FORMER Wallaby Rod Kafer said Nigel Owens should never referee a Test again after Henry Speight’s try was controversially disallowed in the Bledisloe Cup match at Eden Park on Saturday night.

Speight crossed for what appeared to be a memorable try but, after consultation with Welshman Owens, South African TMO Shaun Veldsman ruled that Wallabies winger Dane Haylett-Petty had prevented New Zealand defender Julian Savea from being able to attempt a tackle and the try was disallowed for obstruction.

Speight’s try would have made the score 15-all and a successful conversion would have put the Wallabies in the lead.

New Zealand went on to win 37-10 and set a new tier one world record for 18 successive Test wins.

Kafer, Fox Sports’ sideline expert, believed Owens had been pressured by the Auckland crowd into reviewing the try.

WATCH THE NO-TRY CALL IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE!

Referee Nigel Owens signals to players. Source: Getty Images

“This is ridiculous, the crowd’s been at the referee and Nigel Owens has now asked for a TMO ruling on a player who’s going to be behind the ball and is never, ever in a position to affect the ball,” Kafer said in commentary.

“He’s been done by the crowd here, Nigel Owens.

“That’s shoulder to shoulder, he’s behind the ball, there’s no such thing as an obstruction.

“Nigel Owens should never referee a Test match again, that is disgraceful.

“He’s behind the ball, he can run where he likes.

“It was a crucial decision that absolutely changed the course of this Test match.”

Kafer was commenting immediately after the decision when tensions were high.

Before making the no-try ruling, Owens asked Veldsman “you reckon he does enough to prevent him getting anywhere near him?”



Veldsman replied in the affirmative.

Owens was named the 2015 world referee of the year and controlled last year’s Rugby World Cup final between the trans-Tasman rivals.

Michael Cheika vents his frustration in the coaches box. Source: FOX SPORTS

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika blew up in the box after the decision while former Test captains John Eales and Phil Kearns agreed in commentary that it had changed the course of the match.

“Obviously I can’t say anything because they’ve got you by the throat,” Cheika replied when asked about the decision in an explosive post-match press conference.

“But I’ve never seen shepherding from behind before.

“But we can only call it a turning point if we lose by less than one score.

“We’ll see if World Rugby come out with an announcement or anything like that.”

Jonathan Kaplan, a former top Test referee, also slammed the call on Twitter.