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Watch: The freakish Super Rugby try that's left fans questioning the laws

Pita Gus Sowakula. (Photo by Michael Bradley/Getty Images)

It might be too early to already be talking about a ‘try of the season’ contender with just four games of Super Rugby Pacific out of the way but big Chiefs number 8 Pita Gus Sowakula certainly scored a doozy against the Highlanders on Saturday night.

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Scintillating tries have always been the name of the game in matches between the Chiefs and the Highlanders.

Who can forget Tim Nanai-Williams’ five-pointer scored under the roof in Dunedin in 2013 after an epic passage of play that saw both sides muster multiple linebreaks in a 4-minute period that eventually ended with the Chiefs centre dashing 70 metres down the field for the score.

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More recently, Jona Nareki put on a showcase in the Highlanders’ comeback win at the start of the 2020 Super Rugby Aotearoa season to kick-start the Chiefs’ disastrous campaign.

While Pita Gus Sowakula didn’t have to clock up many metres to earn his meat pie against the Highlanders and score the Chiefs’ second try of the game on Saturday afternoon, the athletic feat on display was arguably more impressive.

From a 5-metre attacking scrum close to the left-hand touchline, Sowakula broke off and headed to the blindside where he was met by just one solitary defender: All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith. Instead of using his considerable frame to try blast through Smith, Sowakula simply leapt over the incoming tackle and dived over the line to score untouched.

It was an impressive feat, but one which had many fans questioning the legality of the manoeuvre on social media.

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Similar attempts to jump over tackles have been penalised in the past with referees often citing the laws regarding dangerous play as a justification.

England wing Jonny May scored a similar try against Italy last year, hurdling over Luca Sperandio to dot the ball down in the corner.

Initially, former-referee-turned-pundit Nigel Owens suggested on Twitter that the try should have been disallowed if May intended to avoid the tackle by hurdling over the defender.

Owens later clarified his comments, suggesting that the refereeing team had evidently decided the manoeuvre from May wasn’t dangerous, but he did confirm that “what you can’t do is jump into or jump over a tackle or would-be tackler, the same as you can’t dive or jump over a ruck to score a try.”

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As there is no specific law about jumping over tacklers in the law book, it’s up to individual referees to make a call and Paul Williams, the man in the middle on Saturday afternoon,  evidently was comfortable that no dangerous play had been committed by Sowakula.

The Chiefs went on to win the match 26-16.

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Comments

7 Comments
P
Patrick 982 days ago

Sorry this just looks like an American Football tailback move… nice athletic move but surely a penalty. If on the future he gets hit in the head surely tackler can say that fact he jumps is a mitigating factor.

r
r 985 days ago

Aaron very lucky not to knock his head in the way ..

r
r 985 days ago

That was a great try. You do everything in you're power to avoid the tackler bro. Sidestep,bumpoff jump over spin.. what's you're problem?

J
Jackson 986 days ago

Nothing wrong it was a brilliant move, if Smith had connected he would have damaged himself. All the "over rulers" are Highlander supporters.

J
Julie 986 days ago

I agree no danger and that should be interpretation Rugby is becoming real boring with all these rules which are stopping flow of game.

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Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Rassie Erasmus' Boks selection policy is becoming bizarre

To be fair, the only thing that drives engagement on this site is over the top critiques of Southern Hemisphere teams.


Or articles about people on podcasts criticizing southern hemisphere teams.


Articles regarding the Northern Hemisphere tend to be more positive than critical. I guess to also rile up kiwis and Saffers who seem to be the majority of followers in the comments section. There seems to be a whole department dedicated to Ireland’s world ranking news.


Despite being dialled into the Northern edition - I know sweet fokall about what’s going on in France.


And even less than fokall about what’s cutting in Japan - which has a fast growing, increasingly premium League competition emerging.


And let’s not talk about the pacific. Do they even play rugby Down there.


Oh and the Americas. I’ve read more articles about a young, stargazing Welshman’s foray into NFL than I have anything related to either the north and south continents of the Americas.


I will give credit that the women’s game is getting decent airtime. But for the rest and the above; it’s just pathetic coming from a World Rugby website.


Just consider the innovation emerging in Japan with the pedigree of coaches over there.


There’s so much good we could be reading.


Instead it’s unimaginative “critical for the sake of feigning controversial”. Which is lazy, because in order to pull that off all you need to be really good at is:


1. Being a doos;

2. Having an opinion.


No prior experience needed.


Which is not journalism. That’s like all or most of us in the comments section. People like Finn (who I believe is a RP contributor).


Anyway. Hopefully it will get better. The game is growing and the interest in the game is growing. Maybe it will attract more qualified journalists over time.

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