Quote Originally Posted by jon1959 View Post
Gauzere not only consulted at length with the TMO - and both watched the 'knock on' incident in slow motion several times - he also checked with his two Irish assistant referees who had also been watching the big screen, and both agreed with his call.

After thousands of pages of reportage, analysis and comment on the two controversial tries, there is still no definitive outcome.

The referee has subsequently agreed that he didn't give England quite enough time to set themselves for the Adams try (they did on one side of the pitch but not the side that mattered) - so fine margins and maybe he called time back on a couple of seconds too soon - and whilst agreeing on further slow motion viewings (per the reported phone call with Joel Jutge) that LRZ did knock the ball forward and didn't have control the main confession was that he should have made an on-field decision himself and not consulted the TMO!

Still, it gives England supporters all they need to claim they were robbed, and to ignore all the other bad refereeing decisions that affected other teams in the competition. If the Adams try hadn't been given Wales would almost certainly have kicked a 3 point penalty. If Maro Itoje had been yellow carded as he should have been, the normal rule of thumb is that a 10 minute sin-binning will cost his side 7 points. So Wales gained 4 points from dubious first half refereeing decisions. OK - a win by 12 points not 16!
Glad you mentioned that England were set up as they needed to be to their left for the first try before the ref said the clock should go back on - as Farrell delivered his talk to the team under the posts, his team were equi distant from each touchline, yet they left the side where any cross kick was going to go wide open.

Nigel Owens said on Scrum Five last night that the second try should not have been allowed because Rees-Zamitt never had the ball under control after it had gone forward, if he had been able to do that then the try would have been a legitimate one.

Having been caught out by the first try, England were then caught napping with the third one with their full back of all people turning his back on the play. England played as if they didn’t have a brain in their head either individually or collectively - the fuss regarding the refereeing is a diversionary tactic to try and make them look less stupid.