The All Blacks were today stripped of their 2011 Rugby World Cup title, after a TMO review disallowed a critical try.

The try, scored by Tony Woodcock in the fifteenth minute of the 2011 final, was disallowed after Television Match Official Tom Foley spotted a knock-on twenty-three phases earlier. The decision to strip New Zealand of a five-point try resulted in a French win, with the final score 7-3.

Foley made the call after reviewing multiple replays of the incident. Although none of the regular TV replays from the day of the final showed a knock-on during the ruck in question, the TMO was able to rely on historical satellite photography from 23 October 2011.

The enlarged images of events taking place on Eden Park that day are blurry, but the TMO has concluded that there must have been a knock-on somewhere among the tangle of bodies.

And there could be worse news to come for supporters of the New Zealand team, as it has been reported that the TMO is also reviewing the 1987 final following suggestions of a potential forward pass in a game against the British Lions in 1971.

While All Black fans have erupted in bafflement and fury at the decision, officials say the ruling vidicates the decision to use a Television Match Official in top games.

“The most important thing is to ensure accuracy,” said World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont. “We have the technology, so let’s use it.”

Beaumont confirmed that World Rugby was looking at trialling a new review system in internationals in 2024, where play would be stopped at the end of each phase to give a panel of five TMOs time to check for knock-ons and technical infringements, and to determine whether foul play had been committed.

He was not concerned that the new system might result in the average international rugby game taking longer to finish than a cricket test match.

“We have a quality product that people love to watch,” he said. “Why would anyone be in a hurry for the game to end?”

Beaumont has also pointed out that the longer game times will encourage audience engagement on popular social media platforms, giving fans more opportunities during the game itself to issue death threats against referees and match officials.

The new review system has been welcomed by other sports codes.

“We couldn’t be happier with what World Rugby has been doing,” said Andrew Abdo, the CEO of Australia’s NRL. “This is another great day for rugby league.”