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WATCH | As Bok referee debate rages, 'common' sense prevails at Loftus after Stravino hit

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Referee Adam Jones. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)
Referee Adam Jones. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)

As the fallout from the refereeing during the Springboks and Argentina Test in Durban, Bulls mentor Jake White was pleased that "common sense" prevailed in the handling of Stravino Jacobs' hit on Scottish centre Mark Bennett at Loftus this past weekend.

The young winger had thumped his Edinburgh opponent with a robust chest-high hit in the final minute, prompting Welsh arbiter Adam Jones to immediately consult the TMO.

The respective replay angles provided differing views.

Front-on, there was evidence that Bennett - who was crouching to an extent - was hit on the chin by Jacobs' shoulder.

From behind, however, the tackle seemed legitimate, suggesting Bennett's whiplash was delayed.

Sensibly, Jones merely awarded a penalty, where Edinburgh fullback Henry Immelman pushed the long range shot-at-goal wide, granting the Bulls a 33-31 victory.

"It's difficult for me to make a call on it," said White.

"There's been a big push from lawmakers to make sure tackles are lower. I thought Stravino did really well to drop his height and probably hit the ball.

"Common sense prevailed. They didn't card him. The reality was that they thought it was a penalty, if anything, and the guy missed it. Those were the margins.

"If the kick went over, we probably would've been debating whether it was a legitimate tackle or not."


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