Nigel Owens has been told his decision to send off an Argentine forward for a high tackle on Owen Farrell was a textbook example of how a team of referees should be working together at the World Cup.
The popular Welsh referee brandished a red card to Tomas Lavanini early in England's 39-10 Pool C win over the Pumas.
England World Cup winning coach Sir Clive Woodward criticised Owens on ITV for missing the incident in the first place and also claimed Manu Tuilagi should have been yellow carded for tackling Emiliano Boffelli in the air.
But South African referee Jonathan Kaplan, formerly one of the world's greatest officials himself, offered a better insight as to exactly why he feels Owens' handling of the game was excellent.
Kaplan explained how it can be hard to see how dangerous an incident is in real time.
In his World Cup diary for WalesOnline at the weekend, Owens had outlined how rugby is played at such a breakneck speed these days, a referee is dependant at times upon his touch judges and the TMO.
You can read that brilliant Nigel Owens column in full here
And in his own column for the Telegraph , Kaplan went into detail about how Owens came to the correct decision, pointing out the red card was "the perfect example of how the rapport between a referee and TMO should work".
Kaplan went on: "Nigel did not realise on first viewing how bad the tackle was. I can understand that - it is often very difficult in real time to see exactly how dangerous a tackle is. A referee often only partially sees them and that is why we have the TMO system in place.
"TMO Marius Jonker clearly felt the tackle deserved a second viewing and told Owens to take another look at the next break in play.
"From that moment on it was up to Owens to make the decision, with Jonker backing him up.
"Owens had to assess whether there was any mitigation, did Farrell duck or slip, for example, meaning Lavanini could not reasonably be expected to tackle lower. None of those things happened. That meant a red card."
You can see the tackle here.
Kaplan explained: "I liked the way Owens discussed what he was seeing with Jonker. The language used was crisp and precise, as were the words Owens used when selling his decision to the Argentina players and the watching public.
"It may have taken a little time for the correct decision to be reached, but when the system works we should talk it up for ensuring justice is served. It certainly was on this occasion."
Kaplan said Owens "had a strong performance" and dismissed talk on social media, and from pundits, about the Tuilagi incident.
"Awarding just a penalty was the correct decision," he said.
Owens and England's Wayne Barnes, according to Kaplan, are amongst the leading referees at the tournament.
"Not everyone likes his style, but I'm a big fan of Owens' interaction with the players and I believe it helps him keep a game under control.
"He is clear and funny and helps for those playing and those watching.
"When the likes of Owens or Barnes are in charge, you are less likely to get incorrect decisions, to the benefit of the tournament."
