A joke TMO bath v sale!!

[baz1664]

How can a try be given when you can't see if the ball has been grounded, it's a complete joke and how bath were awarded that try is a joke, it clearly shows that decisions our made if your face fits in this league!!!

[Tigerbeat]

At least Sale got the win...good result for Sharks and Tigers. Should be a creaking games at Sale at the beginning of May!!

[RagingBull]

Ford had a nightmare choked his drop goal shows signs of what he was like at times last year.

He shouldn't go to New Zealand his confidence could get shocked.

[baz1664]

Well done Sale, unlucky Mr Ford, is he international quality, certainly not yet, throughout that game Bath were using forwards to constantly protect him, have to take my hat off to Cipriani, played well and is a different player from his wasp days!!

[ellis9]

It was the ref that was wrong by asking "Any reason why I cannot award the try"? He should have asked "Try yes or no?"

[baz1664]

Totally agree with the above, but why didn't he ask try or no try??

[Soggypitch]

The referee was in the best position to award that try or not. No need for the TMO unless just to confirm his opinion.

Not sure if that was a good result for us or not...I suppose the only thing that matters is our own results starting from tomorrow!!!

[GT1]

Pretty sure ref thought it was grounded & just wanted any reason not to give it! In his first tmo call he didn't think they(Bath) had grounded it hence different request of try yes or no imho.
Good result for us?

[baz1664]

The TMO showed no good shot of a grounding, if the ref saw a grounding then he should give the try, simples!!

[northerntiger]

Thought the ref was awful. If I was a Bath fan I would be livid at the 14 minutes or so of scrums with about 7 penalties, but no penalty try.

[fleabane]

Dean Richards has done the same before - lots of resets without penalising the offending side. He also ignored the constant boring in by the Sale, and then the Bath loose heads. Very poor all round.

[GS]

Not sure he could give a penalty try as the Bath scrum wasn't actually making good progress that could only be stopped by a foul, the fouls being committed early to prevent this. He should have sent the offending players off at an earlier stage but then there's the risk of uncontested scrums but Bath should have got the real advantage before then.

The whole thing about what question the ref asks limiting the reply from the TMO is a tricky one as the ref can influence the decision by the question asked. The other point is that, to my understanding, the TMO can't comment on something else without being invited to. Something like 'Yes the ball was grounded - but there was a bad case of blocking earlier in the move'. BTW, am I right in thinking that if the ref misses a serious foul the TMO can tell him during play?

[fleabane]

I agree no penalty try, but no yellows?

[BG01]

There was a yellow--against Henry Thomas.


I think he did miss a good bunch of boring in during that game, but I actually thought he referred that 15 minutes fairly well. He can only really ref what's infront of him, and Bath were never going to push Sale over (legally). Likewise, when the bath 8 almost scored a new scrum was set up, so he could hardly give a PT straight away.


If I were a Bath fan I would be annoyed, but I'd be wrong.

[Skin_and_Muscle]

I agree no penalty try, but no yellows?

One yellow, ultimately to Sale's advantage as Cobilas improved their scrum!