Governing body Sanzar has confirmed that Television Match Official Deon van Blommenstein made a critical error in awarding Cobus Reinach his try during the Cell C Sharks’ 31 / 16 win over the Vodacom Bulls in their Vodacom Super Rugby match in Durban on the weekend.
Sanzar referees boss Lyndon Bray confirmed the try – which led to repeated replays – should not have been awarded as the ball was knocked-on by Sharks lock Anton Bresler.
SuperSport
Bray didn’t agree with Van Blommenstein’s assessment that Sharks lock Anton Bresler had not played his Bulls counterpart Paul Willemse in the air, as many – including the SuperSport commentators – believed he had. As the knock on had come first, that should have been the decision and if not, a penalty because of the infringement in the air. The try should never have been awarded.
The decision could turn out to be crucial in the long run as the Sharks scored their fourth try shortly before the end of the game to get a bonus point. That bonus point could play a major role in the outcome of the South African conference at the end of the tournament.
“We unfortunately got the TMO decision wrong. The Sharks forward did knock the ball forward out of the Bulls player’s hands. Also, there was consideration to the fact that the Sharks player obstructed the Bulls player in the air,” Bray said in reply to a question from supersport.com
“Deon has accepted that the right decision should have been a knock on and scrum to the Bulls.”
The decision would not have influenced the result, as the Sharks were clear winners on the night, but with Sanzar giving referees an instruction to “own” the decision by referring to the big screen, this situation should have been avoided. The TMO and referees are encouraged to have conversations so that their decisions are clearer to viewers who are listening over the broadcast stream.
Maybe we should start a “Name Them And Shame Them” column on the Match Officials in Super Rugby and all rugby in general.
They get away with too much… I think.
The LAWS remain too complicated and could be simplified such a lot without taking anything away from the game!
That said, Saturday’s double-miss by Deon van Blommenstein and Jaco Peyper after having the benefit of the TV reviews, was shocking.
I do not think any of the match officials were blatantly biased or even crooking… I just think things like this need to be sorted out in big games and competitions.
what makes it worse is there was a second knock on as well.
Cost the Bulls a bonus point. Also Sharks supporters wouldn’t be so arrogant this week.
Strangely enough they didn’t show any replays on the big screen at Kings Park so no one really knew if it had been knocked on or not. The TMO took forever to make a decision which made me think that maybe it wasn’t a try only to have the try awarded.
Only when I got home and watched the replay did I think, yep, the Sharks have got away with one here.
Pretty blatant too, don’t know how the TMO could have missed it.
The referees get confused.
Lately there has been a surge of instances. Where players tap the bal out of eachothers hands and the ref allows play to continue.
So they dont know if they should award a penalty, blow for the knock or let the game continue.
On field I suppose. the refs decision is final, but for a TMO to make this mistake when there was clearly doubt is shocking.
4 @ Loosehead:
How did it cost the Bulls a bonus point? We had 31 on the board. Subtract that and there is 24 points. Bulls were on 16. You only get a bonus point by losing by 7 or less not 8.
@ Puma:
Haha well it had a big impact on the game.
I guess most of us want them to take preventitive action that crap like this shouldnt happen.
then again shaun veldsman is still a tmo… so saru does not strike me as very pro active.
The only “big impact” that try made was in the minds of some Bulls supporters. It made no difference to the game. In fact I can argue that if we only scored 2 tries in the first half we would not have been so lacklustre in the second half, and could then have scored 2 tries in the second halve again.
If and buts just doesn’t cut it boys and girls(you know who you are ladies)
Ref should ask the TMO – try or no try – TMO probably only answered what he was asked to check
Loosehead wrote:
Ooh, that ship has sailed
@ Snoek:
your completely missing the point. it had an impact on the game obviously.
But more importantly. Last year these kind of stuff happened every second game and it was write obviously not a try.
quite*
And there just seems to be to much confusion. specially in awarding tries that have an element of doubt.
Puma wrote:
Ok, so not the bonus point bit. But you fcukers wouldn’t be so arrogant this week.
14 @ MacroBull:
I’d much rather the Referees and TMO’s err on the side of caution when asked to award or not award a try.
In other words I would rather they not award a try than award where there is serious doubt.
At least then one side is not “Penalised” by points on the board and the side who almost scored is still on that tryline somewhere, to make it count for real.
All well and good for Bray to admit the fault, as he had to do on numerous occasions during the last year or so.
The real question that he and his band of merry men need to answer is, “What is going to be done to prevent this ever increasing type of thing from happening?”
If every TV viewer watching on DSTV, and the analysts in the studio could see a) the knock, and b) the interference WTF is the TMO watching?
Too many cock up’s at crucial times by too many match officials Mr Bray.
Time to sort your shit out methinks!
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