The Rugby World Cup final try that was.
This is an extract taken from the SAReferees website and the item is labelled Naugthy Burger. It explains what happened just ahead of Cueto's try.
An awkward bouncing ball comes back to Matthew Tait on the half-way line as the Springbok defence closes in. Suddenly Tait waggles, steps and bursts past François Steyn, Butch James and Jaque Fourie. He races down the field, sweeping past Percy Montgomery on the outside and then cutting back inside Bryan Habana till Victor Matfield fells him a couple of metres from the Springbok line.
First on the scene is Schalk Burger who slides in on the ball from the side before going round the back. Behind is JP Pietersen who slips and starts to get up.
In comes Mike Catt, driving in on Burger and Jason Robinson and Simon Shaw also arrive while the referee is showing that he is playing advantage.
While the referee is waiting for the TMO's decision on Cueto's diving effort, he calls John Smit, the Springbok captain over, and says to him: "I'm going back to the penalty. That number six was very naughty coming in the side. He won't do that again."
When the TMO advises that Cueto was in touch, the referee goes back to the penalty five metres from the South African line. Mike Catt comes to talk to him. The conversation is inaudible but may well have been about the possibility of a penalty try.
There is only one reason to award a penalty try - if an opponent's infringement stopped the probable scoring of a try. It is a judgement call for the referee.
Burger's action was an infringement but did it prevent the probable scoring of a try? Tait was not going to score has he had been tackled. He did not pass back to Catt and was not in the action of passing to Catt because Burger had infringed. What Tait's next move would have been is anybody's guess . (his instinct was to have made the ball playable for his team mate)
If Catt could have picked up the ball, he could possibly have scored.
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