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Tue 13 Feb 2018 | 03:11
World Rugby admit that the wrong decision was made at Twickenham

20
Comments

Wales assistant coach Rob Howley has said that World Rugby admitted that they made a mistake in not awarding Gareth Anscombe a try during Saturday's 6 Nations clash between England and Wales at Twickenham. England won 12-6.

It was the most talked about moment in the match and while there was a contentious possible knock-on by Steff Evans leading up to the chance (scroll down), Anscombe appeared to ground the ball first, but the try was disallowed by TMO Glenn Newman.

Today, BBC Wales reported that World Rugby's Alain Rolland admitted the mistake to Howley.

"It was good to have dialogue with World Rugby... they confirmed the TMO made a mistake," Howley explained. "That dialogue happens continually throughout international periods.

"That phone call took place yesterday and Alain Rolland confirmed on behalf of World Rugby that it was a mistake. I haven't spoken to any of the match officials. It's happened, it's disappointing that happens in professional sport."

Anscombe himself said that he thought he got the ball down first, ahead of Anthony Watson.

"I felt some pressure of the ball on the ground. I thought that I got it down, but the decision didn’t go our way. That was disappointing because it potentially would have changed the momentum, but ultimately it was still early on in the game and we had a lot of chances to fix it," Anscombe said.

"The TMOs don’t always get it right, which is frustrating, but you can’t do much about that. We were confident once we saw the first replay and started jogging back.

"We trust the TMO. You’ve just got to back the individual to use the replays and communicate well with the touch judges and the referee, then hopefully they get the majority of them right."

Coach Warren Gatland was clear in his view though, saying he thought it was a "terrible mistake".

Here is a look at the other video that has been going around, showing that Evans got fingers to the ball in the lead up to the try. The main debate with this one was whether he knocked it forwards or backwards, which is obviously very difficult to decide from this vantage point.

Either way, this latest admission from World Rugby will at least give Wales fans - and even neutrals - justification that they were correct in their views, as the grounding did seem fairly clear cut.

Anscombe try disallowed by TMO

UPDATE: World Rugby issued the following statement to BBC Wales

"World Rugby has clarified to the Wales team management as part of the usual review process with teams that the TMO made an error in the application of law during the England versus Wales match at Twickenham.

"In accordance with law 21.1 b Wales should have been awarded a try as the Wales player grounded the ball."

Posted By: Grant Constable

20 Comments

  • drg
    8:11 AM 20/02/2018

    That's impossible... You can't want the game to improve on one hand, but then want it to stay 'crappy' on another...

    There will be hundreds of people like you and hundreds of people with the opposite views.

    Look at the rest of the internet, people calling for Hawkeye for rugby etc...

    This is all falling down to opinion on what is acceptable... Is it acceptable that this could happen in the 79th minute of a RWC final? (Or not this incident, but similar efforts?) Do we chalk it down to "meh, well, your next game which is just a friendly you might get a call go your way?"

    Personally I thought the game was great when I started playing, we've had a few decent tweaks since I guess.... Scrums seem slightly better these days... But there has been a lot of changes brought in... Punishments for things these days I didn't consider noteworthy, let alone punishable .. but we're going down that route now, why should I let my 'old head' get in the way of what is deemed by those supposedly in the know, as 'progress'?

    Rugby referees have aired their dirty laundry for all to see, this is not something that would have happened 10-15 yrs ago, so we're already making good 'progress'...

  • the_osprey
    9:23 PM 16/02/2018

    Yeah not really sure what the point in saying this is. Undermining officials, upsetting fans, doesn't change the result. Teach the lessons behind the scenes and move on quietly. I say this as a staunch Welsh fan. Nobody benefits from this being aired publically.

  • 10stonenumber10
    12:36 AM 16/02/2018

    The Duckworth-Lewis method doesn't really translate to rugby.

    It is part of the magic/match fixing within the game. This completely run of the mill incident has been blown up so much that even the neutrals are talking about it.

    On the subject of 50/50 ref calls... Lions draw... really?

  • dancarter
    8:19 PM 15/02/2018

    Agreed. I don't really understand people using the disallowed try to say as evidence that Wales would have won had it been given. The rest of the game changes entirely from that point if that try is awarded and nobody knows what the outcome would have been.

  • dancarter
    8:16 PM 15/02/2018

    I don't have a problem with rugby's constant drive to improve the game but we do need to be realistic about the limitations too. As a sport played by and officiated by humans some mistakes are inevitable. The referee might make mistakes and that's frustrating but I don't dwell on it too much, my team might have been hurt by a bad call but we might benefit from an incorrect call next week.

  • jimmy23
    5:05 PM 15/02/2018

    WR should have just kept this behind the scenes. We already have enough people complaining about the officials after every game as it is, having the governing body essentially shame them publicially isn't exactly going to help that.

    I recognise this is easy for me to say as an England fan but I think people just need to accept the fact that the officials will occasionally make mistakes. It happened in the 22nd minute, we have no idea how the game would have panned out if it was given and Wales had numerous opportunities to work a score later on and failed to do so.

  • im1
    12:11 PM 15/02/2018

    Anyone else think that maybe World Rugby are just using this as a good example to show what grounding is required when a player does not have possession. Its perfectly fair that the TMO could say on the evidence he saw that there was not a clear grounding, as there wasn't at the point he made the decision (perhaps he should have waited for longer to get more angles). But the main question that needs to be answered using this as a 'learning' experience, is what sort of downward pressure does a player need to score. And World Rugby are just saying that Anscombe's contact with the ball was sufficient. So any TMO going forward can use this a a precedent.

  • drg
    9:45 PM 14/02/2018

    ....I agree with you all...but this is the 'progression' of the game...

    Things will inherently go wrong in life and it certainly applies to rugby.. the game has been around for many many years and it has changed form in many many ways... If I recall correctly scrums used to involved 15 players from each team back in its early days. Things change... I have found myself on the wrong side of 'you lot' a few times because of my old views and I'm not yet 30! Rucking was a thing when I started, scuffles, dump tackles, not being bothered by name calling etc all 'part of the game'.. the next generations have now started making feigning injuries part of the game (it's not a new thing of course, but it's becoming more prevalent). When I started in the forwards it was (I believe) "crouch, engage", since then we've had pause, we've had touch, etc... Dump tackles (as mentioned) were a part of the game, now you're very unlikely to get away with one...

    Of course thats all very negative of me, we've seen better nutrition, conditioning and protection for players... But at a cost..

    I've seen 5 nations become 6 nations, Tri nations become rugby championship.. people talking about relegations for 6N and I'm strongly against the idea.. but then why not?

    As for this, and the potential impact it could have in the future, well... Why not? It's progression towards a perfection that is deemed possible by 'the next lot'... Why should we; in this day and age, have potential referee errors which could cost a team a championship trophy, money, sponsorships, prestige etc? Players dedicate their lives to the sport and they run the risks of enough of their own errors costing a game, let alone a 3rd 'neutral' partys' errors..

    .....it all makes sense, but maybe just maybe simplicity and a bit of "tough shit" needs to go around...

  • moo
    5:50 PM 14/02/2018

    @DanCarter - this in spades. The TMO has been chucked right under the bus. Dreadful from World Rugby. Rolland might as well have come out and said 'It wasn't me; he did it!' like some kid in the playground. Yes, we can all see the issue. But to go about it like this will put the use of the TMO back years in its application. We will end up with hours and hours of poring frame-by-frame over footage and the game will end up more like American Football, because the referees will be scared stiff to make a decision. Thanks Alain, thanks a whole effing bunch.

    TMOs are people too!

  • ruckinmaul
    4:54 PM 14/02/2018

    Unfortunately for the TMO, he made TWO wrong calls obviously, and it turns out to be a correct call by not awarding the try.

    1) He missed the knock on by the finger
    2. He missed the grounding!

    Pray for his job after tho. Might be his last being a TMO.

  • dancarter
    1:00 PM 14/02/2018

    Not really sure what world rugby achieve by doing this, or why it needs to be public. It doesn't change anything, and most people know the TMO was wrong about the grounding, although it looks like they may have missed a knock on from Evans in the build up. I'd rather world rugby just back their referees and review their performances behind closed doors to highlight mistakes and areas for improvement rather than undermine them by releasing statements about their incorrect decisions.

  • dancarter
    12:53 PM 14/02/2018

    If they aren't 2 tickets in an executive box then I'm not sure it even counts as an apology.

  • drg
    10:55 AM 14/02/2018

    Hahaha and "here we see the prop being stretchered away from the seating arena with a nasty looking repetitive strain injury"

  • 10stonenumber10
    12:15 AM 14/02/2018

    "And here we have the NZ Fly half, taking his seat for the conversion. After 28 phases NZ showed their superior thumb conditioning, they can hold the controller for a full 80 minutes without fatigue."

  • drg
    11:20 PM 13/02/2018

    E sports is the way forward... Zero concussions... Just epilepsy..

  • 10stonenumber10
    11:17 PM 13/02/2018

    Go full techno. Implant some circuitry into players hands, stick some LEDs in the ball, whenever a player touches the ball it changes to the colour of their team until they release it and it is picked up by an opposition player.

    Better yet, ditch the pitch for perspex beyond the goal line and have a subterranean official.

  • weegierab
    9:50 PM 13/02/2018

    It's time then for the TMO to have 3D technology in the IN GOAL AREA. They can only view the game through 2D and then be asked to make a fair call from that. Points mean prizes for every team that plays in any competition. Imagine that was the last second of the World Cup Final and your team was 4 pionts down. 3D technology would help speed up the TMO not slow them down as 2D TV does. Lets encourage the IRB to get behind 3D technology the only true winner is the game.

  • im1
    6:42 PM 13/02/2018

    will England get an apology from World Rugby for Garces not calling Davies offside when Care threw the shocker pass to Farrell that led to the almost try from Williams, were it not for Underhill's tackle?

  • 10stonenumber10
    6:21 PM 13/02/2018

    More importantly... when will England fans get an apology for the 2007 RWC Final? And what about the reparations to Munster after "Hand of Back"?

    Shit happens. I guarantee you we will get at least 2 more questionable decisions before the tournament is through.

    5/1 on try scored offside from cross field kick
    7/3 on try scored with a block in midfield
    3/1 on try scored by a player who should have been sent off before
    1/400 Jones will say refs are being unjustly harsh due to the reputation of some of the England players

  • drg
    5:16 PM 13/02/2018

    ....I wonder when 45678 will receive his formal apology from world rugby when they see that footage he shared on here?

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