'It would've been a big talking point': Bulls seek clarity over TMO call
REACTION: Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann believes David Kriel’s disallowed try would have been a major talking point if his team had lost their crucial United Rugby Championship Round 16 clash against the Scarlets in Llanelli on Saturday.
The team from Pretoria won the match 23-21 thanks to a late penalty goal from Handre Pollard. However, Ackermann believes it could have been much more comfortable in the closing stages.
The Bulls produced a multi-phase attack which eventually led to Kriel going over in the corner in the 76th minute after he collected the ball from a Willie le Roux cross-kick.
While Pollard was lining up the conversion attempt, the TMO intervened to alert referee Gianluca Gnecchi about a “forward pass” from Stedman Gans to Kurt-Lee Arendse way back in the build-up.
The try was subsequently ruled out.
“I felt we scored a great try and we will get clarity from the referees involved about how far we can go back,” said Ackermann.
“At the moment, for forward passes, we’ve got it that you can only go back two phases, and I think there were three or four phases involved.
“But even with that disappointment and going all the way back, we still did enough to get the territory and the possession and the penalties to go and win the game.
“We were very disappointed that the try was disallowed. Depending on what hat you put on, you will say it is a forward pass. If you put the Bulls hat on, you would say the ball travelled out of his [Gans] hands backwards, so we need to get clarity over that and obviously how far you can go back.
“I’m not sure at the moment, but we definitely want to get that ruling from the officials.
“I will also have to review it, but the fact is that they let so much time go past. Even Handre’s full minute [to take the conversion] was almost gone before they started the referral, and often they don’t put that time back.
“We are obviously on the right side of the result, and you take it a little bit easier, but if we had lost, it probably would have been a big talking point.”
The story continues below…
🐂 @TomShanklin chats with David Kriel and Harold Vorster following the Vodacom Bulls’ win in Llanelli
“Very thankful for it and looking forward to the rest of the season” 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/3QBDxMxyQx
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) April 25, 2026
The Bulls relied on their powerful pack and Pollard’s boot to get them over the line, and Ackermann acknowledged that they were far from their best in the encounter.
“We didn’t play well to be fair, especially over the 80 minutes and credit to the Scarlets. They played well,” said Ackermann.
“Tactically, they got a lot of the 50-50 calls in the air, and it put us under pressure.
“They kicked well, and they pinned us down in our half. But when our backs were against the wall, we created the momentum we needed.”
The Bulls are currently seventh in the standings ahead of their final two league games against Zebre (May 9) and Benetton (May 16) at Loftus Versfeld.
@rugby365com
