New Zealand’s second try against France was marred by a knock-on. The pictures prove it. But the rule is delicate.
Everyone saw it. Except one: the referee. And that’s the problem. As soon as they returned from the locker room, the French XV were surprised, as at the start of the match, by New Zealand. Three minutes after play resumed, the All Blacks scored the second try of the match, scored by Mark Telea. However, the five extra points awarded to Ian Foster’s team perhaps should not have been. The reason, an obvious forward on the last pass, which only the man in yellow did not see.
However, by dissecting the images from the broadcaster (TF1), we realize that Rieko Ioane’s last pass (image 1) ended its journey in front of its starting point (image 2). Damian Penaud and Thomas Ramos even slowed down their race, thinking that Jaco Peyper was going to stop the action. It did not happen. Mark Telea went to flatten unopposed.
Another angle proposed by TF1 clearly shows that the ball was thrown by the Blacks’ opening half around the 30m tricolor, while the winger recovered it just in front of the 22m line. Surprisingly, and under the bronca of the Stade de France, Jaco Peyper did not even use the video.
It must be said that the rule of the forward pass established by World Rugby states that such a situation is when “a player throws or passes the ball forward, that is to say if the movement of the arms of the player who passes the ball goes forward.” The movement of Ioane’s pass seems very flat (if not really backwards).
