Sir John Kirwan has launched a scathing assessment of the officiating in the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series decider, pinpointing a contentious moment in the second half as pivotal to the Springboks' victory in Baltimore on Saturday.
With New Zealand trailing 29-21 and mounting a comeback, Damian McKenzie broke through the South African defence. As the full-back looked to release Will Jordan, Cameron Hanekom made a tackle whilst Josh Moorby simultaneously received the ball. Moorby also tripped before contact, though officials ruled the incident accidental. Kurt-Lee Arendse capitalised on the turnover, racing 70 metres to extend the Springboks' lead to 36-21.
Kirwan argued the sequence warranted both a penalty and a yellow card. "I thought the rhythm of the game was falling our way, I thought we're going to come back like the first Test, I thought the Springboks were out on their feet," the 61-year-old said on the Rivals podcast. "Leg trip and an early tackle, he looks at it three times. If you're a New Zealander, you look at it and go, 'that's an early tackle and a trip every day of the week'. He looks at it and it's a 14-point turnaround, for me that was the game there, so that was frustrating."
Victor Matfield also weighed in on the officiating debate, though the nature of the former Springbok lock's comments remained unclear. The clash underscored the intensity of the exhibition series, which Kirwan praised as "fantastic for rugby" despite his grievances over the match officials' performance.