-0.
Cobus Wiese. Paul de Villiers 2 hands. Roos Try. pic.twitter.com/TS2O369RBb
— DummySwitchPod (@DummySwitchPod) July 16, 2026
Speaking on World Rugby’s Whistle Watch, Owens said the incident should have resulted in a Scotland penalty rather than a Springbok try.
“Obstruction tends to happen if you’re in front of a ball-carrier, your own teammate, and preventing an opposition player getting at it,” Owens said.
“This is not obstruction but what this is, is a player in the air with a ball, you cannot touch him and you can’t touch the guys who’s supporting him in the air.
“Even though technically this is not obstruction, it is an action that prevents the defence from defending this because the player with the ball is in the air and being carried forward.”
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Owens explained that lifting a player to contest the restart is legal, but only if he is brought straight back down.
“When he lifts him up momentarily to catch the ball and bring him straight down, that’s allowed and there’s no offence taken place,” he said.
“While that is happening, you have to let the player come back down – that’s all perfectly legal – but once you hold him up there, or you start moving forward, the trigger should be, are you now preventing a defender from defending that?
“If the answer is yes, then that action is not allowed.”
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Owens pointed to the reaction of the Scottish defenders as evidence that they felt unable to legally challenge Wiese.
“One of them sort of goes, ‘I don’t want to touch him and give a penalty away’, and that should be the trigger for you to go that this act is now illegal because you’re preventing a player from wilfully defending this situation,” he said.
“I would say in this instance here the Scottish player is going, ‘I can’t defend this’, and therefore that should have been a penalty.”
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The post Nigel shoots down Bok lift-off appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Former Test referee Nigel Owens believes the Springboks should have been penalised in the run-up to Evan Roos’ try against Scotland at Loftus.
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