In a glaring oversight during the third Lions Test, former elite Test referee Nigel Owens pointed out the failure of match officials to sanction British and Irish Lions hooker Dan Sheehan for a dangerous clearout on Tom Lynagh. The incident, which saw Sheehan's shoulder connect with the fly-half's head, led to Lynagh suffering a concussion and missing subsequent Rugby Championship games.
Despite the severity of the incident, it initially went unpunished on the field, leading to a later citation and ban for Sheehan. Owens dissected the possible reasons behind the oversight by TMO Marius Jonker, suggesting that the officials might not have had clear enough footage at the moment to make a call. Nonetheless, Owens was adamant about the nature of the foul.
"This type of action is definitely foul play and illegal."
He expressed frustration over the miss, emphasizing the importance of catching such illegalities to clean the game.Owens also touched on the limitations of the TMO protocol, which restricts the time frame in which past plays can be reviewed. He highlighted the potential complications of revisiting decisions after significant game developments, such as scoring.
"If he should be off the field then he wouldn’t have scored this try, so what do you do? Do you take the points away? You’re just opening up a huge can of worms then."
The former referee voiced his concerns over the current TMO system, which he believes involves too much video official interference. While acknowledging that many decisions are corrected through TMO, Owens argued for a more streamlined protocol that focuses on significant infractions like Sheehan's hit on Lynagh without disrupting the flow of the game.
Owens's critique underscores a need for a balance between technological assistance and maintaining the natural pace of rugby, ensuring that safety and fairness are upheld without overwhelming the sport with video reviews.