Sunday 11 November 2018 14:22, UK
Will Greenwood believes officials were wrong to overturn Sam Underhill’s potential match-winning try for England against New Zealand.
England appeared on course for a famous victory in the 76th minute as Underhill beat Beauden Barrett to score after scooping up Courtney Lawes' block down of T.J. Perenara's attempted box kick.
That would have put England ahead 20-16 - they eventually lost 16-15 - with a conversion from Owen Farrell to come but, as the crowd at Twickenham celebrated wildly, referee Jerome Garces chose to refer the passage of play to TMO Marius Jonker for review.
Jonker relayed to Garces that "as [Perenara] picks up the ball [Lawes] is in an offside position" and the try was disallowed but Greenwood believes there was insufficient evidence to make that decision.
Greenwood told Sky Sports News: "The reality for me is if you are going to overturn a decision, I think you have to be absolutely clear and definitive that it is [offside].
"To have to have six or seven or even eight looks at it to decide whether it is or it is not when you have got an assistant referee seven yards away and Garces is right on it - to overturn that call I think you have got to be two yards offside.
"The thing people have to understand is the laws have changed. In the old days the second the scrum-half had his hands on the ball, the ball was out, whether it was lifted or not.
"What has happened now is you are only allowed to proceed forward as a defensive team once the scrum-half has picked it up.
"I think Perenara has picked it up, had a look to see where his fly-half is and the All Black on the left-hand side - the lead-side of the ruck, the north-west position of the ruck - then places his left foot forward which plays Courtney Lawes offside.
"So put all that together again and are you telling me you can make a definitive decision and overturn the decision of the officials on the field that he was onside? I don't think there is enough.
"Had that try been given, would the All Blacks have complained? No. Therefore you have the most marginal decision being turned over.
"So great shame for England and New Zealand will roll on to Dublin and Ireland trying to finish this year the way they start every year - top of the world."
