Shocking Missed Call Alters Competition Landscape as Brumbies Suffer from Refereeing Blunder

Morgan Turinui did not hold back in his criticism of the officiating, labelling it “disgraceful,” after the ACT Brumbies suffered from a glaring and detrimental missed call during their match in Canberra on Friday night.

In the 75th minute at GIO Stadium, Crusaders winger Sevu Reece clearly knocked on the ball while attempting to gather it and pass from a ruck.

However, New Zealand referee James Doleman permitted play to carry on, telling Brumbies players that “it came off the foot.”

Assistant referee Fraser Hannon, despite having a clear view from the sidelines, offered no intervention, allowing Crusaders hooker George Bell to score the try that clinched the match.

The stakes were incredibly high, with the Crusaders securing a 33-31 victory, meaning they will finish second on the Super Rugby Pacific table, while the Brumbies will end up third before next weekend’s finals.

“There are protocols governing when the TMO can and cannot intervene, but in this instance, the referee was slightly unsighted and missed it entirely. James Doleman got it wrong regarding the ball coming off the foot,” Turinui remarked on Stan Sport’s coverage.

“His assistant referee (Hannon) has a clear sight and needed to step in to rectify an outright blunder that essentially cost the Brumbies the game, denied them a home semi-final, and altered the landscape of the competition,” Turinui added.

The Brumbies will still host a playoff in the first round of the finals next weekend, albeit the Chiefs and Crusaders are now in prime position moving forward.

“That’s what it boils down to—this impacts revenue for the Brumbies organisation, grants home ground advantage, and affects the semi-final week two,” Turinui further explained.

“They haven’t secured a top-two finish in 21 years, and they won the competition that season (2004). This was clearly an officiating oversight…

“Such performance is not up to the standard expected at Super Rugby Pacific. It has cost the Brumbies their second place on the table and severely diminishes their chances of winning the title. That’s simply unacceptable.”

The Brumbies did have an opportunity to reclaim the lead, but Corey Toole lost possession following a brilliant tackle by Scott Barrett.

Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham maintained his usual composure when discussing the controversial call involving Reece.

“Clearly there was a knock on by the winger before they kicked into the corner and scored,” Larkham said during an interview with Stan Sport.

“There’s not much we can do about that; we know referees will make mistakes, and that one was particularly crucial for us.

“It was a live call that favoured them, and we may have had a couple that went our way in both halves too.

“There were a lot of contests at the breakdown, and from a referee’s viewpoint, when you’re intensely focused on that area, you can miss what’s happening around the field.”

The drama in the closing moments overshadowed what was an exciting clash between two championship hopefuls and long-time rivals.

Both teams registered four tries, but Reece’s drop goal—along with his earlier knock on—proved to be the turning point.

This marked the first drop goal by a winger in Super Rugby since 2012, when Andries Coetzee achieved that feat for the Lions against the Stormers.

Larkham is also anxious about the fitness of star centre Len Ikitau, who managed to score a try but hobbled off with an injury 10 minutes from time.

Earlier on Friday, the Chiefs secured top position on the ladder following a 41-24 victory against the last-placed Highlanders in Dunedin.

Saturday’s matches commence with the defending champions, the Blues, facing off against the NSW Waratahs in Auckland—a must-win encounter for both teams.

Following that, the Hurricanes will host Moana Pasifika in Wellington, before the fifth-placed Queensland Reds take on the Fijian Drua in Brisbane.