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Sat 10 Feb 2018 | 06:53
Anscombe try disallowed by TMO as England edge Wales at Twickenham

18
Comments

England maintained their unbeaten start to this year's 6 Nations championship after edging out Wales 12-6 in a scrappy match at Twickenham.

There were only two tries in the match, both from winger Jonny May, to give the home side the advantage in a frenetic first half.

Wales responded with a Rhys Patchell penalty but could have been even closer had Gareth Anscombe not been denied a try late in the half.

Playing a penalty advantage, Patchell opted to chip over the top for his winger Steff Evans to chase, with England's Danny Care rushing back in defence.

Evans kneed the ball on into the in-goal area, leaving Anscombe and Anthony Watson to dispute matters. Full-back Anscombe appeared to touch down before Watson, but the Television Match Official ruled that Watson got his hands on the ball first.

That missed opportunity ultimately robbed Welsh fans of a grandstand finish as their side came up six points short of victory.

Opinions of the incident were tempered by both Man-of-the-Match Mike Brown and Wales captain Alun Wyn-Jones post-match.

Brown said: "You work hard and you get your luck. The TMO is there to make those calls."

Wyn-Jones added: "We don't know. Hindsight never won or lost a game so we can't dwell on it."

In summary

It was a typical arm-wrestle of a match, one we've come to expect between England and Wales of late. It had its tense moments but didn't feel as though a shock win for Warren Gatland's men was ever on the cards.

What ultimately foiled the Welsh challenge was not the TMO decision but a catalogue of handling errors, penalties and lack of composure in the key areas of the pitch.

England on the other hand, played the territorial game perfectly in tricky conditions. George Ford and Owen Farrell punished Wales in the second half, with Ford persistently pinning the opposition in their own half with pin-point kicking from hand.

A solitary penalty five minutes from time was the only score in the second period, but England had done all the hard work in the opening half.

Anscombe try disallowed by TMO

Full match highlights

credit: 6nationsrugby
note: some official videos geo-blocked outside of the UK and select regions 

Posted By: Stephen Brunsdon

18 Comments

  • reality
    4:19 PM 13/02/2018

    Are you actually joking? Back off his hand into his knee? So the ball was travelling forward at pace, but somehow it magically completely changed direction on contact with his fingers, and this change of direction is clearly visible in the milliseconds between it hitting his fingers and it hitting his knee? So even though all logic would suggest it's a knock-on, it's actually not?

    Just admit that it wasn't a try.

  • tphillipsstl
    3:07 PM 13/02/2018

    For all those saying it wasn't a try:
    https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/world-rugby-s-referees-chief-admits-wales-mistake-1.3390711

    Boom! Roasted!

  • tphillipsstl
    3:06 PM 13/02/2018

    that video shows that the ball went backward off his finger and then off the knee. Not a knock.

  • drg
    1:35 PM 12/02/2018

    I always find these try no try things interesting, but I wish all folk could act with some humility... Gatland going off has now been proved wrong by 45678's video link. But in the flip side, I head Eddie Jones borderline berating a new reporter for asking him about that incident... You know damn well, shoe on the other foot and he'd have been at the very least raising an eyebrow...

    He could have turned around and said, "yeh look, referees make the calls and we have to deal with them, I'm happy the call went our way" or something like that... Regardless of your views it was a bloody tight call, I still maintain the judgement on the grounding was incorrect, (based on various TMO decisions I've seen over the years), but obviously as seen it was technically a correct call overall..

  • oliver
    9:18 AM 12/02/2018

    I can really see England winning again this year.
    and that Farrell-Ford pairing will have a lot to do with it I think.

    Also, as much as I dislike Farrell, I have to say he's a tough bastard. He got hammered a few good times but got righ back up.

    as for the try-non try, I would have given it, but Gatland really should zip it now.....Undermining refs like that is bad for rugby in general.

  • breakaway
    12:56 AM 12/02/2018

    Law 21 (In-goal).
    The ball can be grounded in-goal:
    a. By holding it and touching the ground with it; or
    b. By pressing down on it with hand or hands, arm or arms, or the from of the body from waist to neck.

    So if you're holding the ball, there only has to be contact with the ground. No downward pressure needed.
    If you fall on a ball that's loose in the in-goal (as in this case), you need downward pressure.

    It might be difficult to adjudicate at times, but the basic law is pretty straightforward.
    As a neutral, in this case I think there's enough contact with a couple of fingers against the top side of the ball as it hits the ground, to call 'downward pressure'.

    The link given by 4567 strongly suggests a minuscule prior knock-on anyway, but we can't really blame anybody for missing that one.

    The other question is, why is it that so many well paid commentators still haven't grasped these laws after they've been in the book for several seasons? They regularly babble on about control and pressure in ways that show they have no idea what the law actually says.

  • drg
    12:32 AM 12/02/2018

    Fair enough then. At least that draws a line under the whole thing. Seems to me the 'grounding' was definitely going to be one of those agree to disagree topics amongst England and Wales fans and indeed neutrals all over...that seems to end it all..

  • reality
    7:20 PM 11/02/2018

    Your video has made all the posts on this topic - including mine - completely irrelevant. I hope you're happy!

  • 45678
    6:26 PM 11/02/2018

    https://rugbyonslaught.com/update-enhanced-footage-shows-anscombe-try-disallowed-anyway/

  • im1
    12:52 PM 11/02/2018

    I think Farrell got wrongly penalised for taking out Davies as he slipped on the ball when he went to play it. Like any situation, you can't play the man without the ball, so I don't think this was a case of the 9 being offered special protection. I think Garces thought Farrell just took out Davies without going for the ball, when it fact Farrell went for the ball with his foot, legitimately, and slipped into Davies.

  • the_osprey
    11:18 AM 11/02/2018

    I can't remember the incident exactly but this is a difficult one for players to get right - if the ball is out you can play the ball, and you can play the scrum half if the ball is in his hands, but if the ball is out you can't play the scrum half until he's actually got the ball (ie off the floor - if the ball is still on the floor the ref might penalise).

  • drg
    9:49 AM 11/02/2018

    Of course they don't, but as much as I'd love to see Cole make that effort, we DID actually see Anscombe make contact with the ball. Doesn't mean Wales would have won, but in many people's opinions, it's surprising it wasn't given as a try.

    I (and I'm sure many others) have seen fingertips scoring tries before, not entirely sure how this was different..

  • 45678
    9:44 AM 11/02/2018

    Agreed, the referee said the ball was out

  • reality
    9:13 AM 11/02/2018

    I actually thought it was a knock-on, although I can understand why other people say it's a try.

    I also thought the penalty and three points against Farrell for playing the scrumhalf was ridiculous.

  • drg
    11:20 PM 10/02/2018

    I thought it was quite an interesting match in the "what if's" camp...

    I know England was missing some key players, but IF Wales had 1/2p he'd have 99% got that penalty kick, followed by the IF that try was (imo non Welsh opinion) awarded, then we'd be looking at an entirely different scoreline... Of course no one knows the reactionary effect that could have on the England lads, no telling whether they'd have found an opportunity somewhere else.. but I certainly think this was a bloody close match and had the ability to be closer..

  • the_osprey
    10:36 PM 10/02/2018

    PS fair play to England. It was an incredibly tough match. Not a looker, but the conditions prevented that. I think Eddie Jones got to Patchell after all unfortunately - definitely had a mixed match. Hope that the rest of the tournament is played in better conditions as this match was a bit dour at times.

  • the_osprey
    10:32 PM 10/02/2018

    Difficulty is that the law uses technical non-everyday language - 'grounding' - without defining it. What does 'grounding' mean in any other context? If it means hand-ball-ground contact, this is a try. If it means something else, the TMO is right. The TMO said there was 'no clear grounding'. So it's anyone's guess. A try for me, but my opinion doesn't count!

  • drg
    10:02 PM 10/02/2018

    I see it as a try... I get this is down to an interpretation, those in white will think it's right, those in red will think it's a bad called.. and neutrals will I guess be half half..

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