The TMO has had a ‘mare here we’re afraid.
The name Mitch Lewis mightn’t ring a bell but if you’re one for quizzes you should memorise it now because he unwittingly wrote his name in the rugby record books for all the wrong reasons this week.
Lewis was playing for the North Harbour Rays against Sydney Stars in Australia’s National Rugby Championships earlier this week and he must have thought he pulled off a decent steal when, with Stars on the attack, he pilfered the ball from the ruck and presented it for his teammates right on his own line.
The problem for Lewis is that, with so many players around and with both teams wearing jerseys with yellow sleeves, the referee went to the TMO, who adjudged that it was a Stars player who had touched the ball down on the try line.
Lewis understandably reacted with disbelief because the worst that should have happened was a five metre scrum in the opposition’s favour, but instead he became the first player in rugby history (that we know of) to score an ‘own try’, a score that cost his team a crucial five points in a game they went onto lose by nine, 49-40.
When you take a closer look at the footage, it’s unbelievable how the TMO arrived at the decision and the reaction of the great Sean Maloney on commentary says more than we ever could.
Mad stuff Ted.
Video via YouTube/North Harbour Rays
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