Referee leaves fans fuming after overruling TMO on supposed Savea high shot

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Author: Samuel Sherry,
Publish Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2026, 9:12am

Referee Matthew Carley’s decision to overrule the TMO in the All Blacks first test against the Springboks over a supposed high shot from Ardie Savea has infuriated South African fans.

In the 70th minute of the match, Carley was asked by Scottish TMO Mike Adamson to take a look at a tackle by the All Blacks captain on South Africa’s No 8 Jasper Wiese.

The contact was initially with the shoulder, but the Springbok’s head motion saw his head touch Savea’s shoulder.

“I think it’s on the shoulder and the head’s come forward,” Carley said.

“So Mike, we’re not seeing this as foul play. You believe that the contact is on the shoulder and the head rocks forward.”

“The head drops forward and there is contact with the head,” Adamson responded.

“It’s not the high tackle, it’s the player in a whiplash motion that creates the contact for us,” Carley concluded with his touch judges, moving on from the situation.

The English referee stayed consistent with these types of calls throughout the match, with him giving a penalty for a high shot from Eben Etzebeth on Tupou Vaa’i before the 10th minute, but did not show a card and the TMO did not intervene.

Fans were furious with the referee’s decision to not show Savea a yellow card late in the game.

“These were yellow cards evrry [sic] day for the last year and now all of a sudden its ok,” one commenter said.

“Poor officiating!! Even Jordi [sic] Barrett knocking the ball out of Marx hand, few weird decisions but Boks let themselves down too,” another claimed.

“This should have been a penalty only as it started low and then moved up with head contact…” said another X user.

At the time of the controversial call, New Zealand were up 26-16.

The Springboks instead found themselves reduced to 14 men when the TMO was asked by Carley to check an infringement at a ruck near the Springboks’ try line, which ended with Marco van Staden sent to the sin bin.

About a minute later, Cobus Reinach was given a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on, seeing the hosts end the test with just 13 players on the field.

The All Blacks would go on to score another try to win the test 33-13 and give them a 1-0 lead in the series.

Their next test is at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on August 30 at 3.10am NZT, but the All Blacks play the Lions in Johannesburg in a midweek fixture before then.