Cape Town — Tappe Henning, the United Rugby Championship’s head of match officials says that Ulster’s disallowed try in their 23-20 defeat to the Stormers at the weekend should have been awarded.
During the discussion on SuperSport’s Final Whistle, Henning said he believed that referee Gianluca Gnecchi and TMO Quinton Immelman got it wrong at Cape Town Stadium.
With less than two minutes remaining, replacement prop Callum Reid barged over the tryline, with the try awarded by referee Gnecchi.
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Immelman, however, asked Gnecchi to review the try, and the officials then ruled that it was a knock-on from Reid.
"What’s hugely important here is the referee has awarded a try, and it is during the process of the conversion kick that there’s additional information now visible. So, now we’re looking for an infringement to overturn the referee’s original decision of try,” explained Henning.
"There was no conclusive evidence there was an infringement of a knock-on, so the original decision stands. That’s the important bit — there has to be conclusive evidence that the ball goes from his hand forward to overturn the on-field decision and that’s not there. So it’s a try.
"The first bit — that the on-field decision was a try — was hugely important. In the process they followed, they did not revisit the fact that the on-field decision was a try, which meant they needed conclusive evidence to overturn, and that was not there.
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"It looks like (Hacjivah) Dayimani’s hand hits Reid’s hand,” Henning continued. “And if it doesn’t hit the hand, it hits the ball, and then that becomes a deliberate knock-on and a penalty try, which opens up another can of worms.
"If you look at that, you need to clearly say, and the referee did say, ‘I had a look at it and it did hit the hand and not the ball’. He may have touched the ball, but the referee looking at the decision on the angles he had decided it was not a deliberate knock-on.”
The head of officials added that a remedial process is underway.
“We can’t change whathappened, and the score won’t be changed, that is part of the game. I’ve already had a chat with the TMO and there is a remedial action underway, he needs to tell me what his process is, and what saw. Then I look for the flaws in the process and tell him the important things he needed to look at in the picture.”
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Speaking after the game, Ulster coach Dan McFarland voiced his frustrations with the call.
“I can’t understand why that’s not a try,” he said. “I’ve got to be careful what I say here, but I can’t understand why that’s not a try.
“If it’s not a try, then why is it a knock-on [against Ulster]? They deliberately knocked the ball out of our hands. I don’t get that. I’ll wait to hear what they have to say about it.”
“In my head, we won that game, so we will move on,” he continued.
IOL Sport