G-Man wrote
We actually had a ref that wasn't completely biased against us for a change, the Kiwis whinging sounds like sour grapes to me! That pass was miles forward, the linesman should have picked it up anyway!
The ref is supposed to ask for the information he needs to make the decision. He's unsure about certain things so he asks for clarification and then factors that into his decision making process.
The problem here is that he didn't ask about a forward pass but the TMO - South African - volunteered that information anyway.
So I think that
technically there is room for complaint, but it is still whinging. If SA had scored a trie where the actual touch down was in doubt but upheld by the TMO, and there'd been a forward pass prior to the events that the TMO was asked to investigate there'd have been no end to the moaning. And maybe they'd have had a point.
