Johan Ackermann is seeking clarification from match officials on two fronts: whether the Gans-to-Arendse pass was genuinely forward, and — more pointedly — how many phases back a TMO is permitted to go when reviewing a try. Ackermann's understanding is that the current protocol limits reviews to two phases back; he counts three or four phases between the flagged pass and Kriel's finish in the corner. The timing of the intervention also irked him, with the referral only triggered after Pollard's conversion clock had nearly expired.
The Bulls scraped through 23-21 on Pollard's late penalty, but Ackermann was candid that they were well below their best — the Scarlets' aerial kicking game pinned them in their own half for long stretches. With Zebre and Benetton still to come at Loftus, the performance will concern as much as the officiating question. The TMO issue, though, is the kind of ruling that quietly shapes playoff positioning — and Ackermann knows it would have dominated the post-match conversation had Pollard's penalty not gone over.