The incident sparked controversy with World Rugby previously urged to step in

The incident sparked controversy and now Nigel Owens has had his say(Image: World Rugby)

Nigel Owens has weighed in on the controversy surrounding England’s Six Nations defeat to France and admitted that a decisive call was made “outside of protocol” after head coach Steve Borthwick called for the incident to be looked at by World Rugby.

After bruising defeats to Scotland, Ireland and Italy, Borthwick’s side ran Les Bleus close in Paris on Super Saturday, with the thrilling finale going down to the wire. However, they were edged 48-46 by the hosts, with Thomas Ramos’ last-gasp penalty kick sealing the win and the tournament crown for his side.

In the aftermath, however, several match incidents were put under the microscope, with Borthwick calling for World Rugby to step in and look at one moment in particular. The England boss was left unimpressed by a decision made with 16 minutes left on the clock, when his side held a narrow 39-38 lead.

JOIN OUR WALES RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE Latest news, analysis and much more

Off the back of a scrum, Jack van Poortvliet’s pass was knocked forward by Francois Cros as the Frenchman went in for a tackle, with referee Nika Amashukeli immediately signalling a penalty advantage for a deliberate knock on.

However, when they lost the ball later in the same phase of play, the referee did not bring it back for a penalty, with the TMO intervening and changing the decision to a knock-on advantage. Off the back of that, France broke away to score their sixth try, a score that would prove decisive for the final result.

“We’ve been told on the pitch it was a penalty advantage,” said Borthwick after the game. “And I know probably some people at home probably are looking at why we played the way we did, and it should be explained that the players on the pitch were told it was a penalty advantage.

“So they played in a certain manner that knowing you had a penalty to go back to. Unfortunately, what happened in the background is the TMO would change it to a knock-on advantage. The players were unaware of it and France go down the other end and score a try

“I think that World Rugby needs to look at that kind of situation,” he added. “You can’t have the players playing with certain knowledge and then it taken away from them. Knowing that, I think some of those bits I find confusing.”

Analysing the incident with former Wales international Jamie Roberts in the latest episode of World Rugby’s Whistle Watch, Owens admitted that the TMO should not have intervened, saying he did so “outside of protocol”.

Borthwick had previously demanded an explanation over the incident

Showing a replay of Cros’ knock-on, Roberts said: “The scrum turns doesn’t it, and [Cros] is binding on the back of the line. Van Poortvliet picks the ball up and throws a pass, and in the act of tackling, [Cros] knocks the ball on.

“Now, the ref immediately puts his hand out for penalty advantage, doesn’t he. England think they have got a penalty advantage and they play on as if they have it.

“They go for a little chip over the top and it ultimately leads then, during that phase of possession, to France scoring a try down the other end of the park,” he added. “They regather the ball, they spot the space, Dupont puts a kick in and Bielle-Biarrey, who else, runs almost half the pitch and scores.

“But England in that moment think they’ve got a penalty advantage. The TMO has come in the ref’s ear and said it’s only a knock on. So, it’s quite a confusing set of circumstances. How do you referee that?”

Responding, Owens said: “Personally, I would have stuck with my on-field decision. I would have given what I’ve seen and this is what I’m going to do. If you then are going to change that view, then I think you have to understand….

“So you have two options. You either say no, I’m happy with this and then you carry on. Or you go look, I got this wrong, England, I appreciate you thought you had a penalty advantage, but it’s not the case. So, I’m going to go back and it will be a scrum, your ball, from the knock-on. That is, for me, the right thing to do.

“There are a couple of things here as well. What the official team will learn from this is to stick with your onfield decision, because the TMO actually was outside of protocol. You can’t come in for that, it’s not within protocol to come in for that.

“So that’s the first thing, you shouldn’t have come in for that,” the legendary Test referee added. “Let’s say he does come in and you change your mind, then I think you’ve got to say look hang on lads, this has been messy. We got it wrong, we’re going to go back, you knocked it on, knock on only, scrum England ball – that would be the fair thing thing to do.

“France probably wouldn’t have scored from that which becomes a different discussion again. So there are a lot of things to learn from that really, for people watching the game and for players as well, just to bear in mind that decisions could be changed with the TMO.

“Look, technology and the TMO has its place in the game,” Owens continued. “But I would like to see more of the TMO used just for the act of scoring, and letting the referees [do the rest].

“Without the TMO, I guarantee you the referees will get most of these decisions right themselves. But because the TMO is there, this is where we’re having a bit of an issue sometimes.”

Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here for all the breaking news.