Referee explains why Leinster should have had game-winning penalty try

He was unhappy with the decision.

Following Leinster’s Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton, veteran Test referee Owen Doyle said that Leinster were unfairly denied a penalty try in the last stages of the game.

Towards the end of the game, Leinster’s Josh van der Flier charged to the try line but was stopped short. Northampton’s Alex Coles stopped the Leinster player from crossing the line and was penalised and carded by French referee Pierre Brousset. However, Doyle believes a penalty try should have been awarded.

Doyle’s major point of contention was that Cole went to ground on van der Flier, claiming that the Leinsterman would have scored without his intervention.

He stated, “It [the law book] prohibits an opponent from falling on a ball carrier who is on the ground.” It is strictly forbidden. Otherwise, van der Flier would most likely have reached out and scored.”

Doyle observed that likelihood is an important component in awarding a penalty try, and given van der Flier’s distance from the try line, a touchdown was likely and would have been the “correct call.”
Doyle did accept that Leinster may have made a mistake call with Max Deegan’s delayed pass to van der Flier after being tackled, which resulted in a first-half score and perhaps violated the rule that dictates a tackled player must instantly place the ball on the ground or pass it. Deegan’s feinting action, which prevented Northampton from challenging possession, should have been called off, but it was not on the “same scale” as the penalty try incident.

Doyle comments that while there are contestable scrum and breakdown calls in all matches, Brousset was “fair and equitable” overall. However, he believes the referee will be remembered for this one moment.

He went on to say, “Some would argue that it should not have come down to just one episode, but the fact is that it did. “It definitely did.”