Tappe Henning: Referee and TMO will get 'remedial work' after Ulster blunder

WATCH as Tappe Henning, the United Rugby Championship head of match officials, reveals what ‘remedial’ action they will take against match officials for their big blunder in the Stormers’ 23-20 win over Ulster this past weekend.

Henning, a decorated former South African Test referee, agreed with Ulster coach Dan McFarland that Italian Gianluca Gnecchi and SA-based TMO Quinton Immelman got the call wrong when they overturned Gnecchi’s on-field decision to award a match-winning try to Ulster in the dying minutes of the match in Cape Town last Saturday.

Speaking on the Final Whistle television programme, Henning revealed that the match officials face ‘remedial action’ after such a blunder.

He even raised prospect of a possible ‘penalty try’ against Stormers replacement loose forward Hacjivah Dayimani for deliberately knocking the ball out of an opponents hand, who was in the process if scoring a try.

Ulster’s replacement prop Callum Reid lunged for the tryline in the 78th minute. Gnecchi initially warded the try, but then opted to review the decision when he was alerted to a potential knock-on.

Replays showed Dayimani knock the ball out of Reid’s grasp.

And this is where the match officials dropped the ball, according to Henning.

“What’s hugely important here is that the referee’s awarded the try and it was in the process of taking the conversion kick that there was additional information visible,” Henning said on the South African TV show.

“So, now we’re looking for an infringement to overturn the referee’s original decision of try,” Henning added.

“There was no conclusive evidence that there was an infringement of a knock on, so the original decision stands.

“There was no conclusive evidence that the Ulster player has knocked the ball on.

“That’s the important bit. There has [has] to be conclusive evidence that the ball goes forward from his hand and forward to overturn the on-field decision. And that’s not there, so that’s why it is a try.”

Henning added that if Dayimani had knocked the ball out of Reid’s hand, by touching the ball and not the opponent’s hand, it should have been a penalty try.

He added that, from the available footage, he could not make a call on whether Dayimani had touched the ball or the opponent’s hand.

Source: SuperSport

* Watch the entire debate below … it is very insightful!