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In last night’s National Rugby Championship match, a furious encounter between the Sydney Stars and North Harbour Rays, a refereeing blunder occurred that was so wrong it will likely go down as one of the worst refereeing decision of all time.
Rugby Union is undeniably a complex game, and consequently it is heavily influenced by the referee – you only need be reminded of the heartbreak that was Aaron Cruden’s conversion retake to deny Ireland a maiden win over the All Blacks.
Cruden’s kick, as crucial as it was, however, was within the rule of the game.
For context, this week is the final regular season round for the first year of the NRC. Neither North Harbour or the Sydney Stars will feature in the finals with the two sides occupying seventh and ninth respectively.
While the Rays have won two and drawn two, the Stars have failed to win a match and have an abysmal for/against record of -145.
In the final game Sydney were playing for pride, but also for the elusive taste of victory.
The win, however, is not what the game will be remembered for.
In the second half, Rays prop Mitch Lewis was tackled roughly one metre out from his own goal-line and looked to place the ball back so that it could be cleared down field.
Lewis, being of right mind, proceeded to place the ball back but the whistle was blown. The correct assumption would be that Lewis had placed the ball too far and it had touched his own try line resulting in a five-metre scrum to the opposition.
Incorrect, the referee called for a try – but was unsure. He then referred to the third match official for sanity to prevail. It didn’t.
Rather, the TMO called for a try and with that the NRC (and Australian rugby) had its first own try.
Fortunately, the Stars won 49-40 so this had limited impact on the match other than providing significant confusion for the commentators, fans and players alike.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.