{"id":571688,"date":"2026-08-17T12:46:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T12:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/571688\/"},"modified":"2026-08-17T12:46:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T12:46:13","slug":"law-discussion-was-one-all-blacks-try-against-the-spirit-of-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/571688\/","title":{"rendered":"Law discussion: Was one All Blacks try against the spirit of the game?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Codie Taylor\u2019s first try against the Bulls<\/a> in the Rugby\u2019s Greatest Rivalry tour match at Loftus Versfeld has proven to be controversial despite being perfectly legal; let\u2019s discuss.<\/p>\n

In the 29th minute of the match, referee Nika Amashukeli issued a yellow card to tighthead prop Francois Klopper, reducing the hosts to 14 men. From the ensuing penalty, tour captain Taylor smartly opted for the scrum, forcing the Bulls to make a change to their pack.<\/p>\n

The All Blacks<\/a> dominated the set-piece, winning another penalty, and instead of doubling down on the scrum, the skipper decided to tap and go, and here\u2019s where the controversial play occurred.<\/p>\n

Codie Taylor\u2019s first try against the Bulls<\/p>\n

Taylor places the ball on the ground, dummies a tap, which triggered the Bulls<\/a>\u2018 defence as Juann Else and JF van Heerden shot up. As the duo and some of their teammates started to move back, the hooker quickly tapped the ball and darted towards the line, managing to muscle his way over despite the efforts of Van Heerden.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can do that, I promise you,\u201d Amashukeli said in reply to the Bulls\u2019 pleas that Taylor\u2019s actions were illegal, as he misled the opposition, making them believe that he had tapped the ball initially.<\/p>\n

The Georgian referee\u2019s decision was spot on, as there is nothing in the World Rugby laws that explicitly stops a player from dummying a tap. In fact, one of the few times when players cannot mislead the opposition is at the back of a ruck. Law 15.16 (g) reads, \u201cPlayers must not: Take any action to make opponents believe that the ruck has ended when it has not.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the same does not apply to quick taps. So by the letter of the law, Taylor\u2019s actions were lawful, and Amashukeli made the correct decision in awarding the All Blacks the try.<\/p>\n

Still, the try didn\u2019t sit right with many fans and pundits, and understandably so, but what could he have done differently? Well, Amashukeli would have been well within his rights to sanction Taylor as per law 9.27: \u201cA player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship. Sanction: Penalty.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Smart Play By Codie Taylor.<\/p>\n

Bulls plan in the first half rush d, over eager, shut the ABs down at every opportunity. pic.twitter.com\/AQZop8xI3O<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Scoop \ud83d\udc3b \u2615\ufe0f (@Rugby_Scoop) August 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

That would be a harsh sanction on the All Blacks\u2019 hooker, perhaps too harsh, but there was an easy solution: Amashukeli could have simply blown his whistle, allowed the defence to reset, and made it clear to Taylor that he couldn\u2019t do that, but given the front-rower the opportunity to retake the penalty.<\/p>\n

Again, what Taylor did was perfectly legal according to the lawbook, but it certainly didn\u2019t feel in the spirit of the game or the Greatest Rivalry tour<\/a>. Ordering the All Blacks to retake the penalty would have been a clever refereeing approach and would have killed off any controversy around the decision.<\/p>\n

In doing so, Amashukeli would have shown a real feel for the game, the occasion and the tour. Again, the decision he made was not incorrect and had little bearing on the final outcome of the game, but Taylor\u2019s actions didn\u2019t feel in the spirit of the game. Perhaps the Georgian was wary of comments from New Zealand, slamming the officials for being overly pedantic<\/a> so far this tour.<\/p>\n

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Sticking to his decision<\/p>\n

While we have been critical of Amashukeli around this decision, the referee\u2019s performance in Pretoria was rather solid and he deserves credit for his decision on Ruan Vermaak\u2019s try.<\/p>\n

The Bulls lock hammered into the All Blacks defence and looked to have been stopped short before he reached out and dotted the ball down.<\/p>\n

As former Springboks flanker Schalk Burger said on SuperSport\u2019s commentary of the game, \u2018nobody was in a better position to make this call\u2019 on whether Vermaak placed the ball on the line or just short.<\/p>\n

The referee officially reviewed the decision \u2013 perhaps after being alerted by his officiating team \u2013 with TMO Eric Gauzins telling Amashukeli that he needed to overturn his on-field decision of a try after reviewing several angles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ball is grounded short, and then it\u2019s a knock-on,\u201d Gauzins said.<\/p>\n

Assistant referee Karl Dickson replied: \u201cIt\u2019s either a try or it\u2019s short.\u201d<\/p>\n

Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Amashukeli disagreed with his TMO and stuck to his guns: \u201cWith the angle I\u2019ve seen, the on-field decision is a try. I don\u2019t think that the angles we\u2019ve seen provide clear evidence to overturn this try \u2013 so my decision is try.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Burger stated, the referee was in the best position to make the decision, and while we could have done without the review, Amashukeli deserves credit for standing firm on what he saw in real time.<\/p>\n

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