Nigel Owens weighs in on controversial final France penalty as clarity provided after confusion
Nigel Owens (left) has weighed in on the decision to award France a penalty in last week's Six Nations Test v England
Ex-Test referee Nigel Owens believes the decision to award France a penalty in the final stage of their Six Nations meeting with England was the correct decision, but wishes they had shown the exact offence to avoid any confusion.
Referee Nika Amashukeli awarded France a penalty for a high tackle from England prop Trevor Davison on fellow replacement Joshua Brennan, but it was subsequently met with confusion from various channels, with it being awarded a couple of phases after the incident.
Even the players were left muddled as well, with England captain Maro Itoje later tussling with a couple of France players in the immediate aftermath, but it was eventually seen to be awarded for the aforementioned tackle.
‘We do have a penalty, there’s no doubt about that’
Speaking on Whistle Watch, Owens offered some clarity on the initial decision, insisting it was the correct call to ping Davison for the incident.
“The penalty is correct, that’s the first thing. We do have a penalty, there’s no doubt about that.
“But, I was watching the game and going ‘that’s a big call to decide a game. I can’t see what’s wrong with it’. The TMO was sweeping and then comes in.
“The outcome is totally correct. Fair play to the officials, it’s a big call but they’ve done the correct one.”
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However, Owens also aired his belief that the referee should have asked to see the tackle on the big screen, just to ease any confusion.
“We’ve had difficulty this year in the broadcaster actually seeing the footage. We’ve had a couple of discussions where we’ve said ‘why didn’t they show that footage on the day’ or ‘where was that footage’. If that was me, I would have said, ‘show me the head contact, please’, so everybody knows their 100% correct. They were correct, but people watching were going ‘where’s the penalty?’.
“You have a duty to make the right decision, that’s the first thing, but it does help with an explanation. And for the players as well, there were probably some players on the pitch going ‘what was that for’.
“I would have liked to see the footage, it ticks all the boxes (then). The penalty is correct, there is no doubt about that and well done on the officials and the TMO for picking it up. They got the right decision, and that’s the important thing.”
