The disallowed Siba Mahashe try against Leinster is the jumping-off point for a sharp column arguing that TMO overreach has fundamentally broken the viewing experience of professional rugby. The core argument: the original 'clear and obvious' mandate has been abandoned in favour of forensic, CSI-style reviews — applied inconsistently, and in the Mahashe case, absurdly so. Hollie Davidson was two metres from the play and called no infraction; if she and the assistant referee missed nothing obvious in real time, the TMO had no business intervening after the conversion. The piece draws the contrast sharply: the same Dublin game saw a Leinster try waved over without review, and the week before, three high hits in a Champions Cup semifinal went uninvestigated. It's the inconsistency, not just the pedantry, that's the real problem — and the comparison to VAR in football's Premier League title decider reinforces the point. The column also takes a swing at New Zealand rugby's overseas eligibility rules, arguing that blanket application of the policy to Retallick and Mo'unga — players with deep All Black service — is self-defeating ahead of the Greatest Rivalry series. It wraps with URC final-round permutations and predicted playoff seedings, with the Lions potentially needing results to go their way just to hold a top-eight spot.
TMOs are killing the game — and school rugby proves it
A sharp column using the disallowed Mahashe try as the centrepiece of a broader argument that TMOs have abandoned their 'clear and obvious' brief — applied forensic scrutiny to one try while waving through questionable scores elsewhere in the same game. Also covers New Zealand's overseas eligibility self-sabotage and the URC final-round permutations.
Keo & Zels: Stubborn All Blacks policy make Boks smile
The boys love that New Zealand keep picking their second-best, long may it continue.
Hooker targeting All Blacks opener after shoulder surgery, July Tests ruled out
Ethan Hooker is targeting the opening All Blacks Test in The Greatest Rivalry series after shoulder surgery, with the 23-year-old ruled out of all July Tests against England, Scotland and Wales.
Stephen Donald: Robertson copied the Boks — Rennie must go back to All Blacks DNA
Stephen Donald backs Hansen's anti-copycat argument, saying Robertson erred by chasing the Springbok blueprint rather than New Zealand's tempo-based strengths — and expects Rennie to correct that course ahead of a blockbuster four-Test series in South Africa.
TMO overreach is killing the game — and the Lions paid the price
The Mahashe disallowed try becomes a flashpoint for a wider argument that TMOs have abandoned the 'clear and obvious' mandate in favour of forensic overreach — with the Lions and the spectacle of the game paying the price. The column also takes aim at the All Blacks' overseas-player policy and previews the URC playoff picture.
Bulls land seven signings including Bosch and Abrahams ahead of 2026/27 season
The Bulls have signed seven players for next season, including Springbok fly-half Curwin Bosch from CA Brive on a three-year deal and Thaakir Abrahams from Munster on two years, with Luan Giliomee, Hakeem Kunene, Dylan Maart, Sango Xamlashe and Mawande Mdanda also coming aboard as the club undertakes a major squad overhaul.