Nick Sautner: Eden Park CEO on the new shot-clock technology for this weekend's test between the All Blacks and England

The Mike Hosking Breakfast

There will be no excuses for timed-out kicks at goal at Eden Park on Saturday.

As the All Blacks host England for the second test in the series there will be a 60-second shot clock displayed on the big screen and the television broadcast, that will signal how much time a kicker has to take their shot at goal.

It comes after All Blacks first-five Damian McKenzie was deemed by referee to have taken longer than the time limit when lining up a penalty kick in the first test in Dunedin.

With just three minutes remaining in the match, the All Blacks won a penalty and captain Scott Barrett pointed towards the posts signalling they would like a shot at three points. Three points that would have given the All Blacks a four-point buffer with barely enough time for England to kick-off.

The clock begins when the captain points towards the posts for a shot at goal and this rule is not unknown to players as it was the same rule used in Super Rugby Pacific this year.

“The kick must be taken within 60 seconds (playing time) from the time the team indicated their intention to do so, even if the ball rolls over and has to be placed again. Sanction: Kick is disallowed and a scrum is awarded,” the law states.

Where confusion arose for McKenzie was that his only means of knowing how much time he had left was communication from the referee.

The referee blew his whistle and signalled that McKenzie had taken longer than the allocated 60 seconds and England were given possession back. The All Blacks’ player maker’s blushes were saved as the All Blacks held on to record a 16-15 victory but the incident sparked debate as to whether communication from the referee was enough clarity.

Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner told Andrew Dickens the clock is linked to the referee, so it’s an operational matter for NZR and the TMO.

He said that testing has been done to accommodate any and all of the three screens in the grounds.

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