Rugby
1News

Steve Hansen has 'no doubt' TMO was right to overrule England try for offside

November 11, 2018

There was no doubt in Steve Hansen’s mind the decision to overrule a likely match-winning England try was correct.

There was no doubt in Steve Hansen’s mind that the TMO got the decision right to overrule a likely match-winning England try in the dying stages of the All Blacks’ 16-15 win this morning.

England flanker Sam Underhill looked to have put the home side ahead five minutes from fulltime, but the TMO ruled that Courtney Lawes was offside when he charged down a TJ Perenara kick in the lead-up.

"There’s no doubt he’s offside, he’s just about in the halfback’s back pocket," Hansen said when asked about the contentious moment in the post-match media conference.

The All Blacks coach went on to praise TMO Marius Jonker for getting the decision right.

"What was going through my mind was are they going to be brave enough to make the right decision? And they were so it was good."

Captain Kieran Read said he wasn’t aware of the potential for a reprieve through an offside call.

“To be honest, I didn’t know, I didn’t see the call, so it was really about what we were going to do next, so I just bought the boys in and focused on what that was and then I think someone pointed out they were offside, so we just got to deal with it.”

“Like Steve (Hansen) said, once we saw what it was and the fact he was offside you just hope they make the right call and thankfully we got it.”

Read denied the All Blacks had tried to influence the TMO by walking up to the spot for penalty decision.

“I don’t think they were getting influenced by that, he’s watching a screen just like we all were I guess.”

“Once the boys saw it on the big screen then we felt it was going to be our penalty.”

England coach Eddie Jones wouldn’t comment on the decision, saying he’d leave it up to the TMO.

"I think I’ve said it a number of times, I don’t comment on those decisions, I leave it up to that guy, if he can’t make the right decision with 10 replays then who can?" Jones said.

Asked if he felt aggrieved by the decision, Jones said, "sometimes the game loves you and sometimes the game doesn’t love you".

"You've got to accept that if you stay in the game long enough, the game will love you.

"We’re prepared to stay in the fight, so we’ll get some love from the game further down the track, don’t worry."

Former All Black fullback Christian Cullen said the call was "borderline" in his role as a pundit on Sky Sports.

Cullen conceded that Lawes might "technically may have been offside" as Perenara had his hands on the ball preparing to kick.  

SHARE ME

More Stories