For good or for bad, officiating during the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa was put under the microscope, perhaps more than ever before.
The third Test match was no different in the scrutiny of the decisions, with the crucial try from Cheslin Kolbe a source of debate.
Nigel Owens, who had worked alongside the Sky Sports commentating team during the tour matches, has given his take on the pass which led to Kolbe’s score.
Owens discussed various incidents during the game, including the penalty given against Finn Russell for his high tackle on Kolbe in the second half, with Owens agreeing that the officials “probably got that one right” given Kolbe’s lowered body position.
Next up was Jasper Wiese’s challenge on Wyn Jones at the side of the ruck, which again Owens believed was nothing more than a penalty.
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For Kolbe’s try, the referee’s on-field decision was a try, therefore requiring the TMO to come up with any compelling evidence that the ball did indeed travel forward.
With the onus on that call, the ball was not obviously forward, so the try stood.
As much as the refereeing decisions took as much public criticism from teams as there has ever been, the third test – while frustrating in the amount of TMO referrals – was generally accurate, leaving neither side with many complaints.
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