Try? No try?
According to Warren Gatland it was the decision that decided the match – Wales’ “disallowed try.”
It occurred in just the 23rd minute of the first half, so there was plenty of time for the destiny of the game to be altered, but in such a close contest it could have proved the difference.
Wales fly-half Rhys Patchell kicked across field in the England 22 to Steff Evans’ wing. The ball bounced just before the Welsh winger and rebounded off his knee into the in-goal.
It was then a mad scramble between England winger Anthony Watson and Gareth Anscombe – but who got there first?
The referee Jerome Garces’ first port of call was the linesman, Irishman George Clancy, who was standing just metres away.
Clancy tells him: “I think it comes off the knee of the red player and then is grounded by white.”
Garces then says: “We check the grounding. Glenn (Newman, the NZ TMO) – we want to know. Try – yes or no?”
This gives Newman a clean slate. He could have been asked – is there any reason why the try could not be awarded? Which gives Newman a different impetus to prove that the try was not scored.
It seems from the replays Anscombe clearly reached the ball first. Decide for yourself by clicking the video.
But Newman then decides and reports to Garces: “the ball has not been clearly grounded.”
Note he does not rule that Anscombe did not get there first – he rules that the ball was not clearly grounded.’
He then says: “The first grounding was by England therefore it is a five metre scrum.”
That ruling is wrong in two regards – Anscombe got there first and as the ball was taken over the line by Wales and Newman says then grounded by England, it should have been ruled a 22 drop-out.
However Garces was playing an advantage so he goes back for the Wales penalty, which Patchell duly landed. So in the end the decision only cost Wales a maximum of four points – not enough to alter the result.
Nonetheless the decision sent all those wearing red into absolute meltdown with Gatland leading the charge.
“It looked like a try to me. Everyone else I’ve spoken to who has seen it (has said) it’s a clear try,” said the Wales coach at the post match media session.
“To me, it’s disappointing that they can get that decision wrong. It’s such a critical moment in the game, such a big decision.”
Warren Gatland was not happy.
He then gave Newman some special attention.
“You get a guy over from New Zealand to be the TMO, he has one big call to make and unfortunately he’s made a terrible mistake,” he said.
“At this level that’s pretty disappointing.”
During the game Shane Williams, Wales legend, gives his views in commentary: “The ball’s on the ground, the hand’s on the ground – there is pressure. For me that’s a try.”
Williams is wrong about downward pressure as the rule now says the player must have “control of the ball” and an argument could be made that Anscombe did not have that.
But the red mist was rising on the Twittersphere:
In the end there was probably only one voice claiming the TMO got it right, England head coach, Eddie Jones.
“I don’t know why people say we’re lucky with the refereeing decision,” said Jones. “The TMO has all the time in the world to make his decision.”
But even he was hedging his bets.
“I never get involved in what is decided,” he finished.
In the end it’s all water under a very high bridge. As the old saying goes: “Look in the paper tomorrow – the result won’t change.” As much as passionate Welsh man may want it to.