Nigel Owens: Wallabies have ‘valid grievances’ after Springboks’ try-saving turnover is incorrectly officiated
Aphelele Fassi's turnover against the Wallabies and an inset of former referee Nigel Owens.
Former international referee Nigel Owens believes that Aphelele Fassi was incredibly lucky not to be yellow-carded for his turnover against Australia in the Rugby Championship.
The Springboks full-back made a crucial intervention in the 64th minute of the game when he won a turnover after the Wallabies broke downfield and into South Africa’s 22.
After a hanging high bomb from Handre Pollard, Len Ikitau scooped up the ball and managed to get an offload away to winger Corey Toole, who spun out of a tackle and chipped over Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Toole and Pollard scrambled for the ball, but neither managed to regather. Andrew Kellaway was quick to snap it up before being engulfed by Fassi.
The full-back got back to his feet and pilfered over the ball while Toole’s attempted clear-out was impeded by Cobus Reinach, who was backtracking to get into the defensive line.
The action ended with referee James Doleman awarding a scrum to South Africa as he deemed that Fassi was legal in his actions and that Kellaway had knocked on the ball as the Springbok won the turnover.
It was a telling moment in the game as South Africa held a narrow 23-17 lead, and a converted try would have put the Wallabies ahead. Instead, the Boks would add one more try while James O’Connor missed two shots at goal as the game ended 30-22 in the hosts’ favour.
Nigel Owens weighs in on Fassi’s turnover
However, Owens states that the official ‘definitely’ got the call wrong as he believes that Fassi should have been penalised and could well have been yellow-carded too.
Fans have been incredibly outspoken about the turnover, with one stating that the ‘Aussies were robbed’ in their message to Owens and World Rugby’s Whistle Watch show on YouTube.
“We’ve heard the words ‘Aussies robbed’ a few times in this Whistle Watch series,” Owens quipped before explaining that the Australians had reason to feel aggrieved on this occasion.
“I’m not saying that they were robbed in this game, but they certainly do have a very, very valid point here, and I do believe that there should have been a yellow card to South Africa 15 [Fassi], and this is the reason why.
“So we have a line break, a clear great break by Australia and then the other Australian player regathers the ball. Now he’s tackled just short of the goal line – a few metres out. Look at South Africa 15. When he tackles that player, he needs to release the player with the ball, then get to his feet before he can attempt to jackal that ball.
“What he does, he does get back to his feet, but he never lets that ball carrier go. So we definitely have a penalty – it is quite cynical as well because it’s only a couple of metres out from the try line and it’s after a great break from Australia as well.
“So that incident alone should be a penalty and a yellow card as well.”
The laws Owens is referencing are 14.5 a, c, and d, which read:
“a. Immediately release the ball and the ball-carrier after both players go to ground. Sanction: Penalty.”
“c. Be on their feet before attempting to play the ball. Sanction: Penalty.”
“d. Allow the tackled player to release or play the ball. Sanction: Penalty.”
The former referee believes that Fassi was guilty of 14.5 a and d.
Reinach’s involvement and how it was missed
However, he also singled out the actions of replacement scrum-half Reinach, who impeded the possible clear-out from Toole as he ran back into a defensive position.
“Look at South Africa 22 as well,” he continued.
“What he does very, very cleverly, as he’s coming back, he runs across the tackle. So what he’s doing now is preventing the Australian support player from getting there to regather that ball or clearing out that illegal jackler – so we have two offences here.
“So Australia certainly are quite valued in their grievance point here. That definitely should have been a penalty. It should have been a penalty for either of those actions, and definitely a cynical action – a penalty and yellow card against South Africa 15.”
Owens was pressed by former England winger Ugo Moyne, who joined him on the show, on how the referee and his officiating team missed a clear-cut penalty for Australia.
The problem with kick & press is that Wallabies played through the press a few times. Fassi Try-saver. pic.twitter.com/EROZWpcUn8
— DummySwitchPod (@DummySwitchPod) August 25, 2025
The ex-referee explained that often an official can doubt their decision-making in a high-pressure moment like that, and while they endeavour to make the right call, they can’t get them all correct.
“Unfortunately, sometimes things are missed no matter how obvious it may look to everybody else, because you’re in that moment, you’re focusing on something, and you may have a little bit of doubt,” he explained.
“So the referee may think, ‘Oh, was there a clear release there or not?’ and because of that doubt, he chooses to play on, but yes, you should be seeing this something which is quite open, there’s nothing in your line of sight – then we would certainly like the referees to pick this up.
“The trigger here would be that linebreak. When you have a line break and you’re approaching that goal line area into that red zone, your awareness and focus as a referee goes up another level. You are now really switched on and looking, ready for all the scenarios that may take place.
“But unfortunately, we do miss them, but they should be seeing stuff like this.”
Nigel Owens: All Blacks deserved sin binnings for ‘very cynical’ acts
Deliberate knock-on and possibility of a penalty try
While Fassi escaped a sanction for his turnover, he would still visit the sin bin when he was deemed to have deliberately knocked down a Wallabies player’s pass.
The incident occurred near the halfway line, so Doleman deemed that it did not warrant a penalty try because it did not deny a probable try. However, Owens explained that theoretically, a penalty try could be awarded for an incident that takes place that far away from the try line, though it is very rare.
“It’s not too far out [for a penalty try],” he said.
“It all has to do with what happens next. Are there defenders? Do you think the player that was 50 metres out would receive the ball? Would he probably have been caught or tackled?
“So let’s put it to an example. Imagine, say Ugo Moyne gets the ball 50 metres out and the only players you’ve got there in defence are two props. And if they’re anything like the speed of Joe Marler, there is no way that they’re going to catch Moyne.
“So when we talk about 50 metres out, we’re not saying 100% it can’t be a penalty try from 50 metres out, but it really needs to be quite clear that a try would probably have been caught.
“In this instance, we do have a deliberate knock on; without a doubt, we have one, so it’s a penalty. We have a yellow card as well, depending
on what happens next, but for me, there are too many questions to be answered here for a penalty try.
“A try may have been scored, but I don’t think we can say it’s probable because there are a lot of defenders who could have come across and potentially tackled that player who is that distance out.
“So in this instance here, I would agree that it’s not a penalty try, but that’s not to say that something 50 metres out definitely can’t be a penalty try, but certainly this instance here, too many questions and not a probable try.”
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