Former international referee Nigel Owens believes that Aphelele Fassi was incredibly lucky not to be yellow-carded for his turnover against Australia in the Rugby Championship.<\/p>\n
The Springboks full-back made a crucial intervention in the 64th minute of the game when he won a turnover after the Wallabies broke downfield and into South Africa\u2019s 22.<\/p>\n
After a hanging high bomb from Handre Pollard, Len Ikitau scooped up the ball and managed to get an offload away to winger Corey Toole, who spun out of a tackle and chipped over Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.<\/p>\n
Toole and Pollard scrambled for the ball, but neither managed to regather. Andrew Kellaway was quick to snap it up before being engulfed by Fassi.<\/p>\n
The full-back got back to his feet and pilfered over the ball while Toole\u2019s attempted clear-out was impeded by Cobus Reinach, who was backtracking to get into the defensive line.<\/p>\n
The action ended with referee James Doleman awarding a scrum to South Africa as he deemed that Fassi was legal in his actions and that Kellaway had knocked on the ball as the Springbok won the turnover.<\/p>\n
It was a telling moment in the game as South Africa<\/a> held a narrow 23-17 lead, and a converted try would have put the Wallabies<\/a> ahead. Instead, the Boks would add one more try while James O\u2019Connor missed two shots at goal as the game ended 30-22 in the hosts\u2019 favour.<\/p>\n Nigel Owens weighs in on Fassi\u2019s turnover<\/p>\n However, Owens<\/a> states that the official \u2018definitely\u2019 got the call wrong as he believes that Fassi should have been penalised and could well have been yellow-carded too.<\/p>\n Fans have been incredibly outspoken about the turnover, with one stating that the \u2018Aussies were robbed\u2019 in their message to Owens and World Rugby\u2019s Whistle Watch show on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve heard the words \u2018Aussies robbed\u2019 a few times in this Whistle Watch series,\u201d Owens quipped before explaining that the Australians had reason to feel aggrieved on this occasion.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not saying that they were robbed in this game, but they certainly do have a very, very valid point here, and I do believe that there should have been a yellow card to South Africa 15 [Fassi], and this is the reason why.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we have a line break, a clear great break by Australia and then the other Australian player regathers the ball. Now he\u2019s tackled just short of the goal line \u2013 a few metres out. Look at South Africa 15. When he tackles that player, he needs to release the player with the ball, then get to his feet before he can attempt to jackal that ball.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat he does, he does get back to his feet, but he never lets that ball carrier go. So we definitely have a penalty \u2013 it is quite cynical as well because it\u2019s only a couple of metres out from the try line and it\u2019s after a great break from Australia as well.<\/p>\n \u201cSo that incident alone should be a penalty and a yellow card as well.\u201d<\/p>\n The laws Owens is referencing are 14.5 a, c, and d, which read: The former referee believes that Fassi was guilty of 14.5 a and d.<\/p>\n Ex-Springbok: \u2018All Blacks are vulnerable in areas where Rassie Erasmus\u2019 men are strong\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Springboks: \u2018Generational talent\u2019 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu\u2019s future decided while rookie fields several offers<\/a><\/p>\n Reinach\u2019s involvement and how it was missed<\/p>\n However, he also singled out the actions of replacement scrum-half Reinach, who impeded the possible clear-out from Toole as he ran back into a defensive position.<\/p>\n \u201cLook at South Africa 22 as well,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat he does very, very cleverly, as he\u2019s coming back, he runs across the tackle. So what he\u2019s doing now is preventing the Australian support player from getting there to regather that ball or clearing out that illegal jackler \u2013 so we have two offences here.<\/p>\n \u201cSo Australia certainly are quite valued in their grievance point here. That definitely should have been a penalty. It should have been a penalty for either of those actions, and definitely a cynical action \u2013 a penalty and yellow card against South Africa 15.\u201d<\/p>\n Owens was pressed by former England winger Ugo Moyne, who joined him on the show, on how the referee and his officiating team missed a clear-cut penalty for Australia.<\/p>\n The problem with kick & press is that Wallabies played through the press a few times. Fassi Try-saver. pic.twitter.com\/EROZWpcUn8<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 DummySwitchPod (@DummySwitchPod) August 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The ex-referee explained that often an official can doubt their decision-making in a high-pressure moment like that, and while they endeavour to make the right call, they can\u2019t get them all correct.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, sometimes things are missed no matter how obvious it may look to everybody else, because you\u2019re in that moment, you\u2019re focusing on something, and you may have a little bit of doubt,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cSo the referee may think, \u2018Oh, was there a clear release there or not?\u2019 and because of that doubt, he chooses to play on, but yes, you should be seeing this something which is quite open, there\u2019s nothing in your line of sight \u2013 then we would certainly like the referees to pick this up.<\/p>\n \u201cThe trigger here would be that linebreak. When you have a line break and you\u2019re approaching that goal line area into that red zone, your awareness and focus as a referee goes up another level. You are now really switched on and looking, ready for all the scenarios that may take place.<\/p>\n \u201cBut unfortunately, we do miss them, but they should be seeing stuff like this.\u201d<\/p>\n Wallabies squad: 11-man injury list, Will Skelton\u2019s absence explained as returnees bolster Joe Schmidt\u2019s team, but selection conundrum remains<\/a><\/p>\n Deliberate knock-on and possibility of a penalty try<\/p>\n While Fassi escaped a sanction for his turnover, he would still visit the sin bin when he was deemed to have deliberately knocked down a Wallabies player\u2019s pass.<\/p>\n The incident occurred near the halfway line, so Doleman deemed that it did not warrant a penalty try because it did not deny a probable try. However, Owens explained that theoretically, a penalty try could be awarded for an incident that takes place that far away from the try line, though it is very rare.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not too far out [for a penalty try],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt all has to do with what happens next. Are there defenders? Do you think the player that was 50 metres out would receive the ball? Would he probably have been caught or tackled?<\/p>\n \u201cSo let\u2019s put it to an example. Imagine, say Ugo Moyne gets the ball 50 metres out and the only players you\u2019ve got there in defence are two props. And if they\u2019re anything like the speed of Joe Marler, there is no way that they\u2019re going to catch Moyne.<\/p>\n \u201cSo when we talk about 50 metres out, we\u2019re not saying 100% it can\u2019t be a penalty try from 50 metres out, but it really needs to be quite clear that a try would probably have been caught.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this instance, we do have a deliberate knock on; without a doubt, we have one, so it\u2019s a penalty. We have a yellow card as well, depending \u201cA try may have been scored, but I don\u2019t think we can say it\u2019s probable because there are a lot of defenders who could have come across and potentially tackled that player who is that distance out.<\/p>\n \u201cSo in this instance here, I would agree that it\u2019s not a penalty try, but that\u2019s not to say that something 50 metres out definitely can\u2019t be a penalty try, but certainly this instance here, too many questions and not a probable try.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE:\u00a0Wallabies squad: Winners and losers including \u2018huge setback\u2019 of giant second-row and return of trio from injury<\/a><\/p>\n
\u201ca. Immediately release the ball and the ball-carrier after both players go to ground. Sanction: Penalty.\u201d
\u201cc. Be on their feet before attempting to play the ball. Sanction: Penalty.\u201d
\u201cd. Allow the tackled player to release or play the ball. Sanction: Penalty.\u201d<\/p>\n
on what happens next, but for me, there are too many questions to be answered here for a penalty try.<\/p>\n