"Conclusive" - New angle proves Scotland's disallowed try against France should have stood

RUCK’s 2024 Guinness Six Nations content 

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As the clock reached 80 minutes with Scotland trailing 16-20 at Murrayfield, Sam Skinner seemed to have scored a crucial try to secure a dramatic win for the hosts. Nevertheless, referee Nic Berry's initial decision on the field was no try. Following extensive deliberations, TMO Brian MacNeice determined there was insufficient conclusive evidence to overturn the decision.

Replays indicated the ball touching the ground, and it appeared that the officials were inclined to validate the try before the abrupt conclusion.

Following the game, Formula 1 icon and proud Scotsman David Coulthard shared a photo on social media, highlighting an angle that strongly indicated Townsend's team had faced considerable misfortune.

Coulthard humorously captioned the image, saying, "If it were any lower to the ground, I might have to enlist [Australian driver] Mark Webber to retrieve the ball!"

"We were celebrating in the coaches box," said Scotland boss Townsend. "We could hear the TMO's conversation with the referee, saying 'the ball was on foot then the ball was down' and then he changes his mind and says 'stick with the on-field decision'.

"I don't know what you can say. From a coaching perspective, you've got to win the game and not put it in the hands of TMOs and referees and that is what we will work on.

"We were in control of the game and in control most of the way in tough conditions. We had to play a different way and I'm really disappointed we didn't win the game. We felt we won the game - we saw the ball on the try line."

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Below, we look at five players who across the day who failed to perform for their respected nation.

Rugby Dump 4/10: "Pretty anonymous throughout as he rarely got his hands on the ball. He did save a certain French try albeit in controversial circumstances as he appeared to go high but got away with it."

Planet Rugby 5/10: "Like Rowe. the behemoth flyer did not see much of the ball but when he did, he kept France‘s defence busy. He eventually gained 18 attacking metres from five runs and was pretty anonymous on defence as he only made three tackles but missed two of those."

Rugby 365 5.5/10: "Came off his left wing to make the extra man in the attack that led to White’s try, but didn’t have the ball in his hands enough from a Scottish point of view. Well shackled by the French defence, and made one excellent cover tackle to collar Fickou after the centre’s coruscating break."

Rugby Pass 0/10: "It might seem harsh to put too much emphasis on his 70th minute yellow card – for a deliberate knock-on in his own 22 as English backs formed on his outside – but that was his most significant contribution. The result was England taking the lead for the first time. If that’s not a score of 0 then  one doesn’t exist."

Wales Online 3/10: "His yellow card for a deliberate knock-on meant Wales played the final 10 minutes with 14 men."

Telegraph 5/10: "Struggled to match the heights of last week, losing the ball in contact deep inside the Welsh 22 before conceding a penalty and yellow card for killing a maul."

Planet Rugby 4/10: "A great debut last week but not so good this time around. The yellow card was needless as all he had to do was hold them up as he had got onto the ball."

Rugby Pass 4/10: "Struggled to provide any strike force through midfield. Also guilty for giving the ball away after a 24 phase move when he recklessly chucked an off-load from the ground. Worse perhaps was the custard-soft penalty he gave away when Adams kicked from his own in-goal area to gift England three points."

Telegraph 5/10: "The challenge is to involve him more as a ball carrier. His disjointed midfield partnership with North epitomised Wales’ lack of clarity in attack."

Planet Rugby 4/10: "He was baffled by his yellow card but really shouldn’t have been, as it was a clear-cut call. He was strong in the scrums and won a turnover. Outside of his card, it was a solid enough performance."

Rugby Pass 4/10: "Showed high game IQ to strip Ben White at the back of a maul with 3 minutes on the clock but it was all downhill from there for the La Rochelle man. Kept collapsing at the scrum and once again was sent to the sin-bin was a clumsy challenge. You can’t help but feel that the 145kg prop is a yellow or red card waiting to happen every time he takes to the pitch."