Referee Review: Kieran Read's fumble and Luke Romano's double movement

Referee Review: Kieran Read's fumble and Luke Romano's double movement

BEN STRANG

Last updated 14:49, May 16 2016

Two early TMO decisions had what may have been a defining impact on the match between the Highlanders and Crusaders on Friday night.

The television match official was called upon twice inside the first 20 minutes to rule on whether the Crusaders had scored tries, firstly to Kieran Read and then Luke Romano.

That resulted in two disallowed tries, and a huge wave of Crusaders momentum going without reward.

Referee Chris Pollock decided Luke Romano's try had involved an illegal movement.

Were they the right calls?

KIERAN READ DISALLOWED TRY

In the 16th minute, Israel Dagg weighted a grubber kick in behind the Highlanders defence and into the path of Read.

Kieran Read was denied a try after Aaron Smith got in and pushed the ball free.

Read claimed the ball and appeared to slam it into the turf, but on closer inspection the ball came loose from his hands as he went to ground it.

Little Aaron Smith got in and knocked the ball loose, and when Chris Pollock turned to the TMO, the try was turned down.

We had a similar incident earlier in the season when Seta Tamanivalu scored a try for the Chiefs in which only his finger tips were touching the ball as it went to ground.

The word 'control' was used by commentators to say that shouldn't have been a try. As mentioned then, control doesn't matter.

Lock Luke Romano was denied a try for a double movement.

By the letter of the law and the way referees have been told to make these decisions, it was given as a try as he remained in contact as the ball hit the ground.

I'm not convinced that Read didn't have some kind of contact with the ball as it hit the ground.

Admittedly, I'm limited in what footage I have seen of the incident, given the only replay I have is from one angle. In that replay, there is no clear separation between Read and the ball as it hits the ground.

From memory, another angle showed separation as the ball hit the ground.

If there is no daylight between Read and the ball as the ball comes into contact with the ground, a try should have been awarded.

Don't get me wrong, Read definitely lost the ball. But the way the rules are written and refereed, if that gap wasn't visible, it should have been a try.

LUKE ROMANO DISALLOWED TRY

Only two minutes after the Read incident, Luke Romano was shunted towards the line before reaching out and planting the ball on the white chalk.

Caught short of the line, Romano landed with the ball underneath him before getting his left arm free and placing the ball over the line.

After going upstairs and then seeing the incident on the big screen at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Chris Pollock made the decision himself.

He ruled that Romano had pushed off after being tackled in order to score the try, which we know as a double movement.

I disagree with Pollock's decision.

When a player is tackled, they "must not lie on, over or near the ball to prevent opponents from gaining possession, and must make try to make the ball available immediately".

The tackled player "must immediately pass the ball or release it", and may do so by "putting it on the ground in any direction, provided this is done immediately".

Romano was penalised for using his non-ball carrying arm to help get the ball free. If he hadn't, he could have been penalised for lying over the ball.

No defenders were making a play for the ball. He did not hold onto it, immediately stretching out to place the ball as is his right.

He didn't attempt to rise to his feet without first releasing the ball.

It seems to me an error in judgment to suggest this was a double movement. For me, it was a player freeing up the ball, being within distance of the line and reaching for it.

Romano should have been awarded the try.

 Both disallowed tries' footage:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/80026935/referee-review-kieran-reads-fumble-and-luke-romanos-double-movement

I'm not sure about Reado's try,....... I think there was another angle from where it seemed there was an instant when he lost the contact with the ball,....... but Romano's should have been awarded IMO,........ from the moment he's on the ground he just moved one arm to put the ball over the line,....... that's not a double movement

besides this, Pollock's performance was a horror-show,......... he let the landers players do whatever they wanted, specially in the first 30 minutes,....... constant offsides,........ Feikitoa's obstruction in the first try,........... Sopoaga's blatant deliberate knock on in the 24th min.,....... Todd had all the way to the try line and 3 saders behind him (and just one opponent who could reach him, A. Smith),........ yellow and/or penalty try,....... B. Smith arriving late and hitting  McNicholl in the air causing a very dangerous fall at least deserved a penalty,...... but nothing,.........
the penalties against the saders' scrum were a joke,......... specially one five meters from the try line and saders' introduction,....... he called a penalty when both Franks and his opponent went down,........ when the ball wasn't even been introduced,........

the other horror-show of the night came from Fonotia,......... I've been saying it from the beggining of the season,....... please, keep Fonotia and Havili as far as possible from the team,,........ and, well, Havili as inside center could have a go,....... coming from the bench (as a FB, as he began playing this season, is a complete disaster),.......... but Fonotia,......

Fonotia had the worst defensive performance I've seen for a very long time,....... he's extremely apathetic and slow in defense,.......... if the opposite players don't go to him, he gets himself off the play,...... but he was giving very clear signals of his liability,...... Lion's hooker's try came from another big mistake getting himself out of the play,........ but last friday he let Faddes make whatever he wanted

what I cannot understand is that while those 2 were starting Crotty was on the bench,........ he's 10 times the player both are and apart from being a good defender he knows how to organize the backline defensively,......... this was a huge mistake from Blackadder,........ he's very good structuring the team but always has these selection short-circuits that screw all the good job done,......... last year was his stick-to-itiveness to play Carter at 12,......... he's not a 12 but the best 10 in the world,.......... having Dagg injured he should have played Slade at FB (he's as good there as at 10)and Carter at 10,........ besides Carter was being targeted by the rushing defenses and he has no more the phisicallity to face it,......... Crotty and even Nadolo could have played at 12 and counteract those rushing defenses,...... but no, he stuck and stuck with Carter at 12

the positive is that it was so clear Fonotia's defensive apathy and  slowness that he won't play again this season,...... and the next he's leaving!!!!,........
where are Fruean and Goodhue? they should be recovered from their respective long term injuries,........ Goodhue is an excellent prospect with a clear rugby brain,........ fruean was playing very good for Hawke's,....... and seemed to have improved his defense,......... even Wainui is preferable,...... quite good defender

 Romano definitely made 2 movements as he placed the ball over the line so correct decision in my view Abasque.

  from the moment he's on the ground (when he put his right arm on the ground) he made one movement,....... and only one,..... stretch his left arm to put the ball over the line,.....

IMO both were disallowed trys.

the read try especially, as im pretty sure i saw an angle where there was clear seperation from ball and hand.
even if there wasnt, there was like no control, like tamanivalus try but that should have been ruled no try.

i also think romano propelled himself forward with his nonball carrying arm, in a double movement act. it might not have been blatantly obvious, but there was enough evidence there to suggest he propelled himself forward and put him in a position to score try.
silly thing is, im sure he could have scored had he just reached for the line stretching with his ball carrying arm.

i didnt have problems with the referee in that game, the better team won IMO.
there was definitely a few offside calls not blown, but that was for both teams.

 Yes, he moves one elbow first and then reaches out with the other arm; TWO movements!!

 when Romano moves his right arm he's not on the ground yet, he's falling (moving) hence he can move his arm,....... once he's on the ground (and from this moment on is when only one movement is permitted) Romano makes ONLY ONE movement,..... he stretches his left arm to put the ball over the line,...... watch the footage

the first half hour was a horror-show and afected the outcome of the game,........ pollock let the landers do whatever they wanted while not allowing the saders to develop their game,..... he let one team to soar, landers, while punishing the other,...... if Pollock had disallowed the landers first try, as he did with both saders' tries and should have done (or at least go to the TMO as he did with both saders' tries), if he had showed a yellow to Sopoaga as he should have done (he didn't even go to the TMO and it's very clear in the replays), if he had called Smith's clear penalty,..... and like this every other landers' infringement,........ we would be talking about another very different game

later on came fonotia's horror-show to end up the nightmare,...... but that first half hour performance was crucial for the final result and was very bias (intended or not, no matter)

Thought Pollock got them both right. Romano's was definitely marginal and could have just as easily gone the other way, but it sure looks like he's crawling to the line with the left elbow, right elbow, then the reach. But that could be down to momentum too.
Refs have been letting players get away with that in general play all year. How many times do we see the tackled player roll once or twice, or wriggle forward ever so slightly before placing the ball back? Gives that fraction of a second for support to arrive and provides a moving target for the defense to try and turn the ball over but its technically playing the ball on the ground and happens numerous times every game.
Emphasis on a straight scrum feed has disappeared.
Defensive offsides is not being policed like it should - what are the line judges there for?
And the amount of chatter the refs are allowing is ridiculous - seems worse this year, especially scrummies. Here's looking at you TJ Perenara......
Early in the season, I thought the reffing on the rolling maul was poor - almost an emphasis on nullifying its effectiveness rather than just making sure the team with possession moves the ball to the back legally. Defense was being allowed to get away with dubious sacks, but it seems to have improved in the last few rounds with some accurate calls on late sacks and taking out support players. Everyone uses the rolling maul - and when it is done right and is a bona fide threat to score it causes defenses to commit players and opens up the outside. 

 Romano was crawling and Reid  probably lost it forward. I'm sure the footage and angles the TMO saw were more telling. Having said that, some TMO calls were poor this season.