Saturday 3 November 2018 20:25, UK
Sir Clive Woodward says Owen Farrell's contentious tackle at the end of England's win over South Africa was a tough call but believes it will prove a huge moment for Eddie Jones' side.
The fly-half's fierce challenge, where he appeared to use no arms, on Andre Esterhuizen resulted in referee Angus Gardner consulting the TMO with the last action of the game. But Gardner decided there was nothing wrong with the tackle as England held on for a tense 12-11 win over the Springboks at Twickenham.
Woodward said: "I think It was a tough call for the TMO and the referee but actually I think there would have been a bigger debate if they'd given it. He does go in and it is a hit but he's trying [to tackle him].
"That is a big, big moment and if they'd called it a penalty you would say 'ok I can see why' but you can also see his right arm is getting round there when you've got someone running at you so fast. But what a tackle."
Former Springboks winger Bryan Habana has no complaints with the decision and praised Gardner for not making a rash ruling.
Habana said: "It was a massive collision and I think it was handled well because Angus could have easily gone with a red card but he took his time and consulted the TMO.
"I think they made a wise decision. There will be a lot of debate and from a South Africa point of view people will say possibly it was a penalty."
The final whistle sparked scenes of wild jubilation from England's players at Twickenham after a difficult year which has seen them lose five of their last six Tests.
Jones' side were on the defensive in the first half but managed to trail by just two points and improved after the break despite failing to score a try.
Woodward believes the victory is a huge step in England's development with less than a year until the World Cup gets under way in Japan.
"That was such a huge moment and just shows you the team is all there as one and they're totally behind Eddie and the coaching team," he said.
"It's such a massive win and that was a massive moment. I think that's kicked off the whole nine-month countdown to the World Cup fantastically."
#Followtherose this autumn with all of England's Tests live on Sky Sports throughout November. The action starts on Saturday, November 3 against South Africa before clashes against New Zealand, Japan and Australia.
