When leaving Japan in the fall of 2019 after an infuriating defeat for the French XV in the quarter-finals of the World Cup against Wales, we asked ourselves, in all measure: “Should Jaco Peyper be treated like a war criminal for his photo with Welsh fans? » Yes, yes, remember, the expulsion of Vahaamahina, the nudge – idiotic – imitated later by the South African referee alongside Welsh supporters – even more idiotic.
Painful scar that the appointment of friend Jaco to the France-New Zealand whistle at the opening of the 2023 World Cup has inevitably revived. He’s a bit like our Voldemort. Plus he’s bald and he doesn’t have a nose (figuratively speaking) to sniff out the New Zealand forwards. Take the scandalous second try given to Mark Telea. Rieko Ioane’s jump pass at the end of the action causes the ball to move forward. So logically, there is ahead, right? Look, even TF1 has drawn little yellow lines to prove it.
In reality, things are not that simple. The assessment of a forward pass cannot be done without taking into account the movement of the ball carrier. On the action in question, it turns out that Ioane is on the move. This is where the principle of inertia comes in: when a running player lets go of the ball, he transfers his speed to it. Thus, although thrown backwards in relation to the player, the ball can move forward in relation to the field. Rather than stupidly looking at the path of the ball from point A to point B, it is also advisable to pay attention to the passer’s intention to execute a backward gesture and the position of the passer in relation to to the receiver. On the second point, no doubt. Telea is behind the passer. The first point is the only truly debatable one.
Verdict of the Hague court: We can only blame Jaco’s video team for having rushed the question a little quickly, without any more explanation than that. In the meantime, and without irrefutable proof of the validity of the test, Vahaamahina jurisprudence authorizes us to continue to hate Peyper and to think that he has once again caused harm to the Blues.