Round 14

[collace]

I can totally see how the situation was handled poorly but I can't see how one can call that a try. Orie hitting the player's hand still translates to that player losing control of the ball in the act of scoring surely. At least as far as I understand the rules or from what I have come to expect from seeing similar things happen in a rugby game and how it was handled on the pitch. Would be interesting to hear Hennings reasoning. Maybe Orie was offside?

Okay. After reading the piece I see Tappe is saying the process is wrong from a technical standpoint. I can get behind that. The TMO certainly was driving the process and volunteered the ruling as opposed to the referee taking charge. Still don't think in essence it is a try but certainly can't argue that the ref didn't call it a try and that the TMO overstepped his mandate from there on out.

Don't want to be seen to be harping on about it – we've all had decisions go against us and time to move on. I only posted the link as it's not often the head of referees will come out publicly against a TMO post-match. Also agree that SA have been shafted in games in Europe so don't want this to come across as sour grapes.

My view on it is that the Stormers player dislodged the ball – whether through contact with the ball or hand – and (from an Ulster point of view) the ball travelled backwards. If the ball has travelled backwards then once the Ulster player lands on it it's a grounding. I can see other interpretations but can't see how it's deemed to have gone forwards from the Ulster player. What I don't think is in any doubt is that the TMO had his mind made up from the beginning and was determined to stick that decision through despite the concerns of the ref.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

It's just a horribly confusing rare situation at a critical juncture. My position is clearly wrong if the head of refs says action is being taken against the TMO. But he also says the on field decision being a try is critical. So if the on field was 'no try' that would have presumably stuck also (nobody asked that key question in the video)?

I suppose I'm saying I'd be cutting the TMO some slack as they may have, wrongly but genuinely, thought there was a clear no-try. It does seem strange after all these years that the ref vs TMO authority is so damn variable from game to game.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

It comes down to the call the ref made in awarding the try and the TMO overstepping his bounds from there, yes. A technicality sure but things can get out of hand if you allow a TMO- and one with a clear agenda at that-to start cherry picking and putting pressure on the ref so I fully understand the stance of Tappe Henning.