2. Rebels stitched up at ANZ.
This was an absolute shocker, with plenty of blame to go around.
See the photo below. Have a look at where Stirzacker is standing, a clear couple of metres within the 22 right? From here, Stirzacker passed back to Debreczeni who cleared the ball 40 metres downfield. Unfortunately for the Rebels, the referee, Rohan Hoffman, was fooled by another line on the ground – a 20-meter marking left from a previous rugby league game – and decided the ball had been carried back into the 22 before being kicked out on the full. Lineout Waratahs.
![[IMG]](https://i.imgur.com/6HbTjpZ.jpg)
From the lineout the Waratahs would score almost immediately and get out to a lead they were able to hang on to.
Having originally got the call wrong, Hoffman was informed by his TMO of the error but refused to take play back saying he’d already ruled on it.
How was the line from the League still on the ground? How is it that neither Hoffman nor either of the assistant referees were able to spot the actual placement of the 22? And how is it that even with the increased powers given to the TMO that something like this was able to occur?
Rugby is a professional sport, and has been for 20 years now. Farces like this take us back to the amateur days. In a saturated market, jokeshop events like this just can’t be happening.
