In a twist of rugby fate that's got everyone talking, former Test referee and now URC head honcho of match officiating, Tappe Henning, dropped some knowledge about Eben Etzebeth's controversial no-try during the Springboks' romp over Argentina in Durban. Despite the Boks' thunderous 67-30 win, the disallowed try, which Etzebeth thought he nailed in the first half, left fans scratching their heads. The culprit? A knock-on call against Cobus Reinach, overshadowed by an illegal play from a Pumas player kicking the ball from Reinach's hands.
On the Brenden Nel podcast, Henning threw a curveball into the usual stiff interpretations of rugby law. "This was a very unusual incident – I’ve never seen it before," he admitted. He explained the two conflicting laws at play: one that outright bans kicking the ball from a player's hands (hello, foul play and a penalty there) and the other that treats any ball going forward from the hands as a knock-on.
But here's where Henning flipped the script: "Normally, when an opposition player rips the ball and it goes forward, it’s not a knock-on because the ball-carrier isn’t responsible for losing possession. By principle, the same logic should apply when the ball is illegally kicked from someone’s hands – it shouldn’t be deemed a knock-on." Following this, Henning argued, "In that case, advantage should be played, and Etzebeth’s try should have stood."
"Boks can be history-makers again"
Henning's revelations didn't stop there. He also touched on another bizarre moment involving Cheslin Kolbe, who, after dotting down in his in-goal area, decided to transform his touchdown into a drop-kick, inadvertently setting up a goal-line drop-out that led to a try for Argentina's centre Santiago Chocobares. Henning clarified, "I don’t think Kolbe intended a restart, but once he dropped the ball onto the ground and kicked it, that was a drop-kick. Because it crossed the goal line, it became a goal-line dropout."
"Cheslin’s brilliance outweighs ‘brainfart’"
Henning was quick to absolve referee Angus Gardner from any blame, highlighting the complexities and unforeseen scenarios that the law book sometimes fails to anticipate. "The law book can't cover every unusual scenario. Sometimes new situations force us to revisit the intention of the law," he explained. The goal now? Ensuring that the laws are clarified and consistently applied, so every rugby fan (and player!) is on the same page going forward.
With these clarifications and potential rule tweaks on the horizon, it's clear that the world of rugby officiating remains as dynamic and unpredictable as the game itself.
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In a twist of rugby fate that's got everyone talking, former Test referee and now URC head honcho of match officiating, Tappe Henning, dropped some knowledge about Eben Etzebeth's controversial no-try during the Springboks' romp over Argentina in Durban. Despite the Boks' thunderous 67-30 win, the disallowed try, which Etzebeth thought he nailed in the first half, left fans scratching their heads. The culprit? A knock-on call against Cobus Reinach, overshadowed by an illegal play from a Pumas player kicking the ball from Reinach's hands.
On the Brenden Nel podcast, Henning threw a curveball into the usual stiff interpretations of rugby law. "This was a very unusual incident – I’ve never seen it before," he admitted. He explained the two conflicting laws at play: one that outright bans kicking the ball from a player's hands (hello, foul play and a penalty there) and the other that treats any ball going forward from the hands as a knock-on.
But here's where Henning flipped the script: "Normally, when an opposition player rips the ball and it goes forward, it’s not a knock-on because the ball-carrier isn’t responsible for losing possession. By principle, the same logic should apply when the ball is illegally kicked from someone’s hands – it shouldn’t be deemed a knock-on." Following this, Henning argued, "In that case, advantage should be played, and Etzebeth’s try should have stood."
"Boks can be history-makers again"
Henning's revelations didn't stop there. He also touched on another bizarre moment involving Cheslin Kolbe, who, after dotting down in his in-goal area, decided to transform his touchdown into a drop-kick, inadvertently setting up a goal-line drop-out that led to a try for Argentina's centre Santiago Chocobares. Henning clarified, "I don’t think Kolbe intended a restart, but once he dropped the ball onto the ground and kicked it, that was a drop-kick. Because it crossed the goal line, it became a goal-line dropout."
"Cheslin’s brilliance outweighs ‘brainfart’"
Henning was quick to absolve referee Angus Gardner from any blame, highlighting the complexities and unforeseen scenarios that the law book sometimes fails to anticipate. "The law book can't cover every unusual scenario. Sometimes new situations force us to revisit the intention of the law," he explained. The goal now? Ensuring that the laws are clarified and consistently applied, so every rugby fan (and player!) is on the same page going forward.
With these clarifications and potential rule tweaks on the horizon, it's clear that the world of rugby officiating remains as dynamic and unpredictable as the game itself.