How Springboks could have avoided disallowed wonder try
South Africa fans know it, and deep down All Blacks fans know it as well, that had the Springboks been awarded their try on 56 minutes at Ellis Park on Saturday they probably would have won the match. The try would have put them in the lead, and they might have pulled away from there.
The ‘no try’ was finished by Makazole Mapimpi following a break from Lukhanyo Am, but was eventually ruled out by Luke Pearce due to scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse’s blocking line. It may not have pleased many Bok fans, but it was the right decision, and former South Africa assistant coach Swys de Bruin agrees.
On SuperSport this week, de Bruin said that it was illegal from Hendrikse, but explained how he could have made it legal by ‘bookmarking’. This is where players can stand in the defensive line and create space for the ball carrier to run into. Instead, Hendrikse ran into the All Blacks’ defensive line to block Sam Whitelock, which is why the try was chalked off.
This was a travesty for the rugby neutrals as it would have been quite a try, showcasing why Am is regarded as one of the best in the world. Not only was the centre (playing on the wing) able to break the line and then two more All Blacks tacklers, he was then able to pull off a sensational long pass to Mapimpi while running at pace. It would have been one of the tries of the year.
De Bruin also added that had the try not been cancelled due to blocking, it would probably have been chalked off due to the pass from Am, which might well have gone forward.
So other than the small matters of the blocking and the forward pass, it was a great try.
Take a look at what de Bruin said:
