Sam Burgess believes the wrong decision was made by the video referee to award Tom Davies’ last-gasp try that saw Hull KR snatch victory over Warrington in the Challenge Cup final.

After Josh Thewlis scored on the stroke of half-time, and Lance Todd winner Marc Sneyd converted, Warrington led 6-2 almost throughout the entirety of the second half.

That was until the 77th minute when Davies got on the end of a kick to just touch down, the video referee contentiously judging that Arron Lindop had failed to ground the ball just before Davies’ intervention.

“I’m obviously upset about the decision,” Wolves head coach Burgess said. “I thought it was the wrong decision.”

Referee Liam Moore sent the effort up as a try, with video referee Jack Smith coming in with the ruling that Lindop had not grounded the ball with his torso and therefore Davies was free to ground the ball to score.

The try levelled the score at 6-6, with Mikey Lewis sending over the conversion for Hull KR to win the game 8-6.

In the laws, grounding the ball means:

a) placing the ball on the ground with hand or hands

b) Exerting downward pressure on the ball with hand or arm, the ball itself being on the ground

c) Dropping on the ball and covering it with the part of the body above the waist and below the neck, the ball itself being on the ground

Warrington believe Lindop did the third of these which they argue should have ruled out the try and the match-winning conversion that brought home Hull KR’s first trophy in 40 years.

Within the laws a goal line dropout can be awarded in the case that the “defending player touches down in the in-goal area”.

However, the rules then define ‘touch down’ as “the intentional grounding of the ball by a defending player in their own in-goal”.

Therefore, the referee adjudicated that Lindop did not intentionally ground the ball with his torso.

Even Warrington fan and world darts champion Luke Littler took to his Instagram to question the call, posting as a story an image of the try being scored with the rules about grounding the ball written underneath.

“Do you think he may have? Or did he ground the ball in his stomach?” Burgess asked.

“What’s the letter of the law in the rules? I’ve just read the letter of the law in the rules. It says grounding from the waist up below the neck, [if] there’s downward pressure on the ball [it is classed] as grounded.

“I’m not making it about that call. It’s kind of a big call. I mean, am I off the mark there? Is that the rules or do we all agree with that?

“I’m obviously upset about the decision. I thought it was the wrong decision. Well, the law, the rules tell you it’s the wrong decision. That’s not an emotional response. I’m just telling you the truth.”

Williams: If understanding of rule is correct, it is a shocking way to lose

Warrington skipper George Williams also believes that, according the rules, Lindop grounded the ball.

Indeed, he tried to make that case to the referee on the pitch.

“Young Arron Lindop is gutted in there. He will be fine, he has got 10 or 15 more years of this,” Williams said.

“He is going to be a superstar of our game, I really believe that. He will be back.

“I said that to the referee – and a couple of the staff have Googled the rules – and it says ‘torso’ so I am not sure what that comes under.

“That is what I said on the field and the ref brushed me aside.

“If that is the rule, that is a shocking way to lose.”

What’s next?

Week 14 of the Super League season begins on Friday June 13, with Hull KR hosting Catalans Dragons on Sky Sports Action (8pm) and Hull FC facing Castleford Tigers on Sky Sports+ (8pm).

Sky Sports will again show every game of Super League live this season – including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining four matches each week shown on Sky Sports+ via the red button